Dramamine (also known by its chemical name Dimenhydrinate), one of the most popular and effective antihistamine medications available on the market today, is often prescribed for dogs that experience motion sickness in order to prevent them from becoming nauseous and vomiting.
With the way the world is evolving today and everyone being always on the move, taking our pets along with us wherever we may be going is on the rise as well, meaning the chances of dogs getting motion sickness is also on the rise.
Can Dogs Take Dramamine?
Yes, dogs can safely be given Dramamine as medication in order to treat their motion sickness and prevent them from becoming nauseous and vomiting all over the place, on condition that they’re given this medication within proper and safe dosages.
Even if your dog is experiencing nausea for a reason not related to being motion sick on a trip, such as suffering from ear disease that eventually leads to a feeling of nausea, dogs are still given Dramamine in order to suppress that feeling.
As of this writing, Dramamine has not yet been FDA-approved for usage in dogs, however this over the counter medication is one of the most popular and recommended medications in veterinary practice.
Giving your dog safe dosages of Dramamine whenever you’re going for a long trip somewhere they can get motion sick is an excellent idea for many people who don’t want to go down the route of natural remedies that prevent motion sickness, since going down the natural route isn’t always as time efficient as we’d like it to be.
However, before you go ahead and give your dog Dramamine in order to help them with their motion sickness, read along so that you learn more about this medication – most importantly when it comes to when Dramamine is bad for dogs.
Which Dramamine Can My Dog Take? And Which Dramamine Is Bad For Dogs?
When it comes to you going out and buying Dramamine to give to your dog, you’re going to come across a variety of different formulas that this medication is available in.
The following Dramamine formulas are among the good ones for dogs, so you’re safe to give to Fido if need be:
- Original Dramamine Formula
- Dramamine Children Formula
- Dramamine Chewable Tablets
However, the following Dramamine formulas are not good for dogs and should be kept as far away from them as possible:
- All Day Less Drowsy Dramamine Formula (Much higher levels of ginger included in this formula than dogs can handle)
Dramamine for dogs is available in the form of tablets as well as a liquid oral solution, with the former being a much more popular form than the latter.
Dramamine Dosage For Dogs
Before giving your dog any dosage of Dramamine, no matter what formula you decided to go with and give to your dog, you should have a chat about this with your veterinarian so they tell you the required dosage for YOUR dog’s specific case.
The dosage of Dramamine required for your dog’s specific case may greatly differ from the dosage of Dramamine required for another dog’s specific case, which is why a one size fits all answer when it comes to medicinal dosages is never a good idea.
Even though Dramamine is an over the counter medication and you don’t really need to have a prescription from a veterinarian in order to give it to your dog, it’s always much more preferable for you to get exact scientific answers about medical dosages from experienced people who work in the field.
With that being said, the general dosage of Dramamine for dogs that most canines seem to do well under is anywhere from 2 mg/lb to 4 mg/lb, 3 times a day, depending on how motion sick your dog tends to get.
Most of the times, you’ll be advised to give your dog Dramamine 30-60 minutes before your planned trip with your dog so that the medication can kick in in due time and do what it has to do to ensure your dog doesn’t get motion sick.
Dramamine For Dogs Side Effects
Even though Dramamine is an over the counter medication that’s readily available for anyone that wants to buy it in order to give it to their dogs, this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t expect the possibility of your dog experiencing side effects upon use.
Here’s a list of the most common side effects that dogs can sometimes experience upon being given Dramamine.
- Diarrhea or loose stool
- Vomiting
- Dryness around the mouth area
- Difficulty urinating and fully emptying bladder
- Decreased appetite
Many dog owners confuse sedation after giving their dogs Dramamine with it being a side effect, whereas in reality sedation is not a side effect of Dramamine, it’s a direct result, given that this calm and laid back feeling greatly helps dogs not feel nauseous.
Some dog owners notice that even if they stick to the recommended dosages of Dramamine for their dogs and are doing their part of the deal, this medication causes their dogs to vomit even without going anywhere.
In such a case and if this were to happen with your dog, you should immediately stop giving your dog Dramamine and talk to your veterinarian about it.
They will either recommend an alternative to Dramamine or will suggest trying a different dosage.
In order to reduce the risk of your dog experiencing any unwanted side effects because of being given Dramamine, give your dog this medication along with a small amount of food.
Dogs Overdosing On Dramamine
Dogs overdosing on Dramamine is a very possible thing and you have to be very careful in order to make sure this doesn’t happen.
Whether you miscalculate the dosage of Dramamine you’re supposed to give to your dog and end up giving them a much higher dose than they should be getting, or your dog somehow manages to make their way into a bottle of Dramamine tablets/liquid and gulp a significant part of it down, dogs can easily overdose on Dramamine in such situations.
The most common signs your dog will show when they’ve overdosed on Dramamine are the following.
- Extreme lethargy
- Unusual excitement and hyperactivity
- Inability to get up and move
- Breathing difficulties
- Seizures
- Coma
- Death
If you see any of the aforementioned signs in your dog or have doubt that they have overdosed on Dramamine for any reason, you should immediately get your dog to the nearest pet emergency care center, as overdosing on this medication can sometimes be fatal, especially if dogs are not catered to real fast.
When Is Dramamine Bad For Dogs?
There are certain situations where giving your dog Dramamine is a terrible idea, and we’ve noted some of the most common of these situations in the list below.
- Pregnant dogs
- Dogs that are allergic to it
- Dogs that suffer from Glaucoma
This is by far not an exhaustive list of the situations where Dramamine is bad for dogs, which is why you should always talk to your veterinarian before giving your dog Dramamine and clearly communicating to them any health problems your dog is suffering from in the present, has suffered from in the past and any physical statuses (such as pregnancy or lactating statuses) your veterinarian should know about in order to give you a well informed answer on whether Dramamine for your dog would be a good idea or not.
The Alternative & Natural Route Instead Of Dramamine For Dogs
Of course, when it all comes down to it in the end, solving your dog’s motion sickness problem the natural way without having to resort to medication is always a much preferred route to go down than having to give them medication to feel better.
Natural treatment always beats medicinal treatment, no matter how “lightweight” the medicine is made out to be.
If you run a quick search online about methods and techniques you can use with your dog to lower the chances of them getting motion sick and get them used to traveling for long distances, there’s a plethora of literature written about this subject and you most certainly won’t leave with a shortage of ideas to try out.
However, the issue remains that all of these methods and techniques require time and effort in order to implement and get results, something which many dog owners aren’t ready to invest in – which is why they prefer to get the “quick fix” in giving their dog Dramamine to feel better.
