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.

[Leslie J]

Cocoa had car sickness/anxiety until she was one year old. She threw up on most rides and panted and drooled a puddle on every ride.  Now she gets in the car willingly and only throws up occasionally. I’ve come to accept that she’ll never love to go for car rides like my previous dog but she’s much better.

It sounds like you’re doing the right things like not feeding her right before a ride. I’m guessing she’ll get better as she matures- probably more quickly than Cocoa because she’s in the car more frequently. I suggest you keep a few towels in the car and keep one under her in the car, so it’s easy to clean up and put a new towel under her. I think some dogs are just highly sensitive to motion and take a while to become accustomed to it.

[Carol and Truffle]

Yep - towels in the car covering seats; and now plastic garbage bag under the towels to protect the seat more. :)

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I would NOT give her anything - medicine, herbs, ANYTHING  without checking with the vet.  She is so young that you could actually do harm with things that are fine with adult dogs.  She is young so she might very well outgrow it. I know we soke about facing front, but sometimes riding on the floor has less motion for them. If you want to try the floor, try moving the front seat all the way back if you are having her up front, or all the way forward if you are going to put her behind the front seat. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I agree about not giving her any OTC or homeopathic products without checking first with the vet. 

[Carol and Truffle]

OK - no Rescue Remedy until speaking with the vet. Hadn't thought about putting her on the floor. Will try that. Also going to try a short drive this weekend with my husband holding her in his lap and see whether makes her any less stressed.

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

Charlie got car sick the first time I took him to the vet.  As time went on, we realized he wasn't anxious about going in a car, he just had plain motion sickness, especially in my husband's SUV because of the movement in the backseat.  It almost made me sick, so I get it! LOL. None of the vet suggestions worked for worked for Charlie.  It was so pathetic, and he just wanted to stay at home.  It did help to let him ride in the front seat, but it was still a pain.  When he was 4, I bought a new Ford Fusion and it solved all our problems because it rides very smoothly.  He can actually sit up with his seatbelt on and look out the window too.  Now he is happy to go with me.  We take frequent 4 hours trips to Seattle without any issues and he can ride in the back seat without any problems. I am so thankful.  I hope you can figure out what will work for your little doodle.     

[Carol and Truffle]

Interesting. We've got a bevy of Priuses (& none in the 'luxury line), & can't say that their ride is very smooth :(

[Amy and Annabelle]

I always thought there would be more vibration from the road sitting on the floor. I know Annabelle hates it. 

[Leslie J]

Cocoa sat on the floor on one trip- she hated it- threw up twice.  I think, as you said, the vibration made her feel worse. 

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Never mind then on trying the floor.  The dogs I've done that with, it was done for nervousness/anxiety, not real motion sickness by itself.  They seemed to feel more 'cozy' on the floor which kind of goes along with Doggie Dan's cover them idea.....

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

Doggy Dan (The Online Dog Trainer) suggests that you cover them in the car to relieve the anxiety.  I'm wondering if you got a small crate and then sit it in the car and put a sheet over it if that would help.  He suggested just laying them down and then covering, but you mentioned he loves his crate, so that might work better.  Or, possibly using some sort of high value treat to encourage him to love the car.  Also, I've read about just going out to the car, getting in, getting out.  Do that a few times, then get in and drive around the block, etc, leading up to longer trips.  I've also heard ginger soothes the stomach.  Maybe a ginger cookie.  Also, you don't want the stomach completely empty either.

[Carol and Truffle]

We've done the go to the car, just sit in it, feed treats, take short drives around the block :(