Seasickness and Dogs . . .

[otherthan]

my girlfreind asked if a dog can be sea sick??

I said id ask...

[rebel heart]

When we used to have our schipperke I don't know if she ever got seasick, but she would definitely have less energy on passages and do a lot of sleeping in the cockpit sole.

[Fishspearit]

yes, but like people they'll get over it. And just like people some take to boats immediately and some deal with it but never learn to like it....

But unlike people, they won't bitch at you to turn around and go back to the dock.

[Sailmonkey]

Dr. Beef the sea Schnauzer turns to mush when the boat's moving. But he's yet to vomit anywhere.

[beowulfborealis]

I knew a dog who would get car sick really fast. First he would start drooling and yawning, just like a person who is getting motion sick. If you didn't pull over, you risked him blowing chunks all over the car. Never had him on a boat but I would imagine that the effect would be the same.

[Astrid]

Most certainly dogs can get sea sick. Ginger snaps always seemed to work well with the beagle I had when travelling by car or boat.

[otherthan]

Originally Posted by Astrid

Most certainly dogs can get sea sick. Ginger snaps always seemed to work well with the beagle I had when travelling by car or boat.

our dog love traveling on the freeway...hes runs all over the caravan without problem...hopfully he will be the same in a boat?
cheers

[simonmd]

When I first got my 1st mate 'Harvey', he was VERY carsick. 10 mins and he's be panting and drooling and if I didn't get him out quick, the inevitable happened. A few months on, he's got much better and can easily do a journey of an hour or so.

Now, he has been out on the boat a few times for much longer than that and was fine. I can only assume that on a boat, the fresh air and not being inside a closed space helps alot.

Motion sickness is generaly caused by the inner ear and the brain getting confussing signals. When the feeling of motion doesnt match up with what the brain sees, ie a passenger reading a book or not looking outside, they get confussed and sickness will result. This is precisely why a driver will never get motion sick because he is always looking outside. A dog in a car, will usualy not be able to see out properly and so can be very easily made sick. On a boat, if kept outside with the owner the dog should certainly be better than in a car for example. If yours is ok in the car, fingers crossed, he should be ok.

[Unicorn Dreams]

Like above, they can get sick, and if they get carsick, they will probably get sea sick, but not always, had one dog that always got carsick but never seasick.
WHO KNEW

[hellosailor]

Yes, dogs can suffer from motion sickness. A big sick dog belowdecks is not a pretty experience. You might want to ask your vet about meds. There are some sold for carsick dogs, the vet might say people meds will work.

All in all I think dogs suffer less from seasickness than people do, but there's only one way to find out with that dog, isn't there?

[Pblais]

my girlfreind asked if a dog can be sea sick??

Oh yes they can. I have one that does easily and another that is pretty much OK. She does not like it but she would rather not be left behind. They make treatments for dogs that you can give before a trip. AsK any vet. I think many dogs just get too excited and can overcome sea sickness but some not so easy.

[barnakiel]

Yes, a dog, unless salty, will get seasick.

b.

[MsActiveCaptain]

They can absolutely get seasick just like us people. Motion sickness has plagued me all my life - car, boat, don't even think about a roller coaster. Our last Lab (the sweet one in my picture) got seasick every time I did. As has been mentioned, the first sign is excessive drooling.

We taught him to eat crystallized ginger which helped in moderate conditions. For those bad days, we gave him Bonine, an over-the-counter medication. It worked great. Stopped the symptoms but mostly made him drowsy so he just slept - not a bad thing when conditions are poor. But make sure you check with a vet to determine the proper dose. Dogs are not just little people, they metabolize meds different and you can kill them.

So we developed a routine, if I took my Stugeron, he got his Bonine.

Now the two we have now do not seem to get seasick - knock on wood.

[Seahunter]

Absolutely, that why there's a drain by the wheel or tiller.

[scook1]

My dog asked if girlfriends get seasick.