Brandy&Melanie

Hi again! I was just curious, did your puppy throw up in the car when you first drove him/her around? Or do you think some dogs just get car-sick like humans? I wanted to kind of drive her around and show her what the world is all about, but she can't go ten minutes without throwing up. Is this something I am doing? She eats it after excitedly, so she isn't sick, but then she will throw it all up again in the next ten minutes, then eat it again. It is not the most pleasant smell haha.

Is this something that normally happens? We always go on a trip to B.C. in August (7 hour car ride with breaks in between of course), and this is the first time we have a dog coming with us. She will be about nine months old, so I want to make sure she likes the car before and won't throw up in ten minute intervals for seven hours.

Do you think I shouldn't take her with us on the trip? I really don't want to make her super anxious, but I hate the idea of leaving behind my Velco dog for two weeks. In the car, she sits beside us in her crate where she can see us beside her, and she likes to sleep in her crate, so it isn't that she hates it.

Anyway, any advice how I can stop her from getting sick all the time? Thanks in advance!!

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DogsR4Life

Some dogs do get sick, just like humans. Ask your vet if you can give her children's gravol to help with the feeling of being queezy.

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MaryAndDobes

I find that they usually grow out of it.

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kwhite30

On our way home from getting Diesel he got sick. He's only gotten sick one other time and that was our fault we put him in the car right after eating ever since then he never has.

I think some dogs just get car sick. I know my aunts dog does but it's only once during the trip and then she's fine.

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Brandy&Melanie

Ah ha! OK this could be quite helpful!! Thanks! Ok I shall try this and report back!

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Darkevs

as said, most grow out of it.

but i did have a red girl once who puked from day one and never did get over it.

I had to give her gravol before she went anywhere in a car. it does make them a bit drowzy so she did need time to recover whenever we got to where we were going.

there are a few 'herball' remedies that contain anti anxiety herbs, and Ginger was used by sailors for years to handle seasickness.

here is link to help with travel sickness in pets.
Carsick Pets - Avoiding Carsickness in Pets - Pet Travel

Hugz to your little puker.

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Thanks for making this signature for me Amelia!

kwhite30

Good luck! I hope it helps. If not talk to your vet I'm sure there's things you can do to help it if it's a constant thing

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MeadowCat

You might want to make sure she hasn't eaten recently before she goes for a ride and see if that helps.

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Wylde

I would make sure and not feed her before taking her for a ride. Start out on short car rides and let he associate it with something good, going to a park for a play or when you come back from a short ride lots of praise, play...something super positive. I think I would slowly increase your drive times... maybe start out for a 5-8 min ride...and over a period of the summer or something, work up to an hour ( hopefully without up-chucking ) always end on a positive note. Hopefully she will grow out of it and learn to love car rides

HerMewMew

My husband had a poodle who ALWAYS got carsick with him, as well as my stepson... Odd, poodle and son never got carsick with me driving either of them...
After a few weeks-months of being in the car with "Said-husband" I realized that it was his driving which made EVERYONE IN THE CAR SICK including myself...

I drive when ever we go anywhere...

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"I have a Doberman, and I'm not afraid to use it!"

Rosemary

Have you conditioned her to it? Try putting her in, and drive around the block. Take her out, let her walk around a bit, put her back in, and around the block again. Lots of little short trips, then gradually make them longer, until she's used to it. Also, make trips fun, and not just to the vet. Drive for a bit, park, and take her out for a walk, or to play with her.

Could you try a different crate? Sometimes a solid airline crate is better, but some dogs do better in a wire one. Have you tried a seatbelt harness? Both of my dogs use harnesses, and tend to just curl up and take a nap when we go anywhere.

Like MeadowCat said, make sure you don't go on a ride right after she's eaten (would you want to go on a rollercoaster after a big meal?). If all else fails, ask your vet for something to help settle her tummy. Some dogs are like people, and just get carsick. Sounds funny, but I can't ride in the backseat without getting sick, but I'm okay in the front seat.

Beaumont67

Very interesting...one driver causes much dog anxiety, while the other one doesn't contribute to the pup sickness...in same vehicle.
- so when you take some practice trips...experiment with changing drivers, sounds logical / make it FUN, at all costs

Both my dogs love car & truck rides, so I will share how...day1 went with my last pup, from year 2000...as an 8 weeks old:
- drove 9 hours, back to Ontario...from Montreal area
- puppy layed on a pillow on Dads lap, in the back seat area
- when Amy wasn't stretched out on me, I had puppy nuzzled against my heartbeat...between puppy breath kisses
- we stopped driving 1 hour latter, outside at a gas station for 5-10 minutes waiting for a peepee

Second hour, pup Amy having the time of her new life and adventure...with our 17 year old son / sitting in the passenger seat...Mom resumes driving.
- we stopped driving 1 hour latter, outside another gas station for 5-10 minutes waiting for a peepee, to happen if need be
(all the while supervising and talking very excited and happy...building the fun experience again)

Third hour, Mom changes to the back seat and Dad drive.
Mom and new puppy, have much cuddle, belly rub and frequent huggs & kiss time.

Hour four througn nine hours of driving - we share our girl (taking turns with Amy), all with the same love and affection.
- always stopping every hour for 10 minutes approx...for potential break.

My first dog from 1977, went everywhere with me / 2 funny stories to share:
a) Went to a local junkyard...that was dog free.
Owner gave me permission, to let my dobe snoop around with me.
Fifteen minutes of looking for used auto parts, I turn around to look for my dog, and have to backtrack my route a little.
Soon I find her sitting in the front bucket seat of a sh*t green 1973 Mustang...with the door off.
I laughed my ass off, and told Tanya..."come on girl, and try and keep up with your Dad / if you want to go home soon".
b) Use to do body and paint work (as a hobby) in my fathers farm garage.
So Tanya didn't have to lay down on a cement floor (while she did sometimes), waiting for me all weekend, I would park my 1965 Chevelle at the open garage doors (in the summer months).
Then I would let her in the car, shut the door (so my battery would not run down) and roll down the windows.
Let her out once in a while, for water and pee / and ask the dog, if she wanted back in my 2 door.

My current dog, gets mad at Dad if I drive off in my 4x4 Chev. truck without her.
So istead of leaving her on the couch, waiting for Dad to come home from my reno job site...I often (weather permitting) take her along...to rest in my truck. This makes her happy and content...Amy knows Dad is close by and she was included in my plans.

Both my dogs hated their crates...to the point of non-stop crying for 4 hours straight, even trying to make themselves sick...with the anxiety they showed.
- while crates are the safest mode of vehicle transportation for a dog, 40 years ago, my first two cars never even had seat belts...I think the first few car rides should be as calming & fun, as possible...with a family member passenger, making the experience most positive

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------------Kelly & (Amy - RIP @ 11.7 y/o)

Wylde

Awesome Beaumont ! I have done the same thing, from the moment I picked up my pups ( RIP ) and my current girl ( 7 wks old then) rode beside me in the pickup with a seat belt but would lift them up and let them watch the world go by, let them sit in my lap ( until they got to big of a distraction and just plain ol BIG ) I do this with my cats as well. I have never had one upchuck in the car yet. And when introducing my girl to the ATV, she was scared silly...loud, smelly, bumpy ride.. but after a few times, she realized that getting on the ATV would mean- playing in the woods all day, swimming in creeks, etc etc. If she sees an ATV now, whine whine whine, wiggle wiggle wiggle. Howl howl howl. lmao

Like you said, make it fun ! I would keep a little squeaker toy and play with the pup if someone else was driving. Stop often and let them explore

longshot4me

We had copious amounts of drooling, but no vomit. I get carsick easy, so I feel the pain! I rolled down the windows for her and made sure she had some water. Also added two pillows to the bottom of the crate so she can see out. Motion sickness is caused by a disagreement happening between your eyes perceiving movement and the body's balance/spacial orientation sensing movement.. being able to see/feel (the view moving and wind coming in) that yes, you are indeed moving, usually clears it up for me. Knock on wood, its worked for Callie too!

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Beaumont67

^^^^ +1 Wylde (and thks) plus what a great personal dober story on a ATV / I loved the read...you shared.

I personally thought, dog sickness in a vehicle could be avoided from day1 puppyhood.
Dogs always live in the NOW, and humans can at times, live in the Past or Present...maybe stress imposed / not letting the natural calm state coexist.
- current dog was positioned to lay beside Dad while driving my truck alone (early on)...I belly rubbed her and stroked her head, neck &/or muzzle
- for good and calm initial experiences

^^^^ Very interesting explanation, longshot4me...Thanks.

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------------Kelly & (Amy - RIP @ 11.7 y/o)

pwncakesauce

Both of our Poms would get carsick when they were little. We couldn't get more than 5 minutes away from our house before they were vomiting. One of them grew out of it, the other did not. We have found that if she is allowed to stand on our lap and look out the window, she's okay. We've been looking into a booster seat (because it's safer) lately. These things wouldn't necessarily be applicable to a Dobe though. I would imagine that she'll grow out of it if it's an issue.

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Brandy&Melanie

Thanks everyone! Yes I try taking her around for errands, like the convenience store which is only five minutes away. She gets a little treat when we reach our destination so it's not that. I am quite interested in the seat harness idea!!! Although I have never seen one at the petstore! Maybe I just wasn't looking for it hard enough! And good plan, now that I think about it, she is pretty full when I take her. I'll take her when she hasn't just eaten. Bah, curse me for no common sense!

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http://www.dpcc.ca/

kwhite30

Don't worry I didn't know either I just out two and two together the second time it happened cause there was a big gap between the first time he was sick and the second so it all came down to food

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Whiskey

I get seasick and carsick if I'm in the back seat and I've found ginger to be excellent for it

mmctaq

Nope. All the kisses and cuddles in the world will not prevent carsickness in the pups who are prone to it. It has to do with physiology, not psychology. That you were not covered in puppy puke after you got home with baby Amy had nothing to do with what you did on her ride, and everything to do with the fact that she is not prone to getting carsick.

Sleighs907

Beau used to get sick in the car (we got him at 1.5 yrs old so I assume he had it his whole life)...he threw up a couple of times but both times were when he had just eaten...other times he would drool like crazy (drove my husband nuts!)...we would take him on progressively longer trips and open the windows for him and now he doesn't drool much at all (every once in awhile on a windy or bumpy roads)...we can take him on hour long drives without any issue so don't worry, there is light at the end of the tunnel!

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Beaumont67

^^^^ mmctaq
I could of bought into your explanation 100%, had I not read this earlier post first (quoted below), that got me thinking outloud.
- I am trying to stretch for any answers or some form of differences, in approach (as a possible help, to others) / or maybe I just got lucky again

One thing I do know...is that my Amy has tried to make herself sick, in a house crated (cage confinement, that she hated wiith a passion).
So I might conclude or now think, that if I caged her in the back of my wifes Volvo wagon...her getting puppy sick may not be out of the possibility / regardless of her feeding time (for example) or disposition in getting car sick.

However, if my next pup ever had the upchuck sicknesss, in my vehicles / I think we would probably start having a short play secession (in the vehicle)...before the next test ride.
Also, I would not allow her to look outside the side windows, and view the world flipping by her, at 50 mph.
- like standing on a high diving board (as a kid), and getting immediate anxiety, before gaining the courage...in taking the plunge into the pool
- I don't have a clue if this would work or not...but honestly, I think it might be worth a try...I would be more than willing to explore
Just maybe, their can be a symptom overlap here (at times)...between physiology &/or psychology.

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------------Kelly & (Amy - RIP @ 11.7 y/o)

rainddobes

I have had two droolers, up chuckers and tried everything..
The one med that works is Cerenia..by prescription..and can order at Fosters and Smith.. They will contact your vet for prescription..
Give two hours before car ride...It really works.. These pill are expensive but worth it...
Cerenia is the best meds out there for motion sickness.
Just go for it...great stuff.

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Rainddobes

Ch Marquis' I Am Arya "Layla" 5 years
Doyerdobes No Kidding V Raindance "Jaden" 4 years - Major pointed
Marquis' I Am Neytiri of Raindance both majors
Raindance Genesis of Marquis 21 months
Raindance Armed and Extremely Delicious 3 months
and the Italian Greyhound gang

LIVING WITHOUT A DOBE IS NOT LIVING

dobebug

None of my Dobes (puppies or adults) have ever been carsick dogs but my Australian Shepherd sure was.

And I agree that for puppies (like kids--and I was one of those) who get motion sick it really doesn't make a lot of difference what you do to make trips "fun" or not--if they are prone to motion sickness they'll get sick. And they will usually outgrow it.

Cerenia the prescription motion sick med that is prescription only is very effective. But so are most of the non-prescription OTC drug for human motion sickness (Dramamine, Bonine etc)--your vet can tell you what the dosing quantity should be. Cerenia is very new and the OTC drugs for humans were in use years before it turned up.

For traveling with your puppy--you've already figured out from these posts that you should not feed before leaving. If you forget and do feed--don't let the dog re-eat it because he'll only get sick again--full stomachs and carsick dogs are not a good match.

Short trips (not immediately after being fed) will help acclimate the dog to the motion of a vehicle.

I picked up the Aussie as a 12 week old puppy on my way out of Los Angeles (headed for Vermont). I arrived minutes after he'd eaten a huge meal. I put him the crate and drove about three blocks down the street--by that time he'd puked up his huge meal. I cleaned him up, put clean, dry bedding in the crate and drove on. During the trip across the country he survived on one meal a day--dinner, after we arrived at whatever motel we were staying at--I stopped every four or five hours to give him small amounts of water and let him pee (or poop) and we arrived in Vermont three days later with the puppy not the worse for the car sickness.

I was living that winter in the mountains in Vermont--that meant every trip for the puppy was up and down hills and around curves. He mostly didn't puke--even if he had just been fed and trips were a daily routine--but he drooled. Buckets--I carried towels, sometimes he wore one around his neck just to catch the drool. He was nearly two before he actually got to the point where he could ride in a car without drooling.

But he did eventually--and I had a lot of sympathy--I got sick on everything that moved as a kid--and even today if you put me in the back seat of a soft sprung vehicle and drive around a few curves I'll be demanding to get out and walk home.

mmctaq

None of my dogs (puppies or adults) have ever been carsick dogs except for my Australian Shepherd!

He was the first dog with whom I did "real" obedience training, and he could have been seriously competitive... except for the fact I couldn't take him anywhere.

I was training with a club which offered puppy class everywhere (so, close to me), but the more advanced the classes got, the fewer locations where they were offered and the farther I had to drive.

He would hold a down stay in the back seat for as long as he could. When he was going to hurl, he would pop up into a sit and simultaniously puke and shake his head violently (pause to allow the visual to sink in <vbg>). I was simply known at class as "The girl with puke in her hair" until I began to use a plastic bag as a hat in the car on the way to class.

He was a terrific dog and I miss him still, but I never was able to solve the puking-in-the-car thing and I abandoned my obedience aspirations for us. I made it fun, I got a whole program from a behaviorist, I tried meds, I tried everything I could discover to try... nothing made a difference. There are dogs who are pukey, and dogs who are not...