Travel Sickness in Dogs: Symptoms & Tips to Prevent Nausea 

Is Travel Sickness in Dogs Dangerous? 

Dangerous in the sense of being life-threatening, travel sickness in dogs is of course not. However, nausea and vomiting on every journey are unpleasant for both your dog and you.

Combined with the associated fear of car travel, this can quickly create a vicious circle. That’s why it’s especially important to do something about your dog’s travel sickness. 

Symptoms: How Does Travel Sickness Show Itself in Dogs? 

The typical symptoms of travel sickness in dogs (also known as kinetosis) include: 

• Restlessness or lethargy
• Whining, barking, right through to screaming
• Panting
• Drooling
• Increased swallowing or licking of the mouth
• Vomiting
• Passing faeces or urine (very rare)

The symptoms usually appear roughly in the order listed above. Of course, not every dog shows the full range. There are also dogs that vomit after very short distances and without any warning.

Causes: Why Does My Dog Feel Sick in the Car? 

In the dog’s inner ear is the balance organ (vestibular system). During car journeys, this organ registers movement.

At the same time, however, the dog’s eyes do not perceive any movement, as the dog is not moving itself. This is therefore passive movement. The irritation of the balance organ and the subsequent release of the messenger substance histamine then lead to nausea and vomiting.

Fear as An Important Factor

Another important factor in connection with kinetosis in dogs is fear. If a dog is not used to travelling by car, not only the rocking motion of the car itself but also fear of the situation can potentially cause nausea.

Likewise, a dog that has already struggled with travel sickness several times will associate the car with feeling sick in the future. Over time, the fear grows, and so does the travel sickness.

Incidentally, around one in six dogs suffers from travel sickness. Puppies and young dogs are particularly often affected. With a bit of luck, travel sickness disappears in adulthood. But even dogs that aren’t so lucky can be helped. 

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Measures, Medication & Tips: What Can You Do if Your Dog Gets Travel Sick?

Just as there isn’t only one cause of travel sickness in dogs, its treatment also consists of different components. These include not only medication, but also early and consistent training to help dogs get used to travelling and to reduce fear and stress.

Medication for Travel Sickness in Dogs

As travel sickness in dogs is caused by the release of histamine, dogs affected by it were previously mostly given so-called antihistamines. As well as reducing nausea, these also have a calming (sedative) effect. At first glance, this might not sound too bad when you think of an anxious dog. However, as this effect naturally lasts longer than the car journey itself, these medications are not ideal. 

Fortunately, there is now a very good medication for travel sickness in dogs known as maropitant. It effectively blocks the vomiting centre in the dog’s brain and therefore prevents vomiting. Your vet will be happy to advise you! Unfortunately, the medication isn’t exactly cheap. But a stress-free journey for everyone involved is surely worth it. 

Homeopathy for Travel Sickness in Dogs

Perhaps your dog’s travel sickness is only mild, or you’d like to spare your pet a vet visit for the time being. In that case, the following homeopathic remedies for travel nausea may be suitable: 

• Cocculus (twice daily for two to three weeks with daily training) 
• Nux vomica
• Petroleum
• Tabacum
• Strychninum phosphoricum

All remedies should be given half an hour to one hour before the journey. Repeat the treatment during the journey if necessary.

Even here, however, it’s advisable to consult an expert when choosing the right remedy. Not every homeopathic remedy suits every dog with travel sickness and their individual symptoms. 

Training to Combat Travel Sickness in Dogs

There’s no point in treating only your dog’s nausea if they already panic at the mere sight of the family car. Alongside medication, gradual and consistent training helps to ensure relaxed car journeys for you and your dog in the long term.

Both measures should go hand in hand. After all,training alone is also ineffective if your dog still feels terribly sick on every journey. That’s why medication should always be used as well. Once your dog realises that car travel can happen without nausea and vomiting, their fear will also diminish. 

Prevention: How Can I Prevent Travel Sickness in My Dog? 

When it comes to travel sickness in dogs, the same applies: prevention is better than cure. Prophylaxis can’t guarantee freedom from travel nausea, of course, but you can certainly set things on the right track. 

Ideally, the breeder already practises the first short car journeys with the small puppies. When you then bring the puppy home, pay attention to every small sign of discomfort during the journey.

If this happens, interrupt the journey and take a short walk. Even if the trip home takes a little longer as a result, the puppy’s first car journey should ideally not be remembered as involving nausea and vomiting.

Training to Reduce Fear

If your dog has already developed a fear of car travel, medication alone will no longer solve the problem. It takes a lot of patience, but it is possible to gradually reduce the fear step by step.

First, approach the car and spend some time near it. If the dog remains calm, they get a reward. This way, being near the car is associated with something positive.

Once this first hurdle has been overcome, your dog should get into the car. Calm behaviour here is again rewarded with a treat and gentle stroking.

Patience and Plenty of Rewards

If your dog stays calm in the stationary car, you can move on to the next step by starting the engine and perhaps driving up and down the driveway once. Only when your dog can manage this without panic should you take the first short journey.

At the end of this journey, a positive experience should definitely be waiting for your dog. Go for a long walk or meet up with their best canine friend. After that, the journey distances can gradually become longer.

As you can see, this fear-reduction training can take quite some time. Stay patient and only move on to the next step once the previous one works reliably without fear. During this training period, if car journeys are absolutely unavoidable, your dog should definitely be given medication against nausea. Otherwise, all the progress made so far could be undone. 

Tips for the First Car Journeys

Start training your puppy to travel by car early on. Begin with short distances and extend the journeys only gradually. Here too, the same rule applies: as often as possible, a positive experience should await your puppy at the end of the car journey. 

Further tips, especially for the first car journeys, include:

• Drive as calmly as possibleand avoid sudden braking and acceleration whenever you can.
• Avoid loud noises (e.g. slamming the car door or honking).
• Ensure a comfortable climate inside the car.
• If your dog is travelling as a passenger, gently distract them with stroking or a toy to take their mind off the exciting situation.

If you’ve already had some unpleasant experiences with travel sickness in your dog, changing their position in the car can sometimes work wonders. So try out different places in the car.

Then choose the spot that’s most comfortable for your dog. Of course, your dog must still be safely secured in the car – either in a suitable transport crate or fastened on the seat with a special car safety harness.