Like humans, dogs also experience car sickness of varying degrees of severity for many different reasons.
If you’re unsure how to treat your dog’s car sickness, you might want to try CBD as a natural remedy to help ease their nausea.
In this article, I will cover some important information about CBD and car sickness, including CBD for dogs who get sick.
Keep reading to find out everything you need to know about CBD for dogs who get car sick.
Why Does My Dog Get Car Sick?
Many dogs are afraid to travel in a car, and they can feel sick for a variety of different reasons, whether it is due to stress, fear, or excitement.
Traveling in the car can be an overwhelming experience in general for your pooch, as it can disrupt their routine as something that is out of the ordinary. The stress of traveling in a car can cause your dog to feel sick, as extreme stress can actually manifest as nausea.
In addition to this, car rides can also have negative associations for your dog, such as a trip to the vets where they’ve experienced pain from injections, general check-ups, or other times that they’ve been unwell.
This can render your dog scared any time you travel with them in the car, even if you’re not driving them around for that purpose.
In the same ways that humans often feel sick, dogs often feel nauseous due to motion sickness.
The inner ear sends different signals to your brain from those that your eyes are seeing. As a result of these confusing signals, too much movement can cause dizziness and motion sickness.
Can CBD Oil Help your Dog’s Car Sickness?
Research shows that dogs, as well as many other animals, have the same cannabinoid receptors in their nervous systems, brains, and organs as humans.
CBD has been proven to ease the effects of nausea associated with traveling in the car. This comes down to the fact that you can give your dog a dose in advance of the stressful situation, allowing it to take effect before your dog’s nausea can escalate.
That being said, while the anti-nausea properties of CBD may help dogs with their car sickness, every dog is different. You never know how your specific dog will react to CBD until you try it.
It is also important to note that CBD has side effects associated with it, such as drowsiness, dry mouth, and lowered blood pressure. As a result, you will need to make sure that you are keeping a watchful eye over them after you give them a dose of CBD oil.
Best CBD for Dogs Who Get Car Sick
Human CBD is too potent for dogs to consume as they contain greater levels of CBD, and you will therefore need to opt for one that is suitable for dogs.
It is also worth noting that human CBD oil comes in different flavors due to a variety of artificial sweeteners that aren’t suitable for dogs. In fact, in the circumstance that a CBD oil is sweetened with xylitol, it is toxic to dogs and could even be fatal if it’s given to them.
CBD for dogs is available in three different forms:
- CBD oil
- Topical creams
- CBD edibles (also known as dog treats)
CBD edibles are often the easiest form of CBD to give your dog, as they contain other ingredients that can help mask the taste. That being said, CBD oil is the most suitable product for dogs who get car sickness as it takes less time to metabolize than edibles.
To give your dog CBD oil, you simply drop the correct dose onto their tongue. Generally speaking, your dog will be able to feel the effects of the CBD anywhere between 30 minutes to 60 minutes.
Consult your veterinarian
As with any other supplement, you should always discuss your wishes to treat your dog’s car sickness with your veterinarian.
They will be able to offer you advice on how you can ease the condition
Other Ways to Treat your Dog’s Car Sickness
If CBD doesn’t work to help your dog’s car sickness, there are many ways you can try to treat your dog’s car sickness. These include but are not limited to:
Providing them with fresh air
When you’re headed out for a ride with your pooch, make sure that you crack a window so that they have access to fresh air.
This might sound overly simple when your dog is struggling with nausea, but it’s always worth a try.
Dogs love to experience new places and smells, so providing them with the opportunity to stick their nose out to sniff the new places they’re passing is sure to make them associate the car with something fun and exciting.
Timing their meals appropriately
If you know that you are going to be taking your dog for a car ride, then time their meals appropriately.
Make sure that you feed them a few hours before you plan to take them on a car ride. If they don’t have any food in their stomach to vomit, then they are far less likely to vomit up their food.
Giving them ginger capsules
Ginger is another natural nausea remedy that you can try your dog with. To help ease their car sickness, you can try offering your dog ginger capsules.
Giving them motion sickness medicine
Dramamine is considered safe for most healthy adult dogs. If you’re interested in giving your dog motion sickness medicine, be sure to check with your veterinarian to discuss the dosage that is suitable for your dog.
In Summary
Car sickness in dogs is common, and CBD has been proven to ease the effects of nausea associated with traveling in the car.
If you’re struggling with your dog’s car sickness, it’s best to speak to your veterinarian to find out all of the options that you can try to help ease this condition.
