Car Sickness

[Jumabaar]

My boy also goes through stages with car sickness... he was good for awhile but now we are back to the drooling (fortunately no vomits). I am curious to hear if anyone has tried the veterinary medication for car sickness? I have also trialed dap spray (no response) and thundershirt (I think it helps slightly).

I have hard that if it is nausea related that there are really good success rates. And the desensitisation if it is anxiety related happens much faster because the feeling that causes the anxiety is gone.

[westiemum]

My boy also goes through stages with car sickness... he was good for awhile but now we are back to the drooling (fortunately no vomits). I am curious to hear if anyone has tried the veterinary medication for car sickness? I have also trialed dap spray (no response) and thundershirt (I think it helps slightly).

I have hard that if it is nausea related that there are really good success rates. And the desensitisation if it is anxiety related happens much faster because the feeling that causes the anxiety is gone.

Yep J that's my understanding too. Im wondering why people in this thread with dogs with apparent primary or secondary anxiety car sickness are using nausea/vestibular medications ? Desensitization, while requiring some effort, consistency and baby steps works well in my experience for anxiety based car sickness and for me has been a permanent solution rather than medicating for the wrong reasons? Why would you medicate a dog when there are good non-drug solutions for anxiety car sickness?

[karly101]

Thats why I'm feeling I have to trial the meds just temporarily - I think he does feel sick and then he feels anxious and the cycle continues, with treats he will eat around the car but not in the car. A straight drive is fine but as soon as turning is involved it gets much worse, unfortunately I drive a small hatch so I can't vary his position in the car which seemed to help when he was younger.

[westiemum]

Thats why I'm feeling I have to trial the meds just temporarily - I think he does feel sick and then he feels anxious and the cycle continues, with treats he will eat around the car but not in the car. A straight drive is fine but as soon as turning is involved it gets much worse, unfortunately I drive a small hatch so I can't vary his position in the car which seemed to help when he was younger.

K have you had a look at my post on the first page? A number of people with sick dogs have done really well with it in the past and it worked really well with me. The trick is to take really small baby and repeat them often enough. If it is anxiety related then it should work fairly quickly and you won't have to constantly medicate which is a pain for you and often not very pleasant for the dog. Hope it helps and good luck. :)

[Tia]

So many things to try. I know Honey has motion sickness as my son took a picture of her on the way home from the breeder and she was already covered with drool.

When we took her to the vets the next day (30 minutes away) even more drool and lots of crying in the last 10 minutes, classic motion sickness apparently.

Tonight not feeding her worked well with a raw hide in the car to keep her busy, but I can see how easy motion sickness can turn into anxiety as well so will start on some of the desensitising exercises listed.

[westiemum]

So many things to try. I know Honey has motion sickness as my son took a picture of her on the way home from the breeder and she was already covered with drool.

When we took her to the vets the next day (30 minutes away) even more drool and lots of crying in the last 10 minutes, classic motion sickness apparently.

Tonight not feeding her worked well with a raw hide in the car to keep her busy, but I can see how easy motion sickness can turn into anxiety as well so will start on some of the desensitising exercises listed.

Good luck Tia - will be very interested in how you get on. It's worked wonders for my very sick westie girl. :)

[Jumabaar]

Thats why I'm feeling I have to trial the meds just temporarily - I think he does feel sick and then he feels anxious and the cycle continues, with treats he will eat around the car but not in the car. A straight drive is fine but as soon as turning is involved it gets much worse, unfortunately I drive a small hatch so I can't vary his position in the car which seemed to help when he was younger.

K have you had a look at my post on the first page? A number of people with sick dogs have done really well with it in the past and it worked really well with me. The trick is to take really small baby and repeat them often enough. If it is anxiety related then it should work fairly quickly and you won't have to constantly medicate which is a pain for you and often not very pleasant for the dog. Hope it helps and good luck. :)

I personally will be using medication in the future if natural remedies don't kick in quickly and the dog is sever enough. After 18mths of vomiting and drooling with one dog I don't think I would put them through that again when I could use something to assist them along faster. Desensitisation did eventually work but I regret allowing it to take so long when medicating could have been a short cut once anxiety became a factor too.

I tried ginger, not feeding/feeding (feeding worked with my last puppy- would vomit bile on an empty tummy, but happy enough after a small meal), desensitising the car (a little hard when the dog had such strong associations with nausea so wouldn't eat near the car). Also I have heard of dogs that don't improve with desensitisation alone.

Why shouldn't this person try medication- it is rarely a life long requirement, just something to help the process of desensitisation along??

[GoldenGirl85]

Well, we tried the calming cap yesterday, half an hour in he lost his bowel (pewey!) we stopped and cleaned that up and after we got going again it was about 10 minutes before he spewed

[GoldenGirl85]

Oh, and we have been desensitising, he will happily jump in the car to go to the park (5 mins away) but anything longer or in another direction is another story

[GoldenGirl85]

Next thing on the list to try, peppermint essential oil

[GoldenGirl85]

Didn't try the oil, but a smaller crate didn't work, I was hoping it would because it really restricts his vision out the windows...but nope

Edited July 15, 2012 by GoldenGirl85

[westiemum]

Thats why I'm feeling I have to trial the meds just temporarily - I think he does feel sick and then he feels anxious and the cycle continues, with treats he will eat around the car but not in the car. A straight drive is fine but as soon as turning is involved it gets much worse, unfortunately I drive a small hatch so I can't vary his position in the car which seemed to help when he was younger.

K have you had a look at my post on the first page? A number of people with sick dogs have done really well with it in the past and it worked really well with me. The trick is to take really small baby and repeat them often enough. If it is anxiety related then it should work fairly quickly and you won't have to constantly medicate which is a pain for you and often not very pleasant for the dog. Hope it helps and good luck. :)

I personally will be using medication in the future if natural remedies don't kick in quickly and the dog is sever enough. After 18mths of vomiting and drooling with one dog I don't think I would put them through that again when I could use something to assist them along faster. Desensitisation did eventually work but I regret allowing it to take so long when medicating could have been a short cut once anxiety became a factor too.

I tried ginger, not feeding/feeding (feeding worked with my last puppy- would vomit bile on an empty tummy, but happy enough after a small meal), desensitising the car (a little hard when the dog had such strong associations with nausea so wouldn't eat near the car). Also I have heard of dogs that don't improve with desensitisation alone.

Why shouldn't this person try medication- it is rarely a life long requirement, just something to help the process of desensitisation along??

Jumabaar I'm happy to agree to disagree. In my experience medication is often a long-term solution as it only addresses the symptoms and not the cause of anxiety related car sickness. Desensitization works well if you use baby steps and make a concerted effort over a short period of time eg a week or two and the dog doesn't suffer if the steps are small enough. The reason it fails or stalls in my experience is people take it in too big steps or not consistently over a short period of time. And if there is a way to avoid medication, particularly long-term where all it takes is a bit of consistent effort I still say why wouldn't you try it ? I prefer not to medicate in these circumstances if possible. But like I said, I'm happy to agree to disagree .

[Guest lavendergirl]

Didn't try the oil, but a smaller crate didn't work, I was hoping it would because it really restricts his vision out the windows...but nope

I have read that it is better if they can see out the windows. I put mine in a large basket boosted up so he can see out if he wants but still feels secure.

[GoldenGirl85]

Didn't try the oil, but a smaller crate didn't work, I was hoping it would because it really restricts his vision out the windows...but nope

I have read that it is better if they can see out the windows. I put mine in a large basket boosted up so he can see out if he wants but still feels secure.

see Ive heard the opposite, if the dogs can see 'movement' outside but aren't moving themselves it can make them feel off

[Jumabaar]

Thats why I'm feeling I have to trial the meds just temporarily - I think he does feel sick and then he feels anxious and the cycle continues, with treats he will eat around the car but not in the car. A straight drive is fine but as soon as turning is involved it gets much worse, unfortunately I drive a small hatch so I can't vary his position in the car which seemed to help when he was younger.

K have you had a look at my post on the first page? A number of people with sick dogs have done really well with it in the past and it worked really well with me. The trick is to take really small baby and repeat them often enough. If it is anxiety related then it should work fairly quickly and you won't have to constantly medicate which is a pain for you and often not very pleasant for the dog. Hope it helps and good luck. :)

I personally will be using medication in the future if natural remedies don't kick in quickly and the dog is sever enough. After 18mths of vomiting and drooling with one dog I don't think I would put them through that again when I could use something to assist them along faster. Desensitisation did eventually work but I regret allowing it to take so long when medicating could have been a short cut once anxiety became a factor too.

I tried ginger, not feeding/feeding (feeding worked with my last puppy- would vomit bile on an empty tummy, but happy enough after a small meal), desensitising the car (a little hard when the dog had such strong associations with nausea so wouldn't eat near the car). Also I have heard of dogs that don't improve with desensitisation alone.

Why shouldn't this person try medication- it is rarely a life long requirement, just something to help the process of desensitisation along??

Jumabaar I'm happy to agree to disagree. In my experience medication is often a long-term solution as it only addresses the symptoms and not the cause of anxiety related car sickness. Desensitization works well if you use baby steps and make a concerted effort over a short period of time eg a week or two and the dog doesn't suffer if the steps are small enough. The reason it fails or stalls in my experience is people take it in too big steps or not consistently over a short period of time. And if there is a way to avoid medication, particularly long-term where all it takes is a bit of consistent effort I still say why wouldn't you try it ? I prefer not to medicate in these circumstances if possible. But like I said, I'm happy to agree to disagree .

An explination:

I don't think medication should be the first port of call, but it shouldn't be dismissed if the dog is still struggling after a few weeks to months. Particularly if a desensitisation program is not progressing or not progressing at a rate that the owner can cope with.

If it is working then there is no reason to use medication.

Not everyone has the time/ patience/ experience / or even the desire to do the desensitisation- sometimes in these cases you chose the option that is better for the welfare of the dog. (Not that the OP is like this but it is a reality for dogs out there in the general population). And this is the reason I will always bring up medication as an option.

I have desensitised 5 dogs so far-only needed ginger and working out if they needed an empty tummy, or if a little food made it better. However one of which I am still not sure is really comfortable in the car when it is moving at 5yrs of age. He is happy enough in the car, runs back into it after training and is generally a fun and safe place to be. But he doesn't lie down in the car and has done a 10hr trip without sleeping. I have been toying with the idea of using the anti nausea medication at some point in the future to see if that makes him happier on our longer trips. It may/may not work but I can't see the harm in it if it lets him sleep when we go on long trips.

Edited July 15, 2012 by Jumabaar

[GoldenGirl85]

Thats why I'm feeling I have to trial the meds just temporarily - I think he does feel sick and then he feels anxious and the cycle continues, with treats he will eat around the car but not in the car. A straight drive is fine but as soon as turning is involved it gets much worse, unfortunately I drive a small hatch so I can't vary his position in the car which seemed to help when he was younger.

K have you had a look at my post on the first page? A number of people with sick dogs have done really well with it in the past and it worked really well with me. The trick is to take really small baby and repeat them often enough. If it is anxiety related then it should work fairly quickly and you won't have to constantly medicate which is a pain for you and often not very pleasant for the dog. Hope it helps and good luck. :)

I personally will be using medication in the future if natural remedies don't kick in quickly and the dog is sever enough. After 18mths of vomiting and drooling with one dog I don't think I would put them through that again when I could use something to assist them along faster. Desensitisation did eventually work but I regret allowing it to take so long when medicating could have been a short cut once anxiety became a factor too.

I tried ginger, not feeding/feeding (feeding worked with my last puppy- would vomit bile on an empty tummy, but happy enough after a small meal), desensitising the car (a little hard when the dog had such strong associations with nausea so wouldn't eat near the car). Also I have heard of dogs that don't improve with desensitisation alone.

Why shouldn't this person try medication- it is rarely a life long requirement, just something to help the process of desensitisation along??

Jumabaar I'm happy to agree to disagree. In my experience medication is often a long-term solution as it only addresses the symptoms and not the cause of anxiety related car sickness. Desensitization works well if you use baby steps and make a concerted effort over a short period of time eg a week or two and the dog doesn't suffer if the steps are small enough. The reason it fails or stalls in my experience is people take it in too big steps or not consistently over a short period of time. And if there is a way to avoid medication, particularly long-term where all it takes is a bit of consistent effort I still say why wouldn't you try it ? I prefer not to medicate in these circumstances if possible. But like I said, I'm happy to agree to disagree .

An explination:

I don't think medication should be the first port of call, but it shouldn't be dismissed if the dog is still struggling after a few weeks to months. Particularly if a desensitisation program is not progressing or not progressing at a rate that the owner can cope with.

If it is working then there is no reason to use medication.

Not everyone has the time/ patience/ experience / or even the desire to do the desensitisation- sometimes in these cases you chose the option that is better for the welfare of the dog. (Not that the OP is like this but it is a reality for dogs out there in the general population). And this is the reason I will always bring up medication as an option.

I have desensitised 5 dogs so far-only needed ginger and working out if they needed an empty tummy, or if a little food made it better. However one of which I am still not sure is really comfortable in the car when it is moving at 5yrs of age. He is happy enough in the car, runs back into it after training and is generally a fun and safe place to be. But he doesn't lie down in the car and has done a 10hr trip without sleeping. I have been toying with the idea of using the anti nausea medication at some point in the future to see if that makes him happier on our longer trips. It may/may not work but I can't see the harm in it if it lets him sleep when we go on long trips.

Two very differing and valid views, arguments have both been stated. Can you guys please keep the discussion to methods that might help me and others facing the same problem? :)

[Jumabaar]

Thats why I'm feeling I have to trial the meds just temporarily - I think he does feel sick and then he feels anxious and the cycle continues, with treats he will eat around the car but not in the car. A straight drive is fine but as soon as turning is involved it gets much worse, unfortunately I drive a small hatch so I can't vary his position in the car which seemed to help when he was younger.

K have you had a look at my post on the first page? A number of people with sick dogs have done really well with it in the past and it worked really well with me. The trick is to take really small baby and repeat them often enough. If it is anxiety related then it should work fairly quickly and you won't have to constantly medicate which is a pain for you and often not very pleasant for the dog. Hope it helps and good luck. :)

I personally will be using medication in the future if natural remedies don't kick in quickly and the dog is sever enough. After 18mths of vomiting and drooling with one dog I don't think I would put them through that again when I could use something to assist them along faster. Desensitisation did eventually work but I regret allowing it to take so long when medicating could have been a short cut once anxiety became a factor too.

I tried ginger, not feeding/feeding (feeding worked with my last puppy- would vomit bile on an empty tummy, but happy enough after a small meal), desensitising the car (a little hard when the dog had such strong associations with nausea so wouldn't eat near the car). Also I have heard of dogs that don't improve with desensitisation alone.

Why shouldn't this person try medication- it is rarely a life long requirement, just something to help the process of desensitisation along??

Jumabaar I'm happy to agree to disagree. In my experience medication is often a long-term solution as it only addresses the symptoms and not the cause of anxiety related car sickness. Desensitization works well if you use baby steps and make a concerted effort over a short period of time eg a week or two and the dog doesn't suffer if the steps are small enough. The reason it fails or stalls in my experience is people take it in too big steps or not consistently over a short period of time. And if there is a way to avoid medication, particularly long-term where all it takes is a bit of consistent effort I still say why wouldn't you try it ? I prefer not to medicate in these circumstances if possible. But like I said, I'm happy to agree to disagree .

An explination:

I don't think medication should be the first port of call, but it shouldn't be dismissed if the dog is still struggling after a few weeks to months. Particularly if a desensitisation program is not progressing or not progressing at a rate that the owner can cope with.

If it is working then there is no reason to use medication.

Not everyone has the time/ patience/ experience / or even the desire to do the desensitisation- sometimes in these cases you chose the option that is better for the welfare of the dog. (Not that the OP is like this but it is a reality for dogs out there in the general population). And this is the reason I will always bring up medication as an option.

I have desensitised 5 dogs so far-only needed ginger and working out if they needed an empty tummy, or if a little food made it better. However one of which I am still not sure is really comfortable in the car when it is moving at 5yrs of age. He is happy enough in the car, runs back into it after training and is generally a fun and safe place to be. But he doesn't lie down in the car and has done a 10hr trip without sleeping. I have been toying with the idea of using the anti nausea medication at some point in the future to see if that makes him happier on our longer trips. It may/may not work but I can't see the harm in it if it lets him sleep when we go on long trips.

Two very differing and valid views, arguments have both been stated. Can you guys please keep the discussion to methods that might help me and others facing the same problem? :)

But aren't we discussing that?? I do agree they are both valid options and the reasons for both options are what will help others facing the same problem so they can determine the best course of action for their situation

[Tia]

Hi westiemum,

I still have to do the treat to car training but we had to rush out the other night, luckily before Honey had dinner. We had to carry her into the car and put her next to the window with it opened a few inches. We had about a 20minute drive and she stayed in the car with the kids while I ran into the shop and then we went via KFC on the way home another 20minutes and all was good.

It was nice knowing, no crying or anything and I think she's started to get more comfortable on shorter trips. I just have to add entering the car to my already over loaded list of things to do.

Edited July 16, 2012 by Tia

[westiemum]

Hi westiemum,

I still have to do the treat to car training but we had to rush out the other night, luckily before Honey had dinner. We had to carry her into the car and put her next to the window with it opened a few inches. We had about a 20minute drive and she stayed in the car with the kids while I ran into the shop and then we went via KFC on the way home another 20minutes and all was good.

It was nice knowing, no crying or anything and I think she's started to get more comfortable on shorter trips. I just have to add entering the car to my already over loaded list of things to do.

Good on you Tia. I hope the treat was a piece of the Colonel's best (without any cooked bone of course!). Yes I know what its like trying to squeeze stuff like this which needs consistency into overfull days - but I promise you if you can make it a priority for a fortnight and enlist the rest of your family to help you'll really notice a difference. As I said, my Sarah can now do over two hours up to the Clare Valley without a problem - she now associates the car with good things which is most of the battle. Will be very interested in your progress. :)