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Suggestions on overcoming Carsickness
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Some of you have expressed some of these same ideas I'm going to share that I received from Chavon at Amazing Tails.
1. Don't feed them 3 hrs before traveling.
2. Start by getting them used to being in the vehicle...when it's not moving...have it be a fun thing. When they're comfortable being in the vehicle then progress to starting the car when they're in it. Next time drive around the parking lot or short trip. Gradually add distance as they seem to be able to handle it. Try a gingersnap cookie beforehand if they have trouble.
3. If they're really severe and can't handle the shortest of trips...there are some natural granuals called "Easy Travel Solution" that you may want to check out.
Below is a short article that I got off the internet as well.
Many dog owners soon realize or within five minutes their pet has motion sickness (car, boat or airplane), especially young dogs have carsickness. Some dogs outgrow this problem. Receptors in the ear called the vestibular appartus; help an animal process position and movement. A dog will experience motion sickness or carsickness if the signals coming in (relayed by the eighth cranial nerve to the brain) are excessive: Symptoms include drooling, vomiting and or diarrhea. Severe vomiting can lead to dehydration and death in dogs. According to Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Animal Health market research, estimated 1.2 million dogs experience vomiting each year caused by motion sickness. Suggestions to curb or prevent motion sickness, when taking your dog for a drive: In the beginning take very short trips, avoid feeding your dog three hours prior to travel (never take your dog on a long trip with full stomach), make sure your dog had drank water before the trip, drive slow around curves, approach stops signs or red lights slowly (avoid sudden or sharp stops), keep at least one window cracked open to get fresh air, try to prevent your pet from looking out the window, provide lots of room to get up and move around, make sure the temperature inside the car is kept not to hot or cold, and stop ever so often or once an hour to let your dog stretch or quick walk and drink water.
Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) meclizine (Bonine), and dimenhydrinate (Dramamine) are commonly used medications to help reduce nausea associated with motion sickness. These medications are available over the counter or without a prescription, however should never be used unless specifically recommended by a veterinarian. Critically important is the correct or proper dosage for use in pets. Ginger (herb) has been known to be effective to prevent motion sickness in dogs (especially ginger cookies) and humans. Ginger snaps work well for medium sized dogs. Always consult your veterinarian before giving your dog Ginger. In severe cases of motion sickness, maybe necessary during long travel periods of time, a sedative maybe prescribed by a veterinarian.
Categories: Car Sickness, 2008 Doodles, 2009 Doodles
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8 Comments
About the car sickness issue discussed a few days ago.....we will be picking Ella up Friday. Do you suggest we put her in the crate to take her home, or hold her - it will be about a 2 hour drive? Also, maybe, just in case she does have an issue with riding, will you make sure she doesn't eat right before we arrive? Thanks!
Robyn
I would bring the crate but start out holding her on your lap and see how it goes. Yes, I'll make sure she doesn't eat before you come. Maybe some others would like to comment on how the trip home went.
We picked up Baxter (Charlie) on Saturday and all went well. I held him in my lap the entire ride home, we had a crate in the car but didn't use it. For the first 5-10 minutes he cried here and there (perhaps from missing everyone) but after that everything was fine. He ended up sleeping on the center console. Not sure if the vibrating helped him or not but he fell asleep fast! Our drive was just a little bit over an hour. We have taken him out on two other short rides and he is a very good boy. I think that he likes to look out the window! Overall I don't see him having any problems with the car. I am trying to start him out young and we are traveling this weekend and hope that everything continues to work out and we believe that he will find his same "comfy spot" and fall asleep! Hope this helped!
-Jess
We brought Trixie (Coco) home last Friday. Our ride was about 1 hr 45 minutes. She sat in the back with my girls and quickly feel asleep in the middle of them. She did not wimper or cry at all. We saw no signs of carsickness. In fact, I have had her around town (5 minutes here, 5 minutes there) with me a couple of times, too, with no problems. We'll keep you posted to see if anything develops, but so far, so good.
Enjoy,
~Angela
PS - We take her to the vet for the first time on the 19th - this is about 15 minutes, we'll see if anything happens on that ride.
We brought Rusty (Bear) home on Saturday. We had a really long drive of about 3 hours back to Washington, DC! The first few minutes out I held him in my lap and he was doing well, but looking around a lot and making a few whimpering sounds and squirming a lot. There was a point about 10 minutes in we thought he might throw up, so we pulled over really quickly to get him out of the car. He seemed perfectly fine when he got out of the car. When we got back in we put him on the floor by my feet with a towel down. We had the air conditioning on and he seemed to love it down there and feel asleep right away. We've taken him in the car for trips between 5 - 15 minutes the last few days and he seems to love his place by my feet with the air conditioning blowing on him. It's like a little den. We're hoping it keeps up, but right now it's going great! I think the rate he's growing he's only going to be able to be there for about another week before he grows out of the space. So we'll have to figure out a new "den" for him in the car.
~ Julie
