Car Sickness

a safe doggy!

Car sick­ness is very com­mon in young dogs, as the stress and anx­i­ety of the ride caus­es them to hyper­ven­ti­late and then vom­it.  There are a num­ber of things to do to min­i­mize these occurrences:

1. Don’t allow them to eat or drink much before the ride — the con­tents slosh­ing around in their bel­ly adds to the feel­ing of nauseousness
2. Bring them to the car at least once a day and don’t go any­where at all.  On the third day, turn the engine on for a few moments.
3. Feed them their din­ner or give them a good chew bone in the car, then get them out with out going any­where.  Trying to build pos­i­tive associations
4. When they’ll get in the car and sit hap­pi­ly for a few min­utes, take a very short ride around the block — or maybe even just out of dri­ve­way and back.  We want them to get out of car while still relaxed
5. ALWAYS use some type of restraint in the back seat or back of car.  Crate is ide­al, but seat belt har­ness is good too.  When they can move around too much, it adds to the problem.
6. If going for long rides, such as to the cot­tage, a baby dose of gravol can help with the motion sickness