The dog is swayed in the car - what to do?

Pets that are part of the family, often become full members of it. We take care of dogs as carefully and tenderly as about our loved ones. That is why animal problems often become very important and urgent. In this article we will talk about kinetosis or seasickness, which occurs not only in humans, but also in our smaller brothers. The owners often take pets with them on trips, out of town, on picnics, hunting and fishing, and just to the vet or on business in the city. All this is accompanied by short or long trips, which not all dogs tolerate well. As a result, there is a lot of problems - vomiting on the car seat, the pet's poor state of health and the owner's bad mood. What is motion sickness in a dog, is it possible to deal with it and how to do it, let's try to figure it out.

Why is a dog swaying?

The inner ear of the animal has a similar structure to the human. Ideally, the vestibular apparatus transmits impulses and signals about movement change to the brain. At the same time, sight and hearing transmit a signal to the brain that the paws do not move. That is, the environment of the car is at rest, and the objects outside the window are moving, in addition, there is a shaking and shaking. All this brings a serious imbalance and contradiction, chaos arises in the systematic work of the body. This also happens with chemical poisoning with various poisons. In this case, the body tries to get rid of the poisonous substance with the help of vomiting. That is why nausea and vomiting occur when kinetosis occurs.

How to understand that the dog is swaying in the car?

As a rule, puppies of the first year of life are subject to the problem, their vestibular apparatus is in an immature state, therefore the kinetosis is more pronounced. As a rule, over time, the problem is exhausted. But how to understand that your dog gets bad during the trip? This may indicate several factors.

1. First of all, the dog begins to have excessive salivation, not related to the diet or health.
2. The dog as a whole becomes restless, does not lie in place, is constantly transplanted, looking for new body positions. In some cases, the pet may become aggressive or begin to whine, the dog may lick his hands, thus asking for help.
3. The dog's breathing becomes more frequent, it constantly swallows saliva, rushes around the car, licks its nose endlessly.
4. A dog may burp, even several times, which is usually unnatural for a pet. Be alert - in this state, the dog may happen to vomit at any time.

Kickback in the car can occur not only in puppies, in rare cases, this condition persists in adults. Kinetosis increases with foreign odors, especially unfamiliar ones. Stress - another provoking factor in which the motion sickness increases significantly. In this case, affects the behavioral memory. If the dog was traveling by car to the doctor for the first time for an inoculation or drip, then the passenger compartment will be associated with something painful and scary. Fear further increases nausea. To get rid of this, it is necessary to cause kind and positive communication.Several times go by car to pleasant places - to the sports fields, to go fishing, to have a picnic and swimming in the reservoirs, or just to go for a walk. Try to keep the first "attacks" not far from home, so that the pet does not get scared and does not sway too much. Gradually, it is possible to equalize the imbalance - in some cases the problem of kinetosis is solved very quickly.

How to get rid of motion sickness in the car?

To make the pet feel good throughout the trip, and the owner enjoyed the views outside the window, rather than being nervous next to the dog, you need to follow a few simple rules.

1. Try to abandon the sharp and unpleasant odors in the car - do not smoke, leave at home a variety of flavors for the car, do not use perfume. Remember that the scent of a dog is very well developed, even a small fragrance for a person can become an unbearable stink for a dog.
2. Try not to feed the animal before you go on the road, at least for 1.5-2 hours. An empty stomach is a reduction in the likelihood of vomiting.
3. Carefully walk the dog before it hits the road.The lack of urge to urinate and defecation - a guarantee of peace and tranquility.
4. Try not to break the silence with loud sounds - do not turn on the radio, at least before the pet gets used. If you are driving in a noisy company, try to keep yourself quieter, because your family member is bad - put yourself in the place of an animal.
5. It is very important that the dog is close to its owner (only if he is not driving). Try to support your pet, stroke him, calm his voice and hug.
6. When moving the car, leave one window slightly ajar so that fresh air can be seen in the cabin. However, make sure that the dog does not sit in a frank draft, it can get sick.
7. A dog can be compared to a child - it is also afraid, does not understand much, is at the mercy of adults. Therefore, the driver must understand that if possible you should avoid sharp turns, braking and acceleration. All this provokes even more motion sickness. The trip should be measured, calm and safe.
8. If you see that your pet is bad, stop the car, give the dog the opportunity to get out, run, come around.Probably, the baby will want to drink some water or go to the toilet, especially if the trip is distant.
9. Be sure to take with you in the car what your pet loves - familiar toys, clothes with the smell of the owner, if that is not around. You can take a little favorite treat, but remember that overeating provokes nausea.
10. To get used to the dog to travel, you should regularly carry it in the car, so you train the vestibular apparatus. Try to start with short trips, gradually increasing the time and distance of the route. For the very first time, you can not even go anywhere - just stay in the cabin of the car, the dog should associate the situation with something pleasant.

If all this does not help, the baby grew up, but he never learned to cope with the cradles, you should consult with the veterinarian. In some cases, there is nothing left to do, how to use special preparations. But for this it is important to figure out what your dog feels during the trip - fear or is it really kinetosis? Start with the simplest herbal sedatives. They will help the dog to relax and more easily survive the trip.If anxiety is accompanied by excessive salivation and vomiting, you may need more serious drugs that affect the nervous system, suppress the reflex vomiting, or smooth the muscular muscles of the stomach. You can take them only after consulting a doctor.

Motion sickness is a serious problem, both for the animal itself and for its owner. But unfortunately, we cannot do without trips, therefore, it is necessary to look for a solution to this problem, and as soon as possible.

Video: what to do if the dog is sick in the car