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Vet issues urgent warning against a viral TikTok hack to stop your dog messing up the car if they get travel sick - and warns it could be fatal
A vet has issued an urgent warning to dog owners against using a viral social media hack if your pooch suffers from travel sickness.
Dr Anna Foreman, of Everypaw Pet Insurance based in Hertfordshire, urged people to avoid the viral trick, which suggests tying a plastic bag around your dog's head to catch any sick and prevent the car from getting messy.
The clip shared on TikTok has garnered some 69.5 million views and more than eight million likes but 'is not safe in any scenario' and could result in ‘strangling’ or ‘asphyxiating’ she warned.
It comes as online searches for ‘cure for dog car sickness’ have risen by 55 per cent since June 2023, while ‘car sick puppy remedy’ has increased by 200 per cent in the last three months alone.
Dr Anna said: 'Car sickness is common in dogs. If a dog vomits in the car, an owner should safely pull over at the earliest opportunity to be able to clean up any mess and comfort the dog as they will likely be distressed.'
A video shared on TikTok tells dog owners that tying a plastic bag around your dog's neck can keep your car clean if the animal is sick - but a vet has warned that this could kill your dog
'A dog, much like a baby or young child, cannot understand why they are having an object attached to their head.'
The vet warned that there are several risks posed by the viral trick which could result in the dog panicking and causing injury to themselves.
She said that dogs with a bag wrapped around their heads risk strangling or asphyxiating themselves, as the bag could become stuck.
Not only is it risky to pups themselves, but it could risk those in the car who could face injury if the dog then panics and attacks those around them.
'In a car, they could also lead to the deaths of others through distraction, leading to an accident,' she explained.
Instead, Dr Anna suggested several other, much safer methods, for dealing with dogs who feel sick in the car.
Pictured: the hack being tried on a dog. Dr Anna said there are much easier and less dangerous solutions such as simply opening a window or doing desensitisation work with your pooch
One method is 'desensitisation', which involves taking the animal on shorter car journeys, which may help familiarise the dog with the vehicle, and may increase their tolerance to travelling.
'A dog should be taken initially on short journeys in the car to somewhere as a reward (for example on a walk), and this be slowly built up to longer journeys,' she advised.
Just as with humans, a stream of fresh air can do wonders. Dr Anna suggested keeping a window open for the dog, while making sure they are properly restrained so they can't escape.
In more serious cases, medication such as anti-sickness tablets, can be prescribed by vets to help with longer journeys, though this can be expensive if used regularly.
Dr Anna emphasised: 'This medication should only be used in extreme circumstances and not relied on.'
Another option can be anti-anxiety medication, which can help stop the root cause of the distress, she added. These can also be vet-prescribed.
'However, these medications are often less effective if used occasionally rather than daily as they often have a cumulative dose effect in a dog’s system,' she noted.
What is vital in supporting dogs with car sickness, according to Dr Anna, is not to tell them off.
'Do not tell the dog off as they will not associate being sick with being told off and likely become confused and stressed in an already difficult scenario,' she urged.