Motion sickness on car rides
 

Is there anything that i can do for my little girl for motion sickness on car rides? She tends to get sick in the car even on short 10-15 minute trips to the vet or groomer and even if she hasn't eaten recently. Unfortunately, I live 6 hours away from my family and am going home for the holidays. She will be coming with me as I do not want to leave her boarded for that long. I was just curious if there's anything to help her with the trip. I don't want her to start thinking that car rides are bad because she gets sick every time but don't know what to do. Any advice would be welcomed.

Angel's mommy
:aimeeyork daddy's little army brat :yribbon:

Found this list. I hope it will help

Help your dog face forward while traveling by strapping him or her into the seat with a specially designed canine seatbelt.
If you buckle your dog into the front passenger seat, position the seat as far as possible from the dashboard or disable the passenger air bag, which can be hazardous to dogs.
Lower car windows a few inches to equalize the inside and outside air pressures.
Keep the vehicle cool.
Limit your dog’s food and water consumption before travel.
Give your dog a treat or two every time he or she gets into the car.
Give your dog a toy that he or she enjoys and can have only in the car.
Give your dog a one- to two-week break from car rides.
Use a different vehicle to avoid triggering your dog’s negative response to your usual vehicle.
Take short car rides to places a dog enjoys, such as the park, especially if your dog associates car rides only with trips to the veterinarian’s office.
Gradually build up a dog’s tolerance to car rides. The following steps should take a few days to a week:

Accustom your dog to approaching the car without getting in it.
Spend time with your dog in the car with the engine off.
Take short trips (e.g., around the block).
Take longer trips. Reward your dog with praise and/or treats every time he or she does something well.

I am also experiencing this with Wallee. I have a harness that buckles into the seat belt for safety and try taking him out on short trips. He gets excited when I say "do you want to go in the car" but as soon as we get moving he starts shaking and whining. He has been sick a couple times on longer trips but even on short ones, he gets so stressed out. I am hoping to keep trying to take him out almost daily and praying that he will eventually get used to the car. :confused:

This happened to Honey but the only way I can stop her from getting sick is by letting her ride in my lap. I know its not the safest thing but it is the only thing that works. She is very still in the car and just lays on my lap and goes to sleep. I dont know if you want to try it or not but it works for us. Also when I get on the road I dont let her eat anything but 11 of her hard dog food. Also if you are willing to stop every so often. Stop at a park or an open area for about ten mins every hour or hour half and that might work also but it would make you 6 hour trip longer. Hope this helps.

My vet recommended Dramamine for our dog who gets carsick but for now she is too small (only four months old and 3.5 lbs) for us to get the dosage right so the vet gave us a liquid medicine instead. I'll have to look at the bottle...can't recall the name. We've only used it once for a 2.5 hour car trip, but it seemed to work. The hard thing with Karli is that she doesn't seem to mind the car rides themselves or have a negative association with them which means that most of the above listed recommendations didn't work for us. She's perfectly happy in the car until she gets sick, then she throws up and goes right back to being perfectly happy until the next time she throws up. Not feeding her before a trip only helps in that she only throws up bile (and in smaller amounts) rather than throwing up massive amounts of dog food! :)

Good luck! Having a car sick dog is the worst; we visit my family every month and they live 2.5 hours away from us...it sucks!
-C

Car sick
 

So sorry to hear of your baby's problem, sad for you and her. There is a drug called "Cerenia" that really worked for nausea with my dog who was throwing up from gastritis after surgery. There seemed to be no side effects and it did a great job. The drug is really for motion sickness in dogs and if the right dose can be prescribed, may work for your baby?
Hope something is found that makes traveling better for all of you. Good luck!

Mikey experiences extreme nervousness on car rides. He used to whine and yip (loudly..ouch) until he was able to get into my lap, which is not ideal for driving. On our trip from Michigan to Alabama, a whopping 19 hour drive, I had to have my vet prescribe sedatives from Mikey. I felt kinda bad that I had to sedate my poor pup, but the vet assured me it would not harm him. It actually turned out to be quite comical as he pretty much looked high as balls 0.o
Anyway, I would suggest this for longer trips as it worked out great for Mikey (no side effects at all! it wore off after a few hours). As far as just trips around town, taking him more frequently might work after a while, but if you are impatient like me, you can visit thundershirt.com. We have one for both dogs in my family and it works like a charm! Mikey does so much better on short trips to the vet and groomers now. He hasn't quite warmed up totally, but he is okay with staying in the passenger seat or back seat and not demanding to be in my lap while I am driving. He still shakes a bit and every once in a while he will yip. But it is a great improvement from what he did before which is pretty much what you describe of Wallee! Good luck!

Is your baby traveling where he/she can see out the window ? if not this could be the problem. Some dogs can not ride in the car in a crate or on your car seat & need a doggie carseat so they can see out the window. Sounds crazy but it works & there have been many threads here on YT on this topic.

Good information, I looked at some of the other threads and I didn't know this. My Miss Mia gets sick in the car almost immediately, I have her down on the seat still. I will have to rush to buy that booster seat for her too!

I've read here on YT that ginger snaps will help with car sickness. I usually have to medicate Buster for a long trip...he has the big booster car seat and can see out of the window but unless he's in my lap, he's very vocal.

Huey still gets car sick occasionally, but it is usually on twisty turny mountain roads. The pukage decreased dramatically when I got him a car seat where he can see out the window. It also helps to have the a/c blowing where he can put his face in it. Many times he just curls up in his secure car seat and goes to sleep, but he is a terrible back seat driver and jumps up to look out the window every time you turn a sharp corner or brake harder than he thinks you should. ;)

Teddy is ok in the snoozer seat but I'm considering trying a thunder shirt for car rides before resorting to medications.

I have read all your comments and my Bella gets sick, nervous, won't sit in her
carrier in the back seat shakes so bad that we have to pull over. I tried to keep her
in my lap in her bed ( not the safest thing ) but she is always moving she wants
up, down and when she looks out the window she barks at the cars she sees. We have used Dramamine, Cerenia, ACE ( the worst for side effects..she messed herself ) our Vet put her on Valerian for awhile, then Rescue Remedy ( non alcohol)
so we basically stay home, we have a 6 hr trip from UT to CA soon and I dred it
she loves getting in the car and going places but get over excited. We have tried Valium and Xanax which we give her when the Gardener comes ( seriously ) she
is that high strung. I have tried everything...any other suggestions. Thank you
Yorkie lovers.

Our little guy would get car sick to weather he was in his kennel or crate. The only way he doesn't get sick is on my knee. Not the safest and if weather was bad it would not happen but it's the only way.

this is what i used for kyia in the car, please use 15 minutes before you go in car for high anxiety. now kyia freaks out in the car, scratches at my neck etc.. she slept all the way to Sudbury a six hour drive on this stuff. i gave her drops every 30 minutes i beleive until she was real calm, then stopped and gave every hour. then stopped. it was amazing!

dr,good pet calm

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Thanks to all for the Car Sickness remedies you have posted. Good luck with
your Yorkie travels as well.

Calming collar
 

I just read your post about success with the calming collar. I am so happy it works so well for your motion sick baby, you must be so relieved. This came at a great time for me, my boy is barking his head off and driving him and me crazy!! They are testing guns at a marine base and he hates it, as he does most noises.
So thanks to you, I have just ordered a calming collar and hope it works for him. The manufacturer does state that they will return the cost price if it does not. So nothing to lose. By the way I did try the Thunder Shirt, but that had no effect, but I hope the herbs do the trick. Thanks again, and I will update on how it goes.

Collar
 

Thank you. I will surely let you know if it helps my boy. All is now quiet thank goodness, the guns have stopped. I could not take much more of the barking, nor could he I am sure.

What a great Idea, thank you. I have tired the Thundershirt but didn't notice a
difference.

:bravo::bravo::bravo: Great advice LOVE IT!!!

Thank you for such great ideas..I appreciate it

I have to add that our 6 hr drive to CA was uneventful with the aide of Xanax from
our Vet, it took the edge off Bella and we all had a pleasant drive, she was still alert
and able to stop for comfort breaks, she did well going around the curves between UT and Las Vegas it went by quickly so she didn't get sick. Thank you all for such being
such great resources.

Great idea with the calming collar. Thanks for sharing.

These posts are so helpful..Thank you all.

Thanks
 

I'm going to try it my baby girl is the only one of furbaby that gets sick in a car ride..
WEre flying to Ny and than to Chgo in June , so I hope this works I hate to give them meds for this ....

I am taking my dogs out of town this weekend. Both of them get diarrhea when they go for longer car rides. Last time I went home to my parents, it took a week to get my little guy readjusted again. They don't get motion sickness and throw up in the car, but I think they get nervous and it leads to the runs.

I've talked to my vet and she said to try to give them pectin before I leave. I've also heard Benadryl helps with motion sickness. I am going to stop at one of the pet stores and see if they have anything herbal for anxiety. I think if they enjoyed their car ride, it wouldn't be as bad. As much as I've tried with my big dog though, nothing seems to change.

I'd definitely be interested in trying dramamine, if I could get the appropriate dose. I wonder if the vet would give it to me w/o having to come in for an appointment.

This weekend is going to be a busy weekend out for my dogs, who typically aren't around a lot of chaos and people. I am totally nervous about taking them and upsetting their tummy's, but I am hoping they will start to enjoy adventures out as I don't like leaving home w/o them!

My niece is a Vet and has recommended Benadryl or dramamine ( childrens liquid you can purchase at any pharmacy ) only once a day for dramamine, I use Benadryl liquid she also recommends this for motion sickness it makes them a little sleepy which relaxes my little dog. Valium 1-2 mg for a 5 lb dog which only lasts 2 hrs or Xanax 125 mcg ( human doses are 250 or 500mcg =.25 mg or .5 mg ) which lasts 6 hrs.
I personally used Xanax .5 mg on our trip from Utah to CA 6 hrs drive and it worked
like a charm it was the best trip ever with Bella. I would check with your Vet before
giving your dog anything, but all my Vets have agreed of all these treatments.
My Vet sells me Valium ( because he can't write a Rx for Valium for a dog ) it's
not expensive but Xanax works the best for my dog, you can ask your Vet if she
would depense some to you. My Vet says Valium or Xanax can be used in
conjunction with Benadryl, again verify this with your Vet. Do a trial run before you head out on the road to see how it affects your dogs..but when you take you drive
give it to them about 1/2 hr before you leave. Happy traveling