beenie Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 Hi all, we're off to Mum's for the Chrissy holidays next week - 2 hour drive each way. BUT Miss Willow gets carsick even on a 5 min trip This ranges from salivating and looking very sad, to vomits if the drive is long enough (20 mins). Obviously we won't give her a meal before we leave, but is there anything else anyone can recommend for her? Am I right thinking that human travel sickness preperations are ok? Which ones, how much?? Also, I ahve a little homeopathic kit here (used for the skin kids and ourselves) does anyone know if I can give her the same?? Thanks in advance! Beenie and Willow (aka Slobber chops) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancinbcs Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 There was an ad in a recent Canine journal for some new treatment that vets have for motion sickness. Ring you vet and ask about it. Other than that the only thing I have found to make a difference was with a dog who got sick when she was in a car harness. Put in a crate or loose in the car she was fine. The best remedy is constant small trips starting with just down the driveway and back. It can be a long slow process to build up to a longer journey so it is too late now to start getting ready for the Christmas trip, but do make the effort to do this later. Some dogs are better when they can see out of the car and others are better on the floor where they can't see out. Plenty of fresh air is important and try to start off the training where you can drive in relatively straight lines. Roundabouts are the pits when training a bad traveller to get used to it. For future reference make sure the next puppy you buy has already been trained to travel well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beenie Posted December 18, 2009 Author Share Posted December 18, 2009 Thanks dancinbcs, I'll ring the vet to ask about that! And yes, next time I'll be sure to ask the breeder for a good traveller, pinpoint accurate pooer, non-chewing puppy lol! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stormie Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 Cerenia is the name of the latest drug available for motion sickness. I haven't had any experience with it personally, but I believe it works very well. It's not overly cheap though, but better than dosing with ACP! LINKY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelpie-i Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 I was just advised by one of my clients that a product called Travelpetics has worked wonders for their dog with travel sickness. His dog was pretty bad but since using the product, the dog now sits in the back seat playing with his toy.....worth a try!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alyosha Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 Vitamin B6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staffyluv Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 I watched a show once about a dog that got car sick all the time and they ended up putting the dog on the back floor of the car, so it could not see out the window (apparently a lot of the time it is seeing that you are moving - without actually moving, that makes us sick and the same goes for dogs)... So from then on the dog only travelled on the floor of the car where it could not see out and was never sick again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpha bet Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 Easy solution. Ginger is a very big tummy settler as well as good for headaches. Used regularly for animals and humans for travel sickness. Here is a good receipe that will likely work for your dog. You make a batch then feed dog some grated ginger mixed in with her meal the night before you travel, then a few cookies 20 minutes before you leave and then some cookies regularly thru the trip. These are good healthy cookies for dogs as they dont contain anything harmful like sugars and preservatives. Dogs love them. May seem a bit of a hassle but well worth the effort and you can use them for whenever you travel this will help your dog get used to travel. Preparation time:15 minutes Makes: 30 INGREDIENTS 2 tbsp (30 ml)- ginger (grated) 4 cups (560 g)- whole- wheat flour 2 tsp- cinnamon (ground) 1/0 cup (125 ml)- water 1/2 cup (175 g)- molasses (blackstrap- health shops or feed stores) DIRECTIONS Blend the ginger, flour, and cinnamon together. Slowely add water and molasseto the flour mix to form the dough. Place on floured counter and roll out about 1 inch think and cut into shapes with cookie cutters (or make flattened balls). Bake at 350F for about 15 to 25 minutes or until brown and crisp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westiemum Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 (edited) Even though its a bit late to start long trip training, still start this weekend with trips down the driveway, then to the corner, then to the park (drive even if you usually walk), and get some travel sickness tablets - Blackmores with ginger worked well for me. Also see if doggie is better on a foam cushion covered with a towel (also easier to clean than car seats). My Sarah used to get very car sick - and it was only through going to places she liked, gradually increasing the distance and putting her on a thick foam cushion on the front seat where she could see out (tethered), that she was OK. She can now do 2 hour car trips without any trouble at all. I wouldn't say she likes the car but at least she can now tolerate distances and she isn't sick. Edited December 18, 2009 by westiemum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arrow Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 I Know of someone who swears that singing Brahm's lullaby helped cure her carsick puppy. The dog travels really well now - and the driver is a lot calmer too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
becks Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 I've used Cerenia on my car sick dog and he travelled fine with it for 1.5 hours on a motorway trip but as soon as I got him out the car he dribbled out a huge amount of saliva (all down his legs as we got to the show!) so it certainly isn't a cure all but does help. This dog is normally sick within a couple of minutes of car travel. He also had a DAP collar on, to see if part of it was stress based. With my old girl, being further forward in the car, lots of bedding to ease out car vibrations, slowing right down for corners, not feeding on day of travel, rescue remedy have all helped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellz Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 I watched a show once about a dog that got car sick all the time and they ended up putting the dog on the back floor of the car, so it could not see out the window (apparently a lot of the time it is seeing that you are moving - without actually moving, that makes us sick and the same goes for dogs)...So from then on the dog only travelled on the floor of the car where it could not see out and was never sick again This has been my biggest aid for carsick dogs (and children). If it can't be crated, it wears a snood over its eyes. Sounds weird but they soon get the idea that it is dark (night) and go to sleep. Sleeping dogs don't spew! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rijbiz Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 I used to have a dog that got travel sick and nothing seemed to work - was ill before we left the driveway. The vet gave me something (I can't remember what now) which didn't work, we tried Travel Calm Ginger Tablets with limited success, we also was told to use (can't remember the name but it was like blamange tablets??) but I could never find it in the supermarket. Under advice I ended up using childrens travel sick medication "Phenergen" tablets - 1 tablet used to work (one tablet per 10kg and she was 35kg) although this was no good if I was showing as it made her very drowsy. Obviously check with your vet/chemist before using. Putting her on the floor, covering her etc never worked as she only had to see the car and was practically ill before she got in I really hope you find some remedy because travel for us used to be a misery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guardienne Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 The vet prescribed Avil (which is human medicine brought from the chemist) 1/2 a tablet for my 8kg dog 20 minutes before travelling, put them in the front seat on the floor where there is the least movement and the least amount of visual stimulation. It didn't stop her from being sick but it did get us a lot further than usual. I'm also about to start a routine that was recommended to me. My girl gets sick within 5 minutes of being in the car. They say it's a fear thing. The routine consists of feeding her in the car every day and not moving the car. Then very, very, very, short trips, just down the driveway before feeding in the car. Then slightly longer each day, but only a matter of a few more meters each time.... Also add in each day a few times if possible, a little play. It can just be for a few seconds or a minute or so of anything that the dog likes, tug of war, retrieving a ball......only positive thoughts of the car and not forcing anything. I've been warned to do this very slowly over a matter of weeks and not to try to rush it, particularly the length of driving, just baby steps and definitely not driving any distance that would normally make her sick or it defeats the whole exercise. Fingers crossed for me.........it sounds tedious, but if it works it will be worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rijbiz Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 The vet prescribed Avil (which is human medicine brought from the chemist) 1/2 a tablet for my 8kg dog 20 minutes before travelling, put them in the front seat on the floor where there is the least movement and the least amount of visual stimulation. It didn't stop her from being sick but it did get us a lot further than usual.I'm also about to start a routine that was recommended to me. My girl gets sick within 5 minutes of being in the car. They say it's a fear thing. The routine consists of feeding her in the car every day and not moving the car. Then very, very, very, short trips, just down the driveway before feeding in the car. Then slightly longer each day, but only a matter of a few more meters each time.... Also add in each day a few times if possible, a little play. It can just be for a few seconds or a minute or so of anything that the dog likes, tug of war, retrieving a ball......only positive thoughts of the car and not forcing anything. I've been warned to do this very slowly over a matter of weeks and not to try to rush it, particularly the length of driving, just baby steps and definitely not driving any distance that would normally make her sick or it defeats the whole exercise. Fingers crossed for me.........it sounds tedious, but if it works it will be worth it. I hope it works for you, we did this for weeks and weeks - couldn't even get a food motivated hound to eat in the car. After about 3 weeks we could drive down to our back paddock with her in the car - the minute we took our first trip on the road, right back to square one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guardienne Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 I hope it works for you, we did this for weeks and weeks - couldn't even get a food motivated hound to eat in the car. After about 3 weeks we could drive down to our back paddock with her in the car - the minute we took our first trip on the road, right back to square one Hmmm that doesn't seem fair at all, all that effort for nothing. It's really such a pain in the (____.____) too. Especially when you can't even get them to the end of the street without vomit...... I'll let you know if we get anywhere with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly_Louise Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 Comforting that we aren't the only ones who struggle with this... we can now drive about 5 minutes to the park and back without too much drama other than shaking legs and a bit of dribble... I was also advised to take my girl on a big walk just before car travel (to the vet in our case) to burn off her nervous energy. A tired dog is more likely to be calmer. I have to admit, the 'coming home' leg is always much more relaxed cause Sash is tired. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Rusty Bucket Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 (edited) My dog used to get very car sick, I think she's a bit better now but she's not real thrilled about going in the car. I did a trip from Adelaide to Mudgee last April with the dog. I was worried I wouldn't get through the Adelaide hills on the main highway, but we did make it. I'd stop every couple of hours and take her out for a couple of laps around a local cricket/footy oval - every little town has one. Some are really nice - despite the general lack of water. I didn't feed her beforehand. I offered food on the breaks but she wasn't very interested. Same with water but she did drink some. Usually two full laps of an oval got a number 1 and 2 - hooray, didn't have to worry about that in the car. The build up from when I first got her. She was terrified of being in the car and just panicked. I was extremely worried just getting her home from the pound. A friend that I stopped off at on the way - suggested putting her on the front seat, where she sat very still and hugged it, the whole way home with her eyes firmly shut. So for the first few months that's how we travelled. But if I ever fed her before a long car trip she'd up chuck it, so I started lining the seat with newspaper and towels so I could just peel off a layer of newspaper and change the towel - I also carried a bucket so I could rinse it off etc... this was good mostly. She was better when she was tired and slept. Ie on the way home was generally better than the way there, wherever. Stops and starts are nearly as bad as winding roads. Once her third booster vaccination was effective, and I started taking her to local dog parks for exercise, I'd take us in the car. My favourite morning one was about 1.5km or less than 5 minutes by car. When we started, back in late January - she would hug the seat and keep her eyes closed, but now she will sit up and look out the whole way. For longer trips she only sits up when the car is stopped at traffic lights. By last April, she was still in hug the seat mode. She also had the occasional upchuck episode but only if I'd mistimed feeding. Ideally feed dinner the night before and set off with no breakfast. Or only feed the homemade casserole portion (2 hours or more before set off) and none of the dry food. The casserole seemed to digest quicker than the dry food which seemed to be still intact 8 hours later when she upchucked and the car trip started over 4 hours after breakfast. Chicken wings didn't seem to digest much either in that time. I can't look at pink frosting any more. I did use a car harness but she was fairly able to move around in it, however she'd just stretch out across the back seat shut her eyes and not move. If she'd upchucked by tailem bend I'd have turned around and found a boarding kennel for her. But she was ok. I think if the problem had continued then I would have investigated making a covered crate for the back so she couldn't see out. She seemed to work out on her own that keeping her eyes shut helps. So maybe blindfolding might help a dog that doesn't learn this might help too. I think the short car trips to the dog park (which she loved being at) helped alleviate the association between car and feeling very ill so I never had the problem where she'd start drooling before I got her in the car. PS: forgot to say, when I got her in December last year she was 10 weeks old, by January/Feb about three months and by the road trip, pushing 7 months approx. She's a year and nearly two months now, and she still hugs the back seat with her eyes shut on trips longer than five minutes or when she doesn't know where she's going / recognise where she is. Edited December 19, 2009 by Mrs Rusty Bucket Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue & Waldo Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 Our previous dog was car sick and the breeder recommended Mylanta-I can't remember the dose but it was brilliant! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 ginger tablets from the chemist, or a little ginger digest tea from supermarket works a treat, and make sure the dog can see outside and there is fresh air in the car/air con Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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