Carsick Chewie AGAIN ??

[Karen P]

I was wondering if anyone has heard of giving a half of a baby aspirin to prevent carsickness?
Thanks - We had a really bad experience this weekend and it is getting really hard to take him in the car at all.

[Karen P]

Thanks - I take Chewie for a shot tonight and I am going to ask about the Cerenia.

[Angie, Hudson and Lily]

I have read that most (but not all) canine car sickness is due to anxiety. You can also use Benydryl (which will sedate the dog some) or your vet can give you Rx sedative (such as Acepromazine). It is kind of ironic that the next Doodlekisses slideshow is "Doodles in Cars". I guess poor Chewie probably isn't very happy about that theme!

[Karen P]

Yeah - that might now be his best shot !!!

[Jamie Petro]

Wrigley has always been a good car rider, and we've never had any problems with her UNTIL we went to my inlaws over the holidays. After I thought about it, this was her first time being in the car for over 30 minutes at a time. She started drooling like crazy first, and then came the vomiting. I could tell she was absolutely miserable! It really made me dread the ride home for her. I am going to ask our vet about Cerenia before our next trip. She's 11 months old btw.

[DeeDee and Sheila]

I suffer from carsickness myself and have for my whole life. I have been to clinics, spun in chairs, etc. The only thing that helps me is a combination of dramamine (only 1/2 at a time, so for dogs???) AND a MILD tranquilizer. I would ask the vet about a tranquilizer. The worst thing you can do with motionsickness is crate in bottom of car (even covered). The bottom of the car has the most vibrations AND the eye needs to coordinate with the motion to get the equalibrium synched. I would get a car seat Chewie can see out of, get air or coolness onto him, and get some tranquilizers. I'll bet a tiny bit will help. Poor guy. Drooling is a dead give away they are getting sick. Take car breaks and get Chewie out of the car to breathe and walk a little. Hate to say it but front seat is best. Looking forward is MUCH better than looking out the side of the car.

Is his balance off when he gets out of the car? I can feel rocky even THE NEXT DAY if I don't take precautions.

[Karen P]

I did give him the dramamine yesterday before the ride and he seemed to do better. But the vet said that might not have been a long enough ride to be sure. She suggested that I drive around for 15 or 20 minutes to really test the dramamine. But it was very snowy so I guess the test will be tomorrow for puppy class. The Dr did not want to give him any prescriptions yet in case the dramamine worked. He did not really seem off balance when we got home so that was good.

[Nugget's Family]

I wonder if one of those seats I've seen that you hook into the seatbelt and then hook another harness onto your pup would work? I also will bet that he may be SOOOOO tired after training classes that he's not so anxious and you may see that he has a better ride home. You probably don't want to give him any meds before training class because he might get dopey and won't be able to focus on the class.

Do you notice any difference if he has a really good run or long walk before he gets in the car? If he's tired out, he may be too tired to "worry"!

[Karen P]

I did put him in the front seat and had the window rolled down a little so that he could get some fresh air. The funny thing was the dramamine actually seemed to make him more hyper ?? The vet tech laughed when I said that I had given him dramamine. So it did not seem to make him drowsy. I am going to check into that seatbelt hook and see if that makes him feel more secure. Good Idea about the exercise also. Thanks !!

[Melissa & Porter]

Poor Chewie. I hope you find a solution.

Porter used to lie on the floor and look miserable when I drove--definitely nervous and borderline sick. I gave him some antihistamine on his first 4+ hr drive over the summer. Since returning from that vacation (at about 10 months old), he actually has improved. Jumps in the car, climbs in a seat rather than huddling on the floor.

We've taken a few more unmedicated looong rides, and I know he still doesn't love the car. He refused a chicken nugget on a recent long road trip. And changed position like three times in over four hours, and wouldn't leave the car to pee (probably didn't have to go) because I think he was nervous about being left behind.

[Karen P]

It is good to know that a lot of dogs seem to outgrow this. That is what Chewie does he is constantly changing positions. It is like he cannot get comfortable. I did move him to the front seat last night and he did seem much better up there.

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

Hi Carsick is awful for dogs or people. I did have one dog, Thor, that finally grew out of actually throwing up at about 2 or 2 and 1/2. But he would still pace for several hours after a two hour trip. Don't give a dog aspirin under any circumstances. Dogs cannot tolerate aspirin and I am sure it will make carsickness worse. Have you tried giving him something like an Antlerz or a nylabone - something he does not actually eat - to chew on for a longer trip and oyster crackers (or soda crackers) a few at a time for just a short trip to the vet? Both of those helped my dog some. If this does not help ask your vet about a mild tranquilizer, that also helped Thor. Good Luck

[Karen P]

Thanks I have not tried the crackers, but that might be a good distraction for short trips. I bring his bullystick in the car but he does not really pay any attention to it. The vet trip went well. I am not sure if the dramamine worked or not. I did move Chewie to the front seat and had the window cracked for air and the combination seemed to work well. But the vet said the trip might not have been long enough to know for sure. So I guess I will find out tomorrow when we drive farther to puppy class !!! I will definitely find out about the mild tranquilizer if the dramamine does not work. Thanks