Does anyone else have a dog that gets travel sick?

roguebrogue

My mum uses ginger biscuits! Works like a charm.

jetta_wales

Bunny can not under any circumstances travel in the back seat of the car for more than about 3 minutes before she throws up so she has to sit on my lap in the front. I usually have a big blanket on my lap and she curls up in it and just looks out the front window all the way or until she falls asleep if it's a very long journey. Not ideal but better than the misery for her and us of her dribbling throwing up froth repedly. Try the front seat in some way like the dog seat belts if it's a larger dog. Might need to consider the airbag though and turn it off if possible (can usually be dine with the key).

Sally42

A friend of mine used to have a dog who was similarly affected ~ she swore by Bach Flower remedies....
http://www.bachflower.com/Pets.htm

Fire_Fox

blue_monkey wrote: »

Well, we bought a different (2nd hand) car because she was being sick in the new car and I thought it might be too enclosed and dark for her, so we got a big people carrier with windows that snap open at the back so the air can get to her, I also put her up on top of a folded chair so the crate was window level (it's a fabric, not metal one so no room to pace, i thought enclosed would be better) because I thought it might be because she could not see out and the movement was making her sick. It did not work. The people carrier is more airy and she could jump in and out on her own accord - the new car has a high back and I have to lift her and I wanted her to jump in and out when she was ready rather than me forcing her in.

I started using treats but we have a dog trainer and he said not to do this because even if she was still in there and she was nervous, we was rewarding her fear and it would not do what I was trying to achieve. Also turning the engine on and leaving her in there while I sat with her and read the paper. She seems fine with this but once the car starts moving she vomits. Where I can, I try and walk her before meal times so there is not so much to bring up so her tummy is empty but when we go dog training it is lunchtime so I cannot do that. Even the 2 mile journey is too much.

I think if I had a prescription for 2 of the meds, I would only be able to buy 2 and they are still expensive. I have just found that Johnsons sell an 'on the shelf' herbal one. The one the vet mentioned was Cerenia (another name after was too long). Let me try the back seat method again and see if that is better in the new car and if not I'll try herbal and see if that works.

I am suggesting your vet writes a repeat prescription for a large amount covering an extended period of time. Perhaps try the drug once from your vet then, if it works, ask for a script and purchase online. Won't your pet insurance cover this? If not perhaps you could lay off the training and spend the money on medication until you have nailed the vomiting? Please do not use herbs on animals without the specific agreement of your veterinarian, many drugs or 'natural' products that are inert in humans are toxic to them.

Air flow doesn't prevent the physical process of travel sickness, it just cools the hot sweaty feeling right before you vomit. Seeing out may make travel sickness better or worse depending on what the trigger is. Regardless of what there is to bring up the dog will still be feeling nauseous and miserable, just the same as a hangover or morning sickness. In humans some get travel sick because they swallow too much air, or the view 'moving' confuses the inner ear (balance), or the motion of the vehicle churns the stomach contents, or adrenaline is released diverting blood away from the digestive system .... Some of these the brain can adjust to (= grow out of) others not.

Surely you would not be posting if the dog trainer's approach had worked? Clicker training (which generally involves treats) is often used to successfully amend behaviours that are the result of fear. The dog learns that a physical action not a mental state is rewarded, for example you might start with the dog just sitting a way away from the car, then sitting progressively closer to the car, then sitting glancing at the car, then a progressively longer look ... Super slow, daily over weeks or months.

Repetition and progression in baby steps will mean the dog is not treated every time he feels fear, also you reward (with the click not the treat itself) the exact second the dog acts in the way you want. He learns that turning his head to the left gets a click, but not to the right. Switching the engine on seems pretty advanced, if your dog is having a phobic-type response, forcing exposure will be counterproductive - if you are doing this alongside taking the dog on a journey it is highly unlikely to work. Personally I would do it alongside the prescribed drug, because that will break the association and hence break the cycle.

TomsMom

My dog gets travel sick, have tried all sorts of things people have recommended including

the dog sitting on newspaper
ginger biscuits (wont eat them)
ginger capsules
windows open
not feeding before journey
only feeding half normal amount before journey

We've progressed from being sick on a 20 minute journey to being able to go about 45 mins now.

She sits on the back seat and someone is in the back with her.

She's not nervous of the car at all but she does get a wet dribbly mouth.

We live in a fairly rural area so wherever we go there are winding roads and most of them are not very smooth.

What is interesting though is we went out in our d-i-l's car last week, 45 minute journey each way, and she wasn't sick either way. D-i-l has a Renault Meganne and we have a Renault Modus. There is a definite difference between the rides, the Meganne is smoother, the Modus is a bit of a harder ride. If that's the cure in our case I'm afraid I wont be changing the car!