SERIOUS Car Sickness

[Carol and Truffle]

I take Truffle to work with me, because it's just hubby (who also works full-time +) and I & I live too far away to come home to let her out & not have her crated for long periods of time.

I work full-time but as a supervisor do have considerable flexibility. Nevertheless, it is a 20 minute drive either way between home & work.

When we brought her home from the breeder at 8.5 weeks old , it was a 7 hour drive & she got sick twice on the ride home. She is now 13.5 weeks old.

I had a week off where I didn't have to put her in the car again, except for the day after Gotcha-Day for a 15-minute-each-way trip to the vet.

After that I began driving her to work with me daily. She showed serious car anxiety & the following long weekend (Memorial Day), my husband and I worked hard on desensitizing her to the car without having to take her anywhere.

We made some tiny progress, but she never willingly walks up to the car to get in. I always have to pick her up (and she is clearly very unwilling to be put in the car).

Since then we take 1 step forward and 2 steps back, with her throwing up every few days (and unfortunately 3x this week). 

• She associates the door into/out of my work as related to having to get into the car. 
• She associates me putting the leash on her at predictable times at home as meaning that we are going to the car & she hides in the back of her crate (at least she considers her crate as a safe place).
• She knows the time of day at my office when we would be heading home & she nows goes to the back of her work-place crate to avoid having to head out to the car.
• I've learned not to let her have food within an hour of putting her in the car.
• I've learned to turn the car on & let the AC run long enough to cool it off.

Knowing her hate of the car has seriously curtailed us taking her around town to get experiences (she threw up on the way home from Lowes!).

My choices seem very limited at this point: to continue to have to expose her to car rides (20 minutes, twice a day), or to leave her at home, all alone, crated for 4-5 hours at a time (her housebreaking so far has been stupendous & I think she could hold it that long - but she'd be all alone; folks at my office are true dog people & this week she has finally come out of her shell and has enjoyed playing with people).

I'M DESPERATE FOR SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO ADDRESS THIS! Everyone has helped Stacy & Maggie so much ... I'm hoping to hear some great guidance here.

Thanks, everyone, in advance.

[Andrea, Belle and Honey]

Hi Carol. Truffle is so cute.  My 3-year-old Belle has always had a problem with gagging, vomiting and massive drooling in the car.  The vet has decided that this is likely not caused by anxiety, but by motion sickness. She is not generally an anxious doodle, and she was introduced very gradually to car rides.  It doesn't matter if she has food in her stomach (either a little or a lot). Since she was a year old, she has had no problem for about the first 45 to 50 minutes in the car; and she can go longer without symptoms if we are driving on a straight, smooth road with a window open enough for her to just get the tip of her nose into the air (always with a seat belt on, of course).  But as soon as we are off the highway and make a few twists and turns, uh oh .... Belle is very small (about 15 pounds), so we worked with the vet to identify the smallest possible doses of anti-nausea meds that are effective in preventing vomiting on longer trips.  There is a very effective prescription drug called Cerenia, but I have found the most convenient med for us to be OTC bonine, which is like dramamine but without the drowsiness. I know how awful it is to see your doodle in distress, so if the car sickness continues beyond the likelihood of fixable anxiety, please talk to your vet about possible preventatives. A good seat cover, lots of paper towels and a good biological cleanser can help relieve your distress too.

[Carol and Truffle]

UPDATE: 

just been trying to make sure Truffle hasn't eaten much before we need to get in the car and that the car is cooled down in the afternoons before I put her in it. Hope I'm not jinxing things but we've had 3 rides now without even drooling or panting. She just lies down and catnaps. I won't say she's relaxed but she doesn't seem as anxious as she has been. We see the vet on 6/28, so I'll consult with her more. Fingers crossed (I feel like I"m walking on eggshells)

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Hooray!

[Joani, Skadi & Elli]

You are a very good mom!  So good to hear stories of folks that care so much for their kids they will go to the ends of the earth to help them be comfortable.  I think your baby would put up with quite a bit of discomfort just to be with you during the day!  Such love, such devotion.  Sounds like you are doing all the right things.  

[Stacy]

I agree with this so much! I see so much sadness on facebook with people getting rid of their dogs for whatever reason. It makes my heart happy to see people who are so committed and whose dogs are truly family. You all are my people!

[Carol and Truffle]

Thanks. How in the world would one consider getting rid of a puppy for a reason like this? Bad puppy 'parents'

[Stacy]

The one that really leaves me scratching my head is the one with the very young puppy that says: "We got this dog 5 minutes ago, (hyperbole) and now our situation has changed and we don't have time for them. We would only like to recoup the 2000 we spent on this impulse purchase of a living, breathing creature who adores us and doesn't understand why they are getting kicked to the curb." (paraphrased)

I'm more of a rescue watcher than a rescuer, and sometimes I don't know why I torture myself. But I keep thinking that there might be a dog out there who needs my help. Luckily the dogs anywhere near me seem to have 100 posts from people wanting them. I only hope that their do-over family is more committed than their original one. I would live on the street before I would give the dogs up. But I know that's not a choice everyone can or will make. 

[Joani, Skadi & Elli]

You would be surprised how many people rehome their furkids...for whatever reason...mine was given up on Craigslist because the owner, who rescued Elli off a site at the age of 3 1/2, decided he was going to get married...well, the "new" bride already had a pitbull, and an eight year old daughter.  Oh, and the "new" bride was pregnant...So I guess the deal was if the Man wanted to marry this woman something had to give...and so he gave up Elli ... put her on Craigslist...I was fortunate and found her...she's been with us over 3 years years and after much training, she has settled in and is super sweet.

[Stacy]

Elli really got the best end of that deal. But if some guy asked me to choose between him and my dogs the dogs would always win hands down. I think you can tell a lot about a person by how they treat their animals. 

[Joani, Skadi & Elli]

Thank-you.  Yes Elli did get the best of the deal compared to where she was with this former family...still it makes my heart ache for these innocent victims...so dependent on the owner's to care and love them.  I offered to stay in touch with the family, send them pictures through our connection on FB to let them know how she was doing and I sent them some pictures at first...but then the women said..."that's okay, we know she's being taken care of...we don't need any updates"   I think she was too busy casting her web over her future husband...LOL.  Anyway, Elli has "gone on with her life" with us...she is dearly loved and cared for..If that isn't the most stupidest, selfish reason to get rid of a dog because the furniture doesn't match.....however, I have been noticing lately that since I bought a new offwhite couch....just thinking out loud....hahahaha!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

DRC has had people give up a 10 year old doodle they had owned from puppyhood because "he was really our daughter's dog, and now that she has gone away to school, we want to travel." I could not and would not make this up, and in fact Laurie wrote a blog about the poor dog, whose name was Rudy. Rudy had some health issues and at 10 years old, had a hard time attracting potential adopters. His foster mom ended up keeping him, thank Dog. This is only one of the hundreds of stories I have personally known of crazy and cruel reasons people have given up doodles. 

[Stacy]

It breaks my heart. And what are we teaching our children? That if something isn't convenient we just throw it away? I know someone who had the most perfect rescue papillon who was given up because they got new furniture and he didn't match anymore. For real. The dog didn't match the furniture. There are no words.