Hi there,
I have a question for all the dog people who have ever had the misfortune of a car sick dog. I have a Shetland Sheepdog who I got when he was just a puppy. He was about 10 weeks old and flew in on an airplane. We went to collect him and on the ride home he was evidently car sick. We thought nothing of it and two years have passed and he still gets very car sick. We were told by the vet that he would probably grow out of it but it never happened. The real problem is, he is a very shy dog already and does not enjoy going to new places and trying to socialize and even when I have tried in the past, he has always gotten carsick and then when we get to the new place or even to his favorite dog park, he has terrible diarrhea and ends up looking tired and sick. We have tried on several occasions to get him used to the car by just placing him in it and giving him cookies and praise. We go through that for a few weeks and then we start moving the car and as soon as we go more than a block he starts to drool very badly and we know he's getting sick. We've tried medicine from the vet and even then he still pukes and has bad diarrhea. I got him for the main purpose of taking him with me everywhere and doing dog agility with him but I can't even take him to a dog training class because of how sick he gets. I've never been able to take him to places to get him truly socialized and I feel awful about it because now he's two years old and I've really missed the mark. Anything I can do so I can take him places and get him to a dog class without him being sick to his stomach?
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Recommended Answer:If I were you, I would try walking with him, or having him walk beside you if you ride your bike. Surely he won't be sick by that. But still, there are limits that way... I know that some carsick people do better when they can't see out the window. That's what causes car sickness-seeing yourself move without moving your legs. Try keeping him on the floor when you drive. See if it makes a difference. Try different pills at the vets. I found a good article that I am posting here. I didn't write it.
What Causes Dog Motion Sickness?
Dog motion sickness is more commonly seen in puppies and young dogs than in older dogs, just as carsickness afflicts more children than adults. The reason for this is because the ear structures used for balance aren't fully developed in puppies. This isn't to say that all dogs will outgrow travel sickness, though many will.
If the first few car rides of your dog's life left him nauseated, he may have been conditioned to equate travel with vomiting, even after his ears have fully matured. Stress can also add to travel sickness, so if your dog has only ever ridden in the car to go to the vet, he may literally worry himself sick on the road.
Signs of Dog Motion Sickness
Dogs don't turn the unflattering shade of green that people do when they're experiencing motion sickness, but there are some signs of dog travel sickness you can learn to identify. These include:
Inactivity
Listlessness
Uneasiness
Yawning
Whining
Excessive drooling
Vomiting
Treatment for Dog Motion Sickness
The best way to prevent dog travel sickness is to make the car ride as comfortable as possible for your dog.
Your dog will experience fewer nauseating visual cues if he faces forward while you're traveling, rather than looking out the side windows. One way to guarantee this is by using a specially designed dog seat belt. If you choose to have your dog ride on the front passenger seat, keep in mind that air bags do pose a potential hazard to dogs. Even though you can't be sure your dog will face forward while riding in a travel crate, many people prefer to use crates for safety -- and they do have the added benefit of containing vomit, should your dog become ill.
Another thing that may help your dog's motion sickness is to lower your car windows a couple of inches while the car is moving. This helps balance the air pressure inside the car with the air pressure outside, which may help reduce your dog's nausea and discomfort. Also, be sure to keep the car cool and well ventilated, as a hot or stuffy vehicle can contribute to unpleasant sensations for your dog.
One trick used on the show circuit to prevent dog motion sickness is to limit your dog's food consumption prior to travel. Then, right before the trip, give your dog a small piece of sugary candy (like a jellybean), which seems to reduce sensations of nausea. Never give your dog chocolate candy, however, because it is toxic to dogs.
If your dog has learned to associate riding in the car with feeling stressed and nauseated, there are a variety of conditioning techniques you can try to lessen this connection. These include:
Taking a break from car trips for a week or two.
Changing vehicles to avoid association with past unpleasant experiences.
Taking short car trips to places your dog enjoys, like the park.
Gradually building your dog's tolerance to car trips. Start by getting your dog used to approaching the car, then spend some time in the car with the engine off. When your dog is ready, take short trips (think: around the block) to build tolerance before progressing to longer car rides.
Using treats to make the car a fun place for your dog (but be careful you don't give too many and make your dog nauseated.
Buying special toys that your dog enjoys and only has access to in the car.
Dog Motion Sickness Medications
Dogs that don't outgrow motion sickness and don't respond to conditioning may benefit from the use of medication. There are a variety of over-the-counter and prescription medications that may quell your dog's motion sickness symptoms.
These include:
Anti-nausea drugs.
Antihistamines, which can lessen dog motion sickness, reduce drooling, and offer sedation.
Phenothiazine and related drugs, which reduce vomiting and provide sedation.
Be sure to consult with your veterinarian before purchasing any over-the-counter treatment for dog motion sickness.
Did this help you? :)
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- Shelties very often have problems with riding in cars. I've used Bonine with great success when showing in obedience trials. You need to give it to him at least an hour before you go for a car ride, but it lasts 24 hours, is chewable and doesn't make the dog drowsy.
- My sister use to give her lab motion sickness pills since she had to drive 2 hours to come visit us..
Ask your vet if you can give your dog this and how much..also which brand ; )
- If he is riding in a seat or allowed to be free in the car he may be in state of mind where he doesn't know what to do with himself in a moving car, so he gets sick, so a crate big enough to fit him will contain him and perhaps make him feel more comfortable and secure in one place.
Also try not having him eat before you go somewhere that way he doesn't have a few stomach to vomit up.
- Do you think maybe it's possible that it's not really the car that's making him sick, but rather he's worrying himself sick because he's really nervous and anxious about traveling to a new place? Or maybe it's a combination.
I think maybe you already tried some form of this, but I would think that a good thing to do would be to teach him that getting in the car doesn't have to mean going to a scary new place. Put him in the car, drive around the block, and then back to your house. When you get back, give him praise and treats, and he'll probably be relieved to see you're back at the house. If you're consistent with this and do it every day, I think eventually he'll have a lot less anxiety about riding in the car.
Another thing that would probably make him feel less anxious would be to make the car feel more like home. Put his bed, his blanket, and his favorite toys in the car. It may help him to calm down.
Here's a product for travel anxiety/motion sickness that you may want to try. http://www.cleanrun.com/index.cfm?fuseac…
If you want to take him to training classes, an option may be to drive there really early, and give your dog a chance to be out of the car and recover from his motion sickness before the class starts. Does he usually feel sick for very long after being in the car? As a person, I get motion sickness sometimes, and if I get a chance to get out of the vehicle and sit down for 10-15 minutes, I usually start to feel better. So, maybe that would help your dog, too.
- With my border collie, we had to fly her on a nine hour flight from the U.S. to Europe then when she got in the car she got sick and this lasted until she was 4 months. She stopped after doing these things with her:
- Let her sit in the car, play in the car, and sleep in the car to let her know it's just another place
- Do this while having the engine on (but don't move) and give her LOTS of praise
- Just go down your driveway in the car and have someone sit in the back with him to give him reassurance
- Do this for a few weeks, then gradually increase the distance to down the street than around the corner
Remember to stop immediatley when you see him drool because making him sick will get you no where, in fact, you'll go back to square zero. Also, once you reach your destination ( down the driveway, around the corner, down the street, have the person who is isn't driving walk him back to your house.
