Stopping a Dog From Being Carsick

Motion sickness, or car sickness, is a common condition among many dogs. Car sickness occurs when a dog becomes nauseated and begins vomiting after riding in a vehicle. This condition can be mild, involving only nausea and drooling, to extreme, with severe protracted vomiting. The good news is that there are several things you can do to prevent this from happening in your dog and to make traveling with your pet enjoyable.

Things You'll Need

  • Dog seat belt
  • Dramamine
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Instructions

    • 1

      Remove the dog's food and water the night before the trip, and do not feed it breakfast. Dogs ride more comfortably on an empty stomach. However, if it is not practical to not feed the dog, try to take it on the conditioning trips as long after a meal as possible.

    • 2

      Take the dog on short conditioning trips, such as around the block, and then let it out. These short trips should be five minutes or less and should be conducted slowly. Take the dog on two to three short trips each day for several days to start.

    • 3

      Extend the length of the trip by five minutes once the dog has shown that it can make a short trip comfortably. Continue to drive slowly and keep the length of the trip at 10 minutes for several trips to gauge the dog's reaction. If it begins to drool or appears to be nauseated, drop back to the five-minute trips for a few days and then try again.

    • 4

      Restrict the dog's view by installing a dog seat belt and teaching the dog to wear it. Visual cues are another trigger when it comes to motion sickness in dogs, and dogs that repeatedly look out the side windows or the rear window will be more susceptible to car sickness than those that face forward.

    • 5

      Administer dimenhydrinate, the generic name for Dramamine, if the dog continues to experience car sickness even after you have conducted many conditioning sessions. Request a dimenhydrinate dosage from your veterinarian. Dimenhydrinate affects the way the brain responds to the movement of the fluid in the inner ear, which is what triggers motion sickness, and also acts as an anti-emetic, or anti-vomiting medication.