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September 03, 2024    

Can dogs get car sick? A comprehensive guide to motion sickness in dogs

Understanding motion sickness causes and solutions can help make travel more enjoyable for you and your dog.

         Jamie Freyer, DVM

• Wisdom Panel™ Team

Motion sickness is a common condition in dogs that can turn a fun getaway into an unpleasant experience for pets and their travel companions. Luckily, there are things you can do to lessen your dog’s symptoms and steps you can take to help them overcome queasy feelings. By understanding more about motion sickness, you can make sure your next outing is focused on having fun, not managing a sick pup.

What is motion sickness?

According to the Cleveland Clinic, motion sickness in humans occurs when the parts of the body responsible for sensing motion—including the inner ear, eyes, joints, and muscles—send conflicting information to your brain. When the brain doesn’t know how to interpret the signals it’s sent, it can trigger nausea or other unpleasant feelings. The same concept applies to motion sickness in dogs. 

Dogs with motion sickness experience nausea and discomfort when travelling in a moving vehicle. These ill feelings often happen during car rides, though they can also happen in boats, planes, or any other scenario where a dog is exposed to a lot of motion.

How do I know if my dog is car sick?

Many pet parents have had the experience of heading out on a road trip with their pup, only to hear the dreaded sound of retching coming from the back once they hit the open road. 

Though vomiting is the most obvious sign of motion sickness in dogs, other signs may be more subtle or occur before vomiting begins. These signs include:

• Excessive drooling

• Panting

• Whining 

• Lethargy

• Restlessness

• Lip licking

• Defecation

If you notice any of these signs during car rides or other travel, there’s a good chance your dog is experiencing motion sickness.

Causes of motion sickness in dogs

As mentioned, motion sickness generally occurs when your dog’s brain gets mixed signals that it’s unsure how to process. But it can be a little more complicated than that. Motion sickness in dogs can stem from various factors, including:

• Age: Puppies and young dogs are more prone to motion sickness, possibly because their inner ear structures, which help with balance, are not fully developed. As they grow, some dogs outgrow this condition.

• Anxiety or stress: Dogs that have a negative association with car rides—such as equating them with a trip to the vet—or that ride in the car very infrequently may show signs of anxiety when travelling by car.

• Genetics: Some dogs may be genetically predisposed to motion sickness. According to analysis done using Wisdom Panel DNA results and patient files from dogs diagnosed with motion sickness by a veterinarian, our team of scientists found a strong genetic component to motion sickness. 

How to treat or prevent motion sickness in dogs

There are a few ways to approach treatment for motion sickness. Some involve steps you can take as a pet parent, while others require partnership with a veterinarian. However, it’s always best to talk with your veterinarian about any concerns you have with your pet. They’ll be able to rule out other causes of your dog’s symptoms and make sure the plan you create considers your pet’s overall health.

Behavioural and environmental strategies

The suggestions below pertain to car rides. The car is the easiest environment to control, and helping your dog feel comfortable riding in it will pave the way for trips on boats, planes, or other modes of transportation.

1. Early training: Getting your pup used to the car at a young age will help them avoid motion sickness later in life. Start by sitting with your dog in the car and turning on the engine. Then, take short car rides—just around the block. Gradually increase the duration of your trips as your dog gets used to being in a moving vehicle.

2. Create a comfortable environment: Ensure your dog feels secure in the car. Use a crate or a dog seatbelt to provide a sense of safety, and bring your dog’s favourite bed or blanket from home.

3. Positive reinforcement: Associate car rides with positive experiences. Offer treats and praise while in the car, and take your dog to enjoyable places like the park.

4. Take frequent breaks: During long trips, take regular breaks to allow your dog to stretch, relieve themselves, and get some fresh air.

Medications

For dogs with severe motion sickness, your veterinarian might recommend medication. Some common options include:

• Anti-nausea medications

• Anti-anxiety medications

Natural remedies

If you prefer natural solutions, there are several options to consider:

• Pheromones: Ask your veterinarian about products that use dog-specific pheromones known to help keep pups calm.

• Ginger: Ginger is known for its anti-nausea properties. Ginger supplements, if recommended by your veterinarian, may be helpful. 

• https://www.thedogherbalist.co.uk/

Final thoughts

Motion sickness in dogs is a common issue that can be managed or even prevented with the right strategies. It takes patience and commitment, but recognising the signs of motion sickness and implementing practical solutions can make car rides or other trips fun and relaxing for you and your pup.

               RULES, ETHICS AND HONESTY IN THE DOG                                                     SHOW WORLD 

Vicki Ronchette.

Social media is an amazing thing.  Sites like Facebook allow us to keep in touch with friends and family, to reconnect with old friends and to share what is going on in our own lives.  This should be a positive thing, but there is also a dark side.  Facebook, forums and other social media allows people vent publicly about things that bother them or that they are upset about and the dog show world is no exception.  The comments made publicly were bad enough with the dog forums, but Facebook is a whole new territory with our Facebook pages making our feelings and opinions an open book for our friends, family, dog show competition and anyone we are “friends” with to see.  Many times people are Facebook “friends” with people that they are venting about, so it’s sometimes more about saying what you want to say to someone without actually having to say it.

I am sometimes humored, sometimes astounded and sometimes horrified at the different things that I read. Most of the negative posts I see are in some way complaining about either the rules, someones personal ethics and honesty or lack thereof.

RULES

This one is easy.  Rules are rules and you are either following them or breaking them.  If you break the rules, you risk getting caught and facing consequences for it.  The great part about the rules for dog shows is that they are written and they are specific.  If you break them and it can be proven, you may be punished for it. My personal opinion is that when it comes to dog shows it is best to follow the rules, not only because you can get yourself into trouble for not following them but also because it is just the right thing to do.  For me personally, I know the rules and I follow the rules, plain and simple.  It makes it really easy for me if someone suggests I broke a rule.  I wouldn’t do it on purpose and if I did it inadvertently I would do whatever I had to in order to rectify it.

ETHICS

This one is a bit more sticky because ethics are a personal thing.  Something that one person feels is unethical may be perfectly acceptable to someone else.  I see people doing a lot of complaining about someone else being “unethical” but again, this is their personal opinion.  I have observed people complaining publicly about all of the following, just to name a few:

• Moving a finished dog up

• Not moving a finished dog up

• Showing after a dog may be finished

• Not showing after a dog may be finished

• Committee chairs having someone show their dogs at a show where they are chairing

• Committee chairs changing ownership of dogs so that they can be shown

• Making negative to others about dogs at ringside

• Commenting about others publicly on social media

• Breaking a major (even if for a very genuine reason)

• Showing under a judge that you know, or that owned a dog you bred to, or that you had put you up before, or that you had lunch with two years ago, etc, etc, etc.

• “Liking” pictures of dogs someone views as not a good dog

• The judging, basically, disagreeing with the judging sometimes to the point of publicly insulting a judge because their dog wasn’t put up

This is by no means a complete list, just some things that I have seen people complain about, usually on Facebook and rarely in person.  The thing is, these are situations in which each individual has a choice and a right to choose.  Of course most of us would probably say that it isn’t nice to speak negatively about someone else’s dog at ringside and that it isn’t the right thing to do.  But, many of the other things are very individual and subjective.  I feel strongly that it is my right to move my finished dog up as a special if I choose to or to leave him in the classes, if I choose to.  However, I have seen people get pummeled for both of those options.  People can make a choice that they genuinely feel is the right, ethical and correct choice but it will still make some people mad.  You know that saying that “You can’t please all the people all the time?” Well, that is the understatement of the century in the dog show world.  Not only can you not please everyone all the time, but some of those that are not pleased by your decisions will see your choice as a personal attack on them.  The bottom line is that you are not going to make everyone happy, so your best option is to follow your own gut and your own conscience and do what you want and what you feel is right for you and your dog.

What I find particularly frustrating is that some people will go on a social media rampage about this person or that person doing this thing or that when they do similar things themselves.  

Of course, they are able to rationalize their choices and behavior, which is fine as long as they are willing to offer that same courtesy to others, unfortunately not everyone does.  They go on and on about other people and all their crimes and shortcomings and see themselves as completely justified in all their choices.  This is not a good look and not something I recommend.  Double standards are never a good thing.

HONESTY

I couldn’t decide whether to talk about integrity or honesty here.  Integrity is really about being ethical which could include honesty, but honesty is really about truth.  Like rules, the truth is what it is, either it is true or not.  In the dog show world people can be so unbelievably untruthful that it is mind boggling.  To me dishonesty is a serious character flaw.  It isn’t something I can accept or cope with in a friend and for the most part, I would choose not to be closely affiliated with people that I don’t feel are honest.  And so, I don’t.  I think it goes without saying that being honest is part of being ethical.  Does that mean that I have to sit at ringside and rip some dog to shreds because I’m “just being honest”?  

No, it doesn’t.  I think that a good option for ringside judging is that if you can’t say anything nice don’t say anything at all until you get someplace private with someone you trust where it is appropriate and safe to vent .  In the case of saying it to the owner, if you aren’t asked, don’t tell.  On the flip side, if you DO ask, make sure that you are prepared to hear the answer.  Asking someone what they think and then being upset with their opinion isn’t fair either.

JUST PLAIN STUPID

Several years ago I showed a friend’s dog to a big win.  The dog was nice, the judge was good and the win was honest.  Later that day, my friend was walking past a group of people who said, “Congratulations.  Isn’t (insert the judge’s name) getting a puppy from you?”  Uh, no, the judge didn’t even have the same kind of dog and there was never any discussion of a puppy or of the judge and the dog’s owner being in business together.  It was so ridiculous that it was laughable and that’s how we handled it, we laughed.  What else can you do?  It was just another case of people making up their own stories and fabrications to create suspicion about the win.  No truth to it at all.  Saying “Congratulations” just before saying something snarky doesn’t make the comment sting less.  My skin has gotten thicker and I try not let this stuff get to me, but I do find it sad and disheartening when I see lies, sometimes quite vicious ones spread about dogs and owners who never did anything to deserve it.  Sometimes success can make you a target and there is just no way around it.

Sadly, this behavior is not uncommon.  There are just people out there who say things that aren’t true

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. In the case above and the times that I have been subjected to this type of behavior, I simply try to ignore.  There is no law against being dishonest, lying about people or spreading rumors.  So the best I can do is to not give it much thought, laugh it off and walk away.  Oh, and file that experience into my memory and my mind so that I can be thoughtful and careful about the people that I choose to trust, interact with and invest in.

The just plain stupid category is one you have to just walk away from.  Of course, not everyone can do that. We are human and sometimes people need to defend themselves, fire back or say something and sometimes, it’s reasonable and warranted, but, I propose that a lot of the time t’s not worth it.  Sometimes it’s better (and healthier) to walk away and be the better person and not feed the negativity.

In the end, we each need to decide for ourselves where we stand and who we are in terms of our ethics and honesty in the show ring and out.

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Vicki

Vicki Ronchette is the founder of Show Dog Prep School and a Certified Professional Dog Trainer. Vicki has been working with dogs professionally for over 30 years as a professional dog trainer and behavior consultant, groomer and veterinary assistant. She is the author of Positive Training for Show Dogs, From Shy to Showy and Ready? Set. SHOW! Vicki presents workshops and seminars all over the country on how training show dogs.