Summer vacation often means road trips. If you have a dog, and they're going to travel with you, it's time to prepare for car sickness. This is particularly true if you've never taken road trips with your dog before. The motion of the car, along with the warmer temperatures, can bring on serious bouts of canine car sickness. That doesn't mean you need to leave your dog home. All you need to do is take some special precautions. Here are steps you can take to help reduce the occurrence of canine car sickness.

Take Some Practice Trips

If your dog has never taken a long trip with you before, it's best to start out with some practice trips. The last thing you want is to care for a bout of car sickness that lasts throughout a cross-country road trip. To help get your dog ready for the trip, plan a few short trips before the big vacation. Start with a short trip around town and then build up until your dog is able to spend several hours in the car without becoming ill. Not only will the short trips help your dog overcome car sickness, they'll also help you identify how long your dog will sit still between bathroom breaks.

Use a Pet Carrier

If you're going on an extended road trip this summer, the best place for your dog is inside a pet carrier. The pet carrier will serve a couple of purposes. First, it will prevent your pet from roaming around the car while you're driving. Second, it will help keep your dog calm and prevent motion sickness. Finally, the carrier will provide your dog with a comfortable place to sleep during the trip.

Start with an Empty Stomach

If you're planning a cross-country road trip, you might be tempted to start your dog out with a full stomach. Unfortunately, that's the worst thing you can do, especially if it suffers from car sickness. A full stomach can increase the likelihood of car sickness. For best results, feed your dog the night before and then wait until the first stop in your travels for its next feeding. Not only will this help alleviate car sickness, it will also ensure that your dog has a bathroom break right after its meal.

If you're going to be taking your dog on a road trip this summer, use the tips provided here to help prevent car sickness. Talk to your veterinary office like Apple Valley Animal Hospital about other simple methods to help calm your dog's stomach during road trips.