BajaNomad

dogs and carsickness

bajaboolie - 2-12-2008 at 02:08 PM

We have a 3month old puppy and took her on her first long car ride (5 hours) to Tahoe, only to discover she got car sick! :barf:

I'm hoping it's just something she'll grow out of, because we hightail it to Mulege from Central California every year. Anyone have any insight or ideas from personal experience? On the good side, clean up was minimal because she ate her barf! :rolleyes:

BTW, I think this post puts me on official "nomad" status!

Bajagypsy - 2-12-2008 at 02:16 PM

Our mexican dog, through up from Mulege - Saskatoon Saskatchewan Canada. It was great fun, we had 4 kids and another dog in the car.

On our trip down in September, I went to the vet and got puppy valium, worked like a charm. We also bought her a bed that sat in the back seat of the car on top of everything so she could see. Once in Baja, we forgot to give her a pill before we left, and she never got sick again.

My vet said that they get very stressed out and it causes them to get sick. Once they realize it is not such a scary thing they are usually fine.

Maybe this will work for you?

BajaGeoff - 2-12-2008 at 04:29 PM

My girlfriend works at the Humane Society and said most puppies grow out of this reaction to being in a car. You can also try and condition the dog by taking her on short trips - even around the block - so she can get used to the sensation of being in a car. This will help her realize that it is not a scary experience. Also, avoid taking her out on a full stomach!

Paulina - 2-12-2008 at 08:21 PM

Our Bullmastiff Rosie got carsick once, all over her brand new dog bed in the back seat of the truck. We had to throw the bed out at our next stop. She outgrew it, so hopefully your pup will too.
Take lots of baby wipes just in case!

P<*)))><

bajaboolie - 2-12-2008 at 09:28 PM

These are great suggestions, and I'm hopeful she'll outgrow it too! Thanks everyone. I could probably use some of that puppy valium when passing those trucks, though! :lol:

bajajudy - 2-12-2008 at 09:49 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by bajaboolie
These are great suggestions, and I'm hopeful she'll outgrow it too! Thanks everyone. I could probably use some of that puppy valium when passing those trucks, though! :lol:


I think that was called PCP:no:

dogs and carsickness

Selkie - 2-13-2008 at 08:14 AM

To prevent carsickness, give your dog meclizine (Bonine or DramamineII) one hour prior to trip. For 30lbs or less, give 12.5 mg, for larger dogs, give the full 25 mg tablet. Will last all day. This is safe and nonprescription-works well.
Gail Todd DVM (Selkie)

bajabound2005 - 2-13-2008 at 09:07 AM

Our youngest got car sick when we first got her. But then, she was thrown from a moving car, which is how we ended up with her...she got sick maybe the first 5 times in the car. Then we think she figured out that we weren't going to toss her and learned to like being in the car. Now she loves a road trip:bounce:

bajaboolie - 2-13-2008 at 02:41 PM

Thanks Selkie, good to know. We have a couple longer car rides coming up. We'll see how she does. I'm trying to take her in the car more now. She just got back from a "field trip" to my daughter's Kindergarten class for sharing. If she can handle 17 wild 5 year olds, she should be able to adjust to a car ride!

BTW, a thought for others reading the post, my husband learned it's best not to let your dog eat their barf because of the high acid. It makes sense (but it's sure convenient!).

cathart - 2-13-2008 at 11:20 PM

Our dog never got over the carsickness! She actually jumps right in the car, so we know she isn't afraid. The vet says it's probably an equilibrium thing. We never feed her anything at all before a trip, and do give her a whole dramamine. It usually works....