Anyone got a dog who is car sick?

[steppemum]

We rehomed our dog about 3 months ago. He is lovely, but has needed a lot of training.
He came to us terrified of cars. Bringing him home was a nightmare, one hour in the car and he was just sick the whole way.
We left it a couple of weeks and then started a sort of desensitising process.
Every day for 5 minutes we went out to the car, I sat on the edge of the boot and fed him treats, he gradually relaxed and got closer to the car. Got him to jump in, then close boot etc etc slow steps over several weeks.

Then we drove 2 minutes to the local park, with me on back seat, we got out, lovely time at park walk home.
repeat, to different parks and slightly further (max 10 minutes drive.)

Each time there is a change (eg first time I drove with no-one sitting on back seat next to him) he is sick.
But when we repeat that he is less likely to be sick. So 4 trips to same place, sick first time, not the next two, then it was dh not me and he was sick. (bare in mind that when he is sick he is sick within the 10 minutes which is pretty quick)

He really hates the car, he pulls away, we have to lift him him. Once we started actually driving off, he stopped jumping in to the boot and resists going in.
We keep doing short trips to nice places. This week we tried slightly longer - went 20 minutes to one of our favourite walks. He was sick after about 15 minutes.
Lovely walk, on the way home sick again after about 15 minutes.

I am trying to work out how much is stress (the fact that on repeat journeys he is not sick, suggests a stress element) and how much is that he is travel sick.

Does anyone have any experience of either car averse dog or travel sick dog and any suggestions?

We really need to find a way for him to travel at least 20-30 minutes happily.
thanks

I should add, he was scared of cars because previous owners didn't have one and he had never been in one.
Only experience of transport was coming to UK as a puppy.
He is 2.

Our previous dog never got used to the car although the length of time he could travel before being sick gradually got better over the years.

i just used to cover the car boot with a few layers of washable throws or sheets and as he was sick throw them in A bin liner and wash them all on return home!

Talk to your vet there is excellent travel sickness medication that often you only have to use twice to break the cycle.

When I was a child we had a dog who was car sick. The vet advised a child’s dose of travel sick pills. Then we bought a holiday home 90 minutes away. After a few trips to HH he stopped being ill, his love of the beach was stronger!

It sounds as if you are doing the right things, building up gradually and only changing things slowly. Keep up with the gradual change, taking him fun places and obviously consult a vet before trying any medication.

My daughters pup is 6 months. Dalmatian cross, very energetic!
Gets car sick so vet prescribed an anti sickness pill. It worked!

She visited me today via the beach. Didn’t give pup a pill.

Has discovered that if she distracts puppy by holding a doggy approved peanut butter “lick” which she holds & controls, no sickness!

Pup is on back seat with harness & a proper tarps liner type mat/seat cover so sick is easily cleaned off.

Today’s journey was their home to beach, 30 mins, beach to my home, 30 mins, my home back to theirs 20 mins. No sick! Huge relief.

Suggest don’t feed pup before a journey.
See vet for anti sickness pills.
Try a food/titbit distraction, not too much, during shorter trips.

Seems like you’re doing your best so fingers crossed, it’ll go well eventually, . Just keep trying. Good luck.

@Lonecatwithkitten we have the anti sickness meds too, but if the cause of the vomiting is anxiety or fear rather than motion sickness, they are not anywhere near as effective. Our girl still pukes.

I'm posting to see what people say - our Romanian rescue girl is a highly anxious and nervous dog. She's on daily supplements which make a huge fuss for her and we've done months and months of the desensitisation work.

She'll jump in the car happily enough, doesn't care about noises, but the moment we move she's licking her lips. The furthest we've gone is a mile to a river and she has never made a return journey without being sick on at least one leg if not both. We always make a car journey to a fun place with a nice walk etc but it hasn't worked.

We live in Cornwall and are SO restricted by this as we can't take her anywhere with us - we are usually all over the county with the other dog to beaches, rivers, woods etc but we've done none of it since we got the Rommie.

We're toying with the idea of giving her the meds, putting the other dog (secured) in the back seat and letting her sit in the boot on her own and take water etc to wash it down (already has a rubber cover) on arrival and clean her up, but when she's puked in the past she's also SO shaky that I feel terrible for her. I'm worried this would make it worse. We could go, say, 20mins to the beach and spend several hours there before she has to get back in the car, but it seems mean.

*huge difference, not huge fuss. FFS.

Speak to the vet as others have said
try make sure they travel on an empty stomach;

One of mine was very car sick as a puppy. The vet recommended half a piriton - it works a treat

Thanks all. lots of good advice.
I do think quite a lot if anxiety, we did 10 min drive today. After the walk I put him in the car and then took my boots off. He starts to do a foamy drool before he is sick, he was already doing that while I took my boots off, before the engine was even switched on.
He wasn't actually sick though there or back.

He is OK as soon as he gets out of the car!

So we need a trip to the vets. Which requires a car journey 🙄

Can you FaceTime the vet?

I don't think the vet will do anything without seeing him, as they haven't seen him yet. He came to us having had a vet check and all healthy, so we've registered him but he hasn't been seen.
I was hoping to get him happier in car before going.
Also, he was extremely reatcive to other dogs at first, much, much less so now, but still sometimes there are 3/4 dogs standing round outside the vet and it will be a challenge!

Cerenia is a game changer for many car sick dogs. I would not waste time messing with other medications if your vet thinks cerenia is suitable.

Even if your dog is sick due to anxiey or just the movement it can make a huge difference. It is often only used for a couple of journeys and then the dogs dont need it anymore.

We used Cerenia - only needed to use it three times. Now dog can travel without any problem at all and we regularly drive a 4hr journey

Mine had this but I figured the anxiety was as bad whether it was 5 min or 50 min. So I started with no food in the stomach and motorway drives so no turns or braking. Worked a treat. 2 x 1hr trips is all it took as he learned to settle on his rug. He is a GSD so big pukes! The graded exposure made no difference to him.

Thanks for all your tips.
We'll pay a trip to the vets and get something, and see if a few comfortable trips calms him down.
x

Snap @CornishPorsche although my Romanian rescue is much less nervous the car makes her very anxious.
We’re on holiday 170 miles from home and this is what I did:

• no food after evening meal at 5.30 the night before, only water


• Adaptil chew one a day for 4 days before and one and a half on day of travel ( recommended by vet, bought online)


• vet suggested soft bed to lie on so folded double duvet, layer of puppy pads topped with old towels. She travels on back seat with harness attachment. Take bin bags etc.


• longish walk before leaving home late morning


• journey was motorway/dual carriageway for first half then cross country- stopped after an hour and again after 2 hours for decent length walk, drink of water, no food.


• aircon + back windows slightly open (wear layers to keep warm!)


• she actually slept for first hour, was sick once on last bit but very windy roads.


• since getting here she’s been in car 4 times, longest journey 25 minutes each way and not been sick at all! (haven’t used Adaptil either!)


• Will repeat with Adaptil for home journey

I’m pretty sure mine’s anxiety induced or she’d be sick every time, she’s now rarely sick on return journeys at home after a long walk so perhaps after nearly a year we’re winning!