Motion sickness (also known as travel sickness, seasickness, or airsickness) occurs when your dog is being transported. Traveling in all types of vehicles can cause this problem. Common symptoms of motion sickness include: nausea, vomiting, excessive drooling, heavy panting, lip licking, trembling, anxious behavior, urinating in the car, and overall restlessness. Does your dog behave restlessly or anxiously when he's in the car? Is he acting differently than usual? Then it could be a form of motion sickness.

Disrupted Vestibular System

Motion sickness occurs during movement and is related to the vestibular system. It begins when there is a mismatch between what the dog sees and the signals received by the vestibular system and motion receptors in the ears. If the dog cannot accurately perceive the direction of the car's movement, the vestibular system becomes confused. When the signals sent by the vestibular system to the brain are incorrect and deviate from the actual movement taking place, the dog becomes nauseous. This works exactly the same way in humans.

Habituation

It's no coincidence that motion sickness mostly affects young dogs (and children). It's largely a matter of getting used to it. Therefore, it's important for a puppy to become accustomed to short car rides from an early age. Additionally, it's a good idea for your dog to be able to look outside, so that the signals received by the eye better match those of the vestibular system.