Motion Sickness Medication New Haven CT

Motion sickness is a normal response to a real, perceived, or anticipated movement. Luckily, it is not the most difficult malady to diagnose. Signs and symptoms include nervousness (excessive licking, yawning, panting, salivating, pacing, whining, wet paws as a result of sweating, and so forth). Some dogs will develop diarrhea and defecate or urinate inappropriately, and many dogs fill the car with noxious gasses from their digestive tracts. Nausea or retching (or as scientists refer to it: “retrograde peristaltic contractions,” or RPCs), and vomiting are common symptoms.

Causes. Motion sickness occurs when the body, the inner ear, and the eyes send conflicting signals to the brain. The principal causative mechanism involves stimulation of the vestibular apparatus in the inner ear, which has connections to the emetic center in the brain stem. The chemoreceptor trigger zone (CRTZ) and H-1 Histaminergic receptors are involved in this pathway in dogs, but apparently are less important in cats. Fear of the vehicle may be a contributory factor, and signs may be seen even in a stationary vehicle.

From inside a car, the dog’s inner ear may sense rolling motions that the eyes cannot perceive, and conversely, the eyes may perceive movement that the body does not feel. In addition, for some susceptible individuals, even anticipating movement can cause anxiety and symptoms of motion sickness.

Author: Randy Kidd, DVM, Ph.D.

Copyright 2009 BowTie Inc.

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