Travel sickness in dogs.

Travel sickness is quite common in dogs. It is mostly seen in puppies under 1 year old, and thankfully, many dogs seem to outgrow it as they age. Travel sickness in dogs can be a combination of mismatched vestibular signals from the inner ear from motion, which creates nausea, and also many dogs also have a component of anxiety associated with car trips.

Some of the signs you may see if your dog has motion sickness are mild lip licking, yawning, whining, reluctance to get into the car and vomiting. In some dogs, the vomiting can be quite severe.

Management of travel sickness often requires a combination of 3 approaches:

1. Management of nausea 

Anti-nausea medications can be prescribed by the vet. There are also some natural anti-nausea supports, such as fresh ginger or ginger candy. Ginger can create quite a hot sensation in the mouth and burn, so take care with this. 

2. Management of Anxiety 

Anti-anxiety medications can be prescribed by a veterinarian and may be incredibly important for some dogs experiencing ongoing anxiety. Your vet can help determine whether medication is appropriate based on your pet’s individual needs and behaviour. If the behaviour is more related to stress, changes in routine, or environmental triggers rather than true anxiety, supportive strategies may be helpful. Alongside training, enrichment, and a consistent routine, natural support can be incorporated into your pet’s care plan

Shy Tiger’s Soothe + Calm Stress Supplements for Dogs is designed to support emotional well-being and the body’s natural stress response using carefully selected ingredients. These can be used as part of a broader approach to help support your pet during situations such as changes in environment, travel, new experiences, or other stressful events.

3. Counter conditioning the behavioural response

This is behavioural training so that your dog associates the car with positive emotions. By first addressing nausea and anxiety, you will make this step easier. This is a gradual process and may start with just getting your dog to sit in the car and give them a couple of high-reward treats before getting out again. Moving on from this, you may repeat the same exercise but with the engine on. If your dog is still comfortable with this, you can progress to a short trip to somewhere fun like the dog park. A good trainer can assist you with this process.