Car sickness

[Morwenna]

My 8 month old lab is sick in the car pretty much every time we go anywhere. I’m not sure it really is car sickness as such as she’s only ever sick once and only on the way there if it’s somewhere she knows is exciting so she’s never sick on the way to the vets or to a new place. She’s never sick on the way home, even from training having been stuffed full of treats and run round like a lunatic. I’ve tried travel sickness tablets from the shop, travelling her in the boot / on the back seat / on the back seat with me / view covered up / view uncovered, calming sprays, calming essential oils and pet rescue remedy. Our training classes are fairly early so I’ve stopped giving her breakfast on training days but today she had half a Forthglade calming treat with a few drops of the pet rescue remedy on it and she was sick. Last week I mixed the RR in a teaspoon of yogurt and she was fine. Any suggestions for anything else I can try? At the moment I can manage it by not giving her breakfast but as she’s a lab, she thinks the world is ending if she misses a meal.

 

[Cinnamontoast]

I found persistence helped. Bear and Zak were awful, so I took them to the yard, a 10 minute drive, very frequently. I think it helped that they could see out eventually.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Just keep practising, with very short journeys and if RR with yoghurt helps, give that to her. When she can manage round the block without being sick build up to going a bit further. I've never had one be sick on the way home. I think the excitement is over and they just sleep.

 

[Sandstone1]

Ginger biscuits

 

[splashgirl45]

Have you tried a crate with a cover over it so she can only see you in front .and not the sides or rear of the car , if it’s nerves you could try something like zylkene to calm her

 

[Goldenstar]

You just have to keep at it , it’s extremely common IME with young labs .
I also let mine sit in the car while I work in the garden once I am happy with them jumping out .
They need to just chill a bit about cars generally .
Put him in and out of the car without going anywhere put the engine on and off and let it idle a minute then drive a few feet and reserve back just keep doing things like that every time you have a minute .
Dram and Pearl both had a brief period of this and came through it they are now epic car traveler's.

 

[Birker2020]

My 8 month old lab is sick in the car pretty much every time we go anywhere. I’m not sure it really is car sickness as such as she’s only ever sick once and only on the way there if it’s somewhere she knows is exciting so she’s never sick on the way to the vets or to a new place. She’s never sick on the way home, even from training having been stuffed full of treats and run round like a lunatic. I’ve tried travel sickness tablets from the shop, travelling her in the boot / on the back seat / on the back seat with me / view covered up / view uncovered, calming sprays, calming essential oils and pet rescue remedy. Our training classes are fairly early so I’ve stopped giving her breakfast on training days but today she had half a Forthglade calming treat with a few drops of the pet rescue remedy on it and she was sick. Last week I mixed the RR in a teaspoon of yogurt and she was fine. Any suggestions for anything else I can try? At the moment I can manage it by not giving her breakfast but as she’s a lab, she thinks the world is ending if she misses a meal.

Sorry if you've already mentioned this but do you have adequate ventilation in the car? Is there plenty of fresh air passing through? I mention this because I always feel sick when passenger in my partners petrol car which is quite low to the ground and have to open the window as the smell of petrol also makes me queasy. Not that I'm comparing myself to a dog

Could you maybe increase the height by using a folded duvet or similar to see if the height makes a difference? Sometimes as with me, if the car is fairly low to the ground this can produce motion sickness.

 

[Pinkvboots]

My Winnie was sick on every car journey until she was about a year old they do normally grow out of it luckily, after that we went everywhere for miles in the horsebox and car and she was fine.

 

[skinnydipper]

....

 

[supagran]

My Jack Russell puppy (now 7 months) can manage about 1/2 hour before she’s sick. I really hope she grows out of it because I have several long (5+hours) trips planned in the spring.

 

[buddylove]

Sturgeron travel sickness tablets, my dachshunds are all sick to some degree when travelling.
Half a sturgeron 2 hours before travelling and they are absolutely fine.

 

[Chiffy]

I had a young rescue whippet/greyhound who was sick before I had got to the end of my drive. Any other dog with a tendency to travel sickness soon improved by short journeys absolutely every day, this girl was more challenging and wasn’t improving. Eventually I wanted to travel to Badminton. I was given an anti sickness pill from the vet called Cerenia plus ACP. She slept the whole way about three hours I think it took. She then travelled each day the ten minutes to and from our accommodation and then slept all the way home at the end of the stay with just the cerenia and no sedation. That was the turning point and she was never travel sick again, no more medication and travelled all over the country. We lost her last summer age 14.
They are all different but I think they all can learn eventually, it was nerves with this girl.

 

[Morwenna]

Thanks everyone. Lots to think about. I have tried with various combinations of full view out of the windows / part of the view covered / all of the view covered. I always have a window open for her so she has plenty of fresh air. I think it must be nerves / excitement as she’s never sick on the way home or going to a new place, just as soon as she knows we’re going to ‘school’.

 

[Morwenna]

My Jack Russell puppy (now 7 months) can manage about 1/2 hour before she’s sick. I really hope she grows out of it because I have several long (5+hours) trips planned in the spring.

Fingers crossed for you!

 

[Rowreach]

A big thick layer of newspapers underneath her. Works for humans too, something to do with static electricity.

 

[Birker2020]

Partners car always smells of petrol as he covers the nozzle handle with a rag and wipes the filler cap with it too which he leaves in the boot. And not because its going to blow up

 

[conkers]

My oldest whippet does not like travelling. He used to be good but then decided he didn't like it. I am slowly improving him by doing short journeys. And I bought a hammock seat cover so that he felt more secure on the back seat - no gap to fall down - which has helped.
I know it sounds daft but, do you take her for a quick walk so she can have a wee and a poo before you start your journey? My boy is worse if he wants to go and I haven't realised and just let him in the garden prior to setting off. He quickly gets very stressed as (in his head) going out means having a poo within 5 minutes and if you get in the car and drive for half an hour he can't cope.