dog carsickness
This is what dog carsickness looks like.
This pup does not have rabies he is simply foaming at the mouth aka hypersalivation or excessive salivation brought on when he realizes he will be required to enter a vehicle.
Keep in mind that:
* A. The vehicle’s ignition has not yet been turned on. The car is off, parked & not moving.
* B. The dog has just entered the vehicle.
So it is interesting to note that this canine has already associated the stimuli into it’s brain of what is about to take place which of course is that the vehicle will turn on and the vehicle will begin to have motion thus resulting in dog not feeling well which ultimately could result in vomiting…or is it more then that?
This particular puppy is a 6 month old Rhodesian Ridgeback pup. He is normally a healthy big rambunctious puppy and loves to be around his people and is very social always wanting to play with other dogs. The thing is that he resists entering and exiting vehicles. He gets what appears to be familiar symptoms of dog carsickness which sometimes leads to vomiting and intensified gassy episodes during car travel. Once he is in vehicle he lays down and you do not hear a sound out of him except for sometimes the intense foaming mouth drool buildup. He does not always vomit but he almost always starts to foam at the mouth prior to both entering and exiting the vehicle. His car trips with me were not his first experiences in a vehicle(s) nor with carsickness. I am his dogwalker/dog nanny so he associates me with a very good time as I only take him places he likes to go! Out of a 9 day trial period with a weekend non car travel break between, he vomited only on 3 of 18 different rides (Two 30 minute car rides each day). One in a crate and two not using a crate and each time the vomiting resulted at the end of car ride after vehicle has finally stopped moving, turned off and is about to exit vehicle. I also found it was best to not feed this pup an hour+ prior to car travel and having fresh air circulating such as slight open car windows and or sunroof open helped keep everyone happy for that matter!
How to help pup overcome the carsickness?
* Stay calm and use soft high tone happy voice to encourage a good feeling.
* Get in car first and encourage dog to get in with you but do not offer food cause it might come right back up!
* Make sure you have a large waterproof type blanket and big thick dog towels handy in the car for easy cleanups!
* Calmly tell the dog everything will be OK and do not make a big deal about it, just get going! When driving speak to pet in a happy tone to help get dogs mind off any fear or sickness they might be feeling.
* Once you have reached your destination then praise pet for getting through this ride as you remove pet from vehicle.
* If dog does get sick do not punish dog, simply clean it up and offer water to dog and walk dog around to help calm them and get fresh air.
* Take short trips and make sure they are FUN trips that result in a destination your dog will appreciate then gradually make longer trips but you may need to make frequent stops.
As an animal communicator, I personally sense carsickness could be one of two things if not both:
1.) A patholigical phobia of cars or enclosed spaces rather then the actual motions of the vehicle.
2.) The actual physical motion sickness. Dog get’s sick from the motion whether it be on a boat, plane, car or train.
If you have had any experience with dog carsickness I would like to hear your stories/opinions/personal research if and how you and your dog overcame carsickness. I want to hear from pet owners and dog professionals in any field, whether it be veterinary medicine, animal behavior, dogwalkers, animal communicators, etc.
Some links I found reference dog carsickness:
