motion and or car sickness

Question
do you know what to give a poodle or dog to keep them from being sick when they ride in a car

Answer
Dear Brenda,

Thank you for writing to me about your dog's motion sickness.  This is more common than you can imagine.  Sometimes the cause is an early experience in the car that your dog perceived as threatening or frightening and now when he's in a car it brings up that bad memory and he throws up.  

One of the things you can do is desensitize him to the car.  Bring him to the car and give him a treat.  Do this for several days so that he perceives going towards the car as something positive.  Use a very special treat just for this and nothing else. Then open the door and treat.  Do this for a day or two.  Next step sit in the car with him without running the engine.  Feed him in the car and give him treats.  After a day or two when you see that he's relaxed and happy just sitting in the car with you being hugged and perhaps brushed and given treats, start the engine and then shut it off and immediately treat.  Do this for several days, gradually extending the time the engine is running until you see that your dog is relaxed.  The next step if to move the car forward about a foot, ever so gently and immediatly treat.  Do this for several days gradually extending the distance.  If you see that your dog is showing any signs of anxiety whatsoever, cut back to the previous step, as you have gone to fast for your dog.  Keep your voice cheerful and relaxed rather than soothing.  Follow the protocol until your dog is able to ride in the car without throwing up.

One of the best herbs for nausea of any kind is ginger - be it a couple of ginger snap cookies ginger ale/beer, crystallized ginger, or a 500 mg capsule of the powder. Just give it about 30 minutes before any car trip. Good for people, too. Even for seasickness.Try powdered ginger root capsules. Ginger root does help calm the stomach. Ginger can be given in tea, too, if the animal prefers it. Ginger root raw is a little strong, and most animals don't like it. Scale down the human dosage for animals, and give a little before the car ride as well as during the trip if needed. You can buy Hofel's High Strength Ginger 'Pearles' (a fancy name for capsules!) for the dogs and their car sickness. Each capsule contains the same as 12grams of fresh ginger and you only need one per day, given about half an hour before traveling. They have found that it really does help in reducing salivation and nausea.

2. In Pat Colby's book - Natural Pet Care, under the heading Travel  Sickness is says  "In all species, (including humans) this is due to a vitamin B6 deficiency". Goes on to say "give half a teaspoon of ascorbate, one B complex and one B6, or half of each for a small dog (the two must always be given together). If it is to be a long journey, giving all the recommended vitamins on the feed the day before as well, and during the journey, would also be a good idea as it would guard against the extra stress"

3. Fenugreek, another herb, can be used just like ginger.

4. Rescue Remedy can be given just a few drops on a small treat. This is a Bach Flower Remedy. It tends to calm down an animal but doesn't make them dopey like drugs do. Give about 4 drops in the mouth or ears about 10-12 hours before starting the trip, repeating every four hours or as needed. You can also spritz the car with a dilution made with spring water. RR is absorbed anywhere through the skin, so even rubbing some RR in can help calm. RR can also be given in drinking water - dilution does not affect its efficacy.

5. Peppermint is wonderful for motion sickness. A drop or two of tincture of peppermint might help or try brewing some peppermint tea and giving the animal some cooled tea. This also calms the stomach.

6. Try giving a little raw honey before the car trip. It tends to calm the tummy. Repeat as necessary. (If your animal has a heart problem, however, do not give honey, as it tends to make animals retain fluid, which is not good in the case of heart patients)

7. Try the training on both a full and an empty stomach. Some animals need to eat before riding, some need an empty stomach. I have found that giving one or two saltine crackers on an empty stomach helps to absorb the acid in the stomach.

8. When driving to a destination for the first time, make sure it is a fun place. Nothing will undo all your hardwork more quickly than the first visit being a vet clinic or some other "unfun" place. Go to the park or the beach or some other place your dog can look forward to.

9. Some doctors say that carsickness is from a lack of Vit B6, so try giving your dog extra B vits on the morning of the journey. Raw liver (fed the night before or that morning) has lots of B vits, and a human supplement can also be given in pill form. Please give a B complex vitamin rather than just one B vitamin, as they need to be balanced out for maximum effect.

10. Ask your homeopathic vet about perhaps trying one of the following homeopathic remedies (in about the 6th potency): Petroleum, Cocculus, Tabacum, Borax.

Always remember to secure your animal properly in the car. Loose in the back of a truck may look "cool", but your animal can be injured and perhaps killed this way. Crates tied or bolted down in the back of a truck or the back of a car is the safest route. Seatbelts for animals are also available. A simple downstay in the backseat may not be sufficient in preventing injury should an accident occur.

Best Regards,
Shelley Davis