how do i travel w/ a dog w/ motion sickness?
Thursday, April 7th, 2011 at
6:54 pm
last time we were going to take my dog w/ us we were only gone for like 5 min before we had to turn around because she was getting sick this time we are moving and need to take her 45 minutes away. how do i get her there without her getting sick? a friend said that i can use that " airborne" stuff on her? it is met for people but can i give this to my dog. its a lab and beagle mix she weighs at least30 pounds.
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I know somebody whose dog had motion sickness when riding in the car. They were able to get a doggie booster seat for their dog that would enable the dog to sit up a little bit higher so they could see out the window. That worked for them plus it restrains the dog in the car so if you should get in an accident it would be safer for the dog.
take it to the vet and get it drugged.
Talk to your vet. We used to give one of our dogs Gravol for travelling, but I wouldn’t recommend giving anything without first talking to your vet. Give them a call, I’m sure they’d be more than happy to give you (free) advice over the phone. They will let you know if it is safe to give Gravol (and how much to give), or they might have something better in supply at their office that you can purchase.
I would not give her any meds not direct by a veternarian.Call your Vet and ask if there ARE any meds you could give to her,it is worth a try.If there are not they can give you some tips on transporting her.
I would recommend sitting her in a back seat with AMPLE towels and a bucket.She’ll probley make sounds before she barfs,if that is the case.You can then try to keep her throwing up in the bucket.
Get a crate for your car rides.
Don’t give her any medications unless prescribed by the vet. He/she will know the correct dosage of over the counter medications or will be able to prescribe a veterinary recommended medication.
Be sure to withhold food the day of the move, and possibly the night before so there isn’t anything in her stomach to throw up. But again, CHECK WITH YOUR VET FIRST before withholding food.
Do not give food or water for at least 4 hours before travel. Try a product you can buy over the counter called PetSedate it is a natural product made by Virbac. My Carin Terrier got sick in the past and I found that product to relax him. Also place them in a carrier where they can not look out.
We give our dog Dramamine about 1/2 hour before car rides. Cuts down the drooling and eliminates the vomiting. Call the vet and ask for the proper dosage. Our 80 pound dog can take up to two in an hour.
You will want the canine equivalent to Dramamine. I can sympathize with you, having traveled with dogs prone to motion sickness!
Also, you’ll want to not feed the dog too close to time to travel.
I would hesitate to use a dosage meant for a human though. Ask the vet about some for your dog.
Good luck, and good luck with your move!
we had a dog that got sick like that also. There are medications that the vet can give you. They are dopey and funny looking but it helped. The vet can prescribe the best dosage. You might also need to have a health certificate for travel.
Is your dog crated or traveling loose in the car?
If they are crated they typically have less of a problem because they how less of an issue trying to maintain their balance . Also you need to be sure that if your dog can see out a window that they are only looking out the front or rear window. Looking out the side window will make then get car sick easier.
Regarding medication talk to your vet – but something that helps sedate the animal can help – however you need to consider what the animal will need to do at the other end of the trip and how long the medication last.
I had a cat that I medicated once for a trip and when we got to where we went on vacation (she had been there before with me) she walked into a lite fireplace because she was so "drunk" on the medication.
Two things you can try: 1- You can break the dog in slowly by taking him in the car for very short rides, it just may be he’s scared. I have a dog that was like that, she’s pretty well handling her car rides now because I broke her in slowly. 2- You can get motion sickness tablets at your local pet store. You can treat animals like you treat people, just in pet formulations. Oh, it would help if you don’t feed or water him right before the ride.
What worked really well for a dog my parents have is that they’d make sure to get her tired before they were going somewhere so that she’d go to sleep as soon as they got settled in the car. No drugs, just good old-fashioned exercise. Once asleep, she’d be fine and not get sick — I lived a bit over an hour away at the time, and she’d just sleep the whole way if they came to visit my dog and I. Otherwise, she’d be sick within 5 minutes.
I don’t know how old your dog is, but hers was just a puppy thing. She grew out of it within the first year (although I’m sure my parents doing this with her a lot helped her head to get used to the moving around), and she’s now great in the car.
All of my dogs did this until they got used to riding in the car. You have to take your dog with you often and they get over it.
First, DON’T FEED HER for at least 4 hours before you pile her into the car.
Second, take the dog often on short rides to places where you can get out and take a wonderful walk in unfamiliar territory so she can explore. She will associate the car ride with fun.
Third–don’t give meds. That will make your dog drunk for half the day and is completely unnecessary.
dramamine…………ask the vet for the proper dosage