Road Trips Causing Doggy Anxiety? Here's how CBD can help you and your pets!
As we all gear up for 2023 with pent-up wanderlust and the desire to hit the road with 4-legged family members in tow, some of our pets may experience anxiety and nausea. Motion sickness in dogs is a common problem. Some young dogs may experience symptoms due to yet developing balance mechanisms of the inner ear, and will often outgrow the issue if it does not become habitual. However, many adult dogs and cats experience anxiety during travel as a result of unfamiliar sounds, sights, and feels inside a moving vehicle. Prolonged stress – or even the anticipation of a previously stressful experience associated with a car ride, say to the vet – can lead to anxiety, motion sickness, and a truly horrible experience for all.
When Travel Becomes Traumatic
Travel anxiety in dogs may manifest in a variety of ways: panting, pacing, drooling, whining, barking, howling, urinating, fearfulness or depression, elevated heart rate, and any number of destructive or undesirable behaviors. Cats may show stress by excessive licking, meowing, hissing, and urinary tract complications. Heightened and/or repeated anxiety may result in GI manifestations including nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Pet owners facing this issue should consult with their veterinarians, veterinary behaviorists, and/or professional trainers; however, there is an increasing body of evidence that CBD may prove to be a useful tool for addressing travel anxiety and car sickness and modifying behavior. Let’s dive deeper. . .
How do I help with my pet's anxiety?
Here are some steps you can take to help stem the symptoms of travel anxiety and car sickness.
Conditioning. The best way to ease your pet’s travel anxiety is by conditioning your pet to experience several short, calm car experiences – jaunts around the block or brief trips to a fun or secure place (like home) -- before hitting the road for a longer haul. If successful, gradually work your way up to riding comfortably for longer periods of time. Allowing your pet to travel in a familiar crate or carrier also may provide additional comfort and security.
Offer all the comforts. Bring a favorite treat, toy or “blankie” to help your pet find soothing comfort with the familiarity of his or her stuff to help de-stress. Play soft music and keep the vehicle’s temperature cool and comfortable.
Withhold food before the trip. An empty stomach (12 hours) will help reduce nausea and the need for frequent potty breaks that are often unwelcome, especially during long car rides or airplane or train travel. Be sure to provide access to fresh water whenever possible.
Burn up some of that energy. Make sure your dog gets as much exercise as possible -- before the car ride. If a family member is not available, consider whether your pet might benefit from a mid-day hike with a trusted dog walker or a doggy playdate to help.
Don’t be anxious for your dog. Dogs pick up on your mood and take their cues from their people about how they should feel about new situations. The more you stay relaxed and behave like everything is normal, the more likely your dog will be to follow your lead and accept when it's time to hit the road.
Still struggling?
If you think you've tried everything, and your pet is still finding it difficult to cope with travel, your veterinarian may help you determine whether a prescription medication or OTC drug may be indicated, or may suggest dietary changes or natural/herbal supplements that may offer some welcome relief. Recent experience and a growing amount of research suggests that cannabidiol, or CBD, a natural extract derived from the hemp plant, may provide an alternative to help pets -- as well as their humans – be more happily “on the road again”.
What CBD should I use for my pets?
Trove offers a full line of premium hemp-derived CBD products for people as well as animals, including dogs and cats. Trove Canine and Trove Feline products may prove helpful in relieving travel anxiety, reducing inflammation, addressing pain and soreness, increasing calm and focus for training and behavior modification, nurturing the skin and coat, and supporting the nervous, musculoskeletal, gastrointestinal, and immune systems, proving particularly important for animals who are exhibiting signs of stress as a result of changes in their established routines.
However, all CBD pet products are not created equal. Not only are there different product types and formulations, there are also different strengths, concentrations, and contents. And not all products are tested and verified. So, in order to be sure about the quality and strength of the CBD you choose for your pet, start with a product that is tested for purity and concentration and offers a laboratory Certificate of Analysis to back it up. Know the product's CBD concentration per mL, and verify that package labeling accurately represents actual CBD content, not just a host of other cannabinoids, hempseed extracts, or other botanicals. And as added safety for your pet, choose a product that is THC free. Trove Canine CBD Oil 750 contains 750 mg CBD per 30 mL bottle; each 1 mL dropper (20 drops) contains 25 mg CBD. Trove Canine CBD Oil 300 contains 300 mg CBD per 30 mL bottle; each 1 mL dropper (20 drops) contains 10 mg CBD. Trove Feline CBD Oil 300 contains 300 mg CBD per 30 mL bottle; each 1 mL dropper (20 drops) contains 10 mg CBD. All Trove products are THC free, non GMO, and gluten free. Trove sources organically-grown USA hemp, and all products are triple tested and labeled with a QR code that links directly to the Certificate of Analysis for that batch. For more information and specific dosing guidelines, consult Trove packaging information, the Trove website, or contact us.
And if the thought of embarking on the next road trip with your pet has you feeling a bit stressed, consider the full line of THC-free, hemp-derived Trove CBD wellness products for people. Your pet will certainly appreciate a calmer and more focused human, and that will help them adjust, too!
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