Car sickness or Motion sickness is related to stress rather than the motion of your car. Like humans, dogs can also suffer from motion sickness. It can be caused by a number of factors, but primarily it is by movement in the inner ear. Receptors in the ear called the vestibular apparatus help an animal process position and movements. The dog will experience motion sickness if the signals coming in are excessive. Signs of motion or carsickness include drooling, and vomiting.
Management
1. Take very short trips. Start with just sitting in the car. Do this for a week and then start to do very short journey's (5-10 mins) with a really positive experience at the end and gradually increase the length of the car trip as the dog builds tolerance.
When your dog is able to do 30 minute journeys without stress, anxiety or sickness, you are pretty much close to your goal.
2. Allow the pet to see outside the vehicle. It's a good idea to have someone else in the car during these initial journeys as this person can sooth and distract your dog during the journey.
3. Provide lots of room to get up and move around.
4. Keep the vehicle cool and well ventilated.
5. Provide short breaks every 1-2 hours so that the dog has an opportunity to experience absence of car motion regularly. At the end of the return journey, create just as much fuss and play a short game.
You may want to make sure your dog has an empty stomach before getting in the car. Don't give him any food 3 to 4 hours prior to travel. Some vets also recommend limiting water intake just before travelling.
Allow your dog to relieve itself before travelling.
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