Motion sickness is very usual among our dogs and this fact can not only be limited to the animal, but also to the owners, making travel by car a traumatic experience.
Travel Sickness is caused by a lack of adaptation of the animal to the movement of the vehicle. There can be some other additional factors such as stress or fear of getting into the car which causes anxiety, resulting in symptoms of nervousness, nausea, salivation and vomiting. Some animals can show symptoms before getting into the vehicle once they are aware a trip is going to start.
Motion sickness normally affects puppies rather than adult animals, but we have to recall that apart from the pure physical problem, which is concerned with the inner ear and the central nervous system, there may be some anxiety features which make the problem more serious so it is recommended to get the puppy used to travelling by car in order to avoid problems when adult.
The usual treatment for this problem until now was to use powerful sedatives for the central nervous system, especially ‘acepromacine’, to avoid excessive salivation, nervousness, anxiety and vomiting, but this produced strong sedation which could last many hours and it meant a risk for older animals or those with renal and/or heart problems. Now we have a medicine specifically for dogs that suffer with Travel Sickness which prevents salivation and vomiting, although it does not reduce the levels of anxiety on those animals suffering from it. This new medicine has no adverse effects since it does not cause the sedation of the animal and it has no effect on blood pressure or heart rate. It is easily given by pills from one to ten hours before travelling and its effects last for a long time. This way, pets and owners will be able to enjoy their trips quieter and with no problems.
If you are concerned about travelling with your pets because they suffer with Travel Sickness, consult your vet.
Clinica Veterinaria
Puerto de Mazarrón.
Tel 968 153 931
Camposol Sector A
Tel 968 199 263