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Please help travel sickness not getting better!

4 replies

happygardening · 22/10/2012 22:58

My nearly five month old puppy is fab in every way, everything we hoped he would be but one thing he's desperately travel sick.
I have done everything your meant to do; driven him daily, increased the distance, nice things to do at the other end had him on the front seat back seat and boot all to no avail. He can go about 5 mins before showing all the signs of travel sickness. I can't take him in the car if he's eaten in the last three hours. As soon as we go near the car he slams on the anchors and I have to pick him up. He starts shaking before we even start moving salivating/yawning within about 5 minutes only on the motorway is it marginally better but we live in a tiny rural town. What I hadn't noticed till now is how bumpy/uneven our roads are he whines when ever we go down/over a bump and that we have speed humps everywhere!
I'm now of to the vet but have been told that you can only get treatment for one off journeys not regular journeys.
Normally I wouldn't bother because we've got plenty of walking on our doorstep but he comes to work with me (a 60 mile round trip) as he is excellent therapy for the staff and visitors where I work and he loves it there!
Will it get better I suffer from terrible motion sickness and mines got worse as I've got older!

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Lonecatwithkitten · 23/10/2012 07:49

Firstly does he ever just sit in the car and not go anywhere and maybe have a meal there. As he seems now to only be associating the car with unpleasantness. I would stop all journeys if possible go with just sitting the car maybe having a meal for a while then start reintroducing journeys.
Start journeys with round the block and build up over a long period.
Cerenia will help with actual motion sickness though I can't remember how young you can use the tablets from. However, it won't tackle the anxiety. Zylkene would help the anxiety, but is best used over a period combined with a behavioural feeling.
I would steer clear of ACP the understanding now is that this makes the anxiety worse as they feel all the anxiety, but not do anything about it.

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Aquelven · 23/10/2012 08:38

He might well grow out of it. The one of mine that had it really badly till she was a year old is fine now. But it's a miserable thing while it lasts.
You might find this site, dedicated to the problem, useful

www.dog-car-sickness.co.uk/avetsview.html

With doing shows, I know lots of people with this problem & have heard of lots of solutions that have been tried, many of which have worked for different dogs.
These include Valerian( especially when it's caused by stress) Bach's Rescue Remedy, Quells or Sea Legs from the chemist, Stugeron,the herbal stuff Nelson's Rhus Vom.
Lots have had success with feeding ginger biscuits(quarter at a time from an hour before the journey & every 15 minutes during it).
Also putting in a crate with brown paper in the bottom. Putting in a crate that's covered so they can't see out. But others who were sick travelling in crates did better sat on the seat in a car harness.
I know they are very varied, & some sound odd, but different things worked for different dogs.

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cupcake19992110436247 · 23/10/2012 08:56

He could be ill. But my dog used to hate cars and be sick every time we went in the car... She is an adult now and still hates cars but isnt sick anymore xxx if this is the case try and let him see out of the window of that is posible. It always helps to see were there going xx oh also if your dog hates the car, i found that if you cone back from work/day out ect. And the puppy has been left inside. When you come home just take him into the car and greet him there. It will make him more settled xx hope it helps x

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happygardening · 23/10/2012 15:37

Many many thanks for all your help he's not particularly interested in food and it definately wouldn't make him do something he wasn't keen on. He's not very big and is "happiest" on the front seat wearing a harness and he usually lies down sort of flat with his eyes tightly shut.
The other day I was a passenger and he sat on my lap initially he hung onto me with his chin on my shoulder shaking but eventually turned round and looked out of the window he only whined yawned and panted no salivating.

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