Travel Sickness - Your Help Would Be Much Appreciated.

[scullysmum]

I need the renowned wisdom of greytalkers.

 

My MIL's friend has a Labrador puppy who is about four months old and by all accounts is wonderful in every way, his only problem is that he suffers from terrible travel sickness. He is so bad apparently that he starts to drool if he is near the car and his owner opens the tailgate. Does anyone have any experience of dealing with this issue? His family are retired and have just bought a holiday home which is a 150 mile round trip and obviously they want to be able to take the pup along on their travels.

 

Any tips or advice would be most appreciated.

 

[greysmom]

The should consult their vet as long as he's a puppy, but you can usually use anything made for people - dramamine, ginger ale/candied ginger, and wholistic remedies. The canine drug Cerenia was specifically created for use in dogs with car sickness. Our Lilly used this for about a year - makes her drool a river, but no barfing. Then, she outgrew it, I guess, because we haven;t had any problems since she was about 18 months old.

[Willowsmum]

We had decent results from regular people dramamine and ginger snap cookies. I'd check the vet for dosage for a puppy.

Husband also had success with daily taking a short trip around the block, to a park nearby… "Fun" trips to make the car not just for trips to the vet.

Good luck. Dog barf in car is no fun. :-(

[scullysmum]

Thank you very much, I will pass this info on. I must admit that I thought they generally grow out of it, but it's getting to that stage isn't it.

[EllenEveBaz]

When I got her, my first grey would throw up (short trips) and/or have diarrhea (longer trips) in the car. I used the fun trips method suggested above, starting with at least once-daily rides around the block and slowly graduating to short trips to fun places, accompanied by yummy treats. It seemed weird to give a treat to a dog who vomited in the car, but it worked. One fun place to go was my parents' -- she would get a treat when she got in the car, get another treat during the short ride, be given a treat by my parents who were delighted to have another reason to fuss over her -- WHAT a good girl, you are the smartest, prettiest, best dog EVER -- back in the car with another treat, and a treat upon arrival home. (These were very small treats, obviously.) Eve never became a wildly enthusiastic car rider, but in a short time she was readily jumping in and tolerated long trips just fine.

 

In the meantime, putting down a plastic shower curtain or other waterproof flooring cover helps with cleanup.

 

Also, is the puppy situated so he can easily see out of the car windows? Seeing the horizon line helps the brain establish a "level," so to speak.

Edited June 8, 2014 by EllenEveBaz

[GeorgeofNE]

He'll likely out grow it. In the meantime, use something washable in the car where the pup rides.

 

My Kramer (who was thrown from a moving car when he was 12 weeks old) had terrible carsickness when I first got him, and he got over it with lots of short rides to fun places.

[scullysmum]

Thank you all, as said I have passed all your advice on and hopefully they will find a solution. MIL said that he hasn't yet thrown up in the car but the place is soaked in drool after just a short journey. I think that pretty much all of his trips in the car are for fun things so hopefully this will help. Thanks again.

[cleptogrey]

willies wonka had the worst car sickness in the world. just backing out of the driveway he peed, getting to the main road- 1 block away-pooped, vomited by the time we were on the highway and continued to proceed w/ all of the above as long as he was in the car. i kept him in a new paper lined crate and covered the back seat w/ newspaper as well. but i took him to the train station every night, had dd sit in the back of the car(no wonder she didn't like him) and kept on taking him everywhere. at 9 month of age we brought dd to music camp a whopping 6 hrs away. he ran out of bodily fluids and was fine after that! it might have been age, he may have finally stopped being nervous, who knows....but it stopped.

[scullysmum]

willies wonka had the worst car sickness in the world. just backing out of the driveway he peed, getting to the main road- 1 block away-pooped, vomited by the time we were on the highway and continued to proceed w/ all of the above as long as he was in the car. i kept him in a new paper lined crate and covered the back seat w/ newspaper as well. but i took him to the train station every night, had dd sit in the back of the car(no wonder she didn't like him) and kept on taking him everywhere. at 9 month of age we brought dd to music camp a whopping 6 hrs away. he ran out of bodily fluids and was fine after that! it might have been age, he may have finally stopped being nervous, who knows....but it stopped.

Isn't chemical warfare banned under the Geneva convention....your poor daughter

I don't think it sounds like he's afraid of the car, more like genuine motion sickness....hopefully he will grow out of it and it won't put him off travel.

[cleptogrey]

scullysmum,

she survived and now has 2 dogs of her own. one who freaks in the car but doesn't puke and one clown. it added character to her disposition and stamina!