Cinetosis or Car Sickness in Dog: Natural Emedies and Practical Tips

An activity monitor integrated into a GPS device for dogs will allow you to keep their health under control. Car sickness - otherwise called cinetosis - is one of the most common disorders affecting dogs of all ages, sizes and breeds. Motion sickness is caused by an uncommon and irregular movement that disturbs the sensory pathways that are deputies to the control of balance. Normally, the receptors located in the inner ear of the dog (vestibular apparatus) help the animal adjust the body's position and movements. However, when the dog is in a vehicle and is not familiar with the travel-related sensation, his vestibular apparatus and associated nerve pathways are hyper stimulated, causing the onset of car sickness. 

Cinetosis often begins to afflict our four-legged friend when he is still a puppy. In fact, it is very much associated with the feeling of unease and fear that the little one experiences when he arrives in his new home by the car of the family who will welcome him. The puppy's sense of balance is not yet perfectly calibrated and traffic jams, curves and traffic noise can aggravate the problem. Cinetosis causes nausea, hypersalivation, vomiting, abdominal pain, tachycardia. Dogs can suffer from cinetosis even if the car is just in sight, when the car is stationary or they travel for very short distances. There are several medications for car sickness that can help alleviate or completely avoid the problem. Also, if you want to keep an eye on your puppy’s health, you should get a GPS for dogs which allows you to monitor his activities too.

The most effective drugs in the treatment of canine cinetosis are antihistamines and antinauseants. Antihistamines are more effective when cinetosis appears to be caused by anxiety or fear of travel or of the car. These medications usually calm the dog and relieve anxiety, but give him a slight drowsiness. Their effect is short-lived and are therefore reserved for shorter trips. Antinauseants, especially those containing phenothiazine, are more effective in cases where the dog develops cinetosis resulting from the physical movement itself. Many of these dogs love to travel, but do not tolerate the movement of the vehicle. Phenothiazine derivatives provide sedation and reduce or prevent nausea and vomiting. These drugs last longer than antihistamines, but can cause more side effects, such as confusion and possible aggressiveness.

"For car sickness and related problems there are homeopathic compounds that generally contain tabacus, cocculus, petroleus and ipeca with a good specific action," says Dr. Laura Cutullo, a veterinary practitioner specialized in florery and homeopathy. "If the puppy begins to feel bad just at the sight of the vehicle, you can use Gelsemium 30CH, which is a great remedy for anticipation anxiety. Homeopathic remedies should be administered dissolved in very little water about an hour before departure, but can also be given during the journey, depending on the length of the journey and the need to prolong its effect.

" In her book “Natural Cures and Feeding for Home Animals”, Cutullo also indicates some Bach flowers that can give excellent results in cinetosis. Rescue Remedy, for example, as a basic remedy to which you should add Elm for the suffering created by staying in a tight space. And Scleranthus for nausea during the trip. Remedies can also be sprayed into the car's cockpit. There is also a good blend of Australian-specific flowers for car sickness.: it is called Travel and it has to be sprayed several times around the dog during the trip. 

An effective natural remedy is ginger. Laura Cutullo explains: "Ginger was used by doctor Galeno to treat alitosis and used in Tibetan medicine against colds and bronchitis. Ginger root has always been chewed by Chinese sailors to prevent seasickness.

"Ginger has a powerful effect against nausea and its action is gastrointestinal, so it does not affect the central nervous system. In addition, this root fights hypersalivation associated with car sickness, vomiting and any state of restlessness associated with cinetosis. "Ginger - continues Dr. Cutullo - can be given in dry extract - as fresh has a remarkable spicy note - from 25 mg for small dogs to 75 mg for big size ones, about half an hour before departure and each 2-3 hours during the trip.

Always on the subject of cinetosis, there are a number of small practical arrangements to keep in mind to minimize the problem and the resulting disorders. For example, it is important not to leave the stomach completely empty. Although many think that it is better to keep the dog fast before departure, administering a small meal in the pre-journey time may be useful to give the stomach the ability to absorb excess gastric juices and calm the sense of nausea associated with cinetosis. Want to know how many calories does your dog normally burn? Get a GPS for dogs like Kippy Vita S.

Keeping the vehicle fresh and well ventilated can be another useful practice, as well as giving your dog the chance to turn around and get up to his will, without forcing him into a tight space. For a puppy suffering from car sickness, perhaps associated with the fear and discomfort of car travel, it may be desirable to start a sort of "deconditioning", beginning with short car journeys leading to a destination that suits the little one (a park, a countryside, a favorite dog area), making it easy to endure longer and more complex trips. The puppy will forget the initial fear and will think of the family car as a happy occasion to reach a place of entertainment and fun. And, over time, car sickness will be just a bad memory.