Puppy Car Sickness

minesadouble

minesadouble

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Our gorgeous Bracco is now 15 weeks old, I'd really like to get him out to ringcraft classes ASAP but he's terribly car sick.

When we collected him it was a 4hours 30mins drive and he vomited about 20 mins into the journey then was fine for the remaing 4 and a bit hours.

Since then we've had him out a few times in the car, to the Vets, friends houses and the beach etc., never more than a 15 minute journey but he drools frantically then vomits on the way home.

As soon as he sees you're taking him to the car he's utterly miserable.

The Breeder has suggested a couple of long trips, I'm just worried about making him car-phobic!

Has anyone any tips or do we just hope he grows out of it? TIA
 
My last two eventually grew out of it. They were in a crate on the way home from the breeder’s, under a hour. We stopped halfway due to them both vomiting, first time in a car, I think. They were much better once they could see out. I did very frequent 5, then 10, then 15 minute trips. If you can roll down the windows for good airflow, it will help.
 
My old dog was very drooly but grew out of it. The drooling was later linked to a bit of anxiety/thin nerve.

His daughter travelled well from day one, she was in a cat carrier strapped into the passenger seat beside me initially, then a fabric crate along the back seats, then graduated to the box.in the rear of the vehicle.
When they're fed, how they're elevated, ventilation, where they are in the vehicle, what direction they're pointing, how much they can see and how you drive can all have an impact.
For me, the multiple short journeys help to build up to the long ones and lots of positive association. I have done a lot of popping the dog in the crate in the car to feed, not actually go anywhere, then take them out again and build that up, I could start the engine but not leave. Then obviously eventually they learn that they go to loads of fun places (or Tesco, who knows?!).
So I would teach a dog to enjoy the car first and do 5 minute journeys before 15, but I know life isn't always like that.

Even when we're walking past the car to go for a walk, my dogs will always go and check out if the tailgate is open, just in case.

I had a dog once who would get into random cars if the door was open, which was embarrassing....
 
I'm not sure when things changed but my younger lab was incredibly sick in the car at first. He too became miserable about getting in. Not helped by the fact we were usually going to training which he didnt really enjoy.

We started off by getting in the car with another dog and driving to the river which is walk-able distance and only about 5 minutes in the car, This meant he was in and out before he felt or was sick, had a wonderful time and then back in to go home. I then just increased the distance slowly.

I think I'd still be a bit nervous myself of going anywhere too far with him but he now jumps in the car happily.
 
CorvusCorax said:
Even when we're walking past the car to go for a walk, my dogs will always go and check out if the is open, just in case.

I had a dog once who would get into random cars if the door was open, which was embarrassing....
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Sorry OP to veer off topic but my dog once jumped into a white leather seated Range Rover walking back from a shoot drive. 🙈
 
Just to boost your hopes.
Our young rescue dog drooled in the car on the drive and then was sick within 100 yards of the house! We treated him like a horse, numerous short journeys round the block and a treat at the end. It worked. After a couple of years we had a family emergency meaning we and the dog had to do Bournemouth to Lancashire in a day. The dog was perfect.
 
One of mine was car sick as a puppy and I did the short journeys etc but she didn’t improve, we had to go on a long journey ( 4 hours). and I got a mild sedative from my vet, it just made her drowsy , didn’t knock her out, she wasn’t sick and we were away for a week and did very short journeys without the sedative and she was fine and also fine on the long journey home . From then on she was happy to go in the car . I think she was scared and the sedative helped her realise it wasn’t scarey
 
When we had the Rottweilers one of them could barely get to the end of the road without being sick and losing control of her bowels. We persevered with very short journeys.
We took her to visit my Dad and his dog every week, about a 15 minute journey and tbf, she was only ever sick once on each journey and never on the way home. She was always keen to get in the car and she grew out of the travel sickness by the age of about 6 months.
 
We also used the cerenia tablets from the vets - I think there is something about puppies not having the inner ear developed until they're a bit older and so it makes them more prone to car sickness and they can just grow out of it. The tablets help break the cycle and also stops negative associations from forming that car journeys = feeling sick.
 
We had a Lab bitch who didn't grow out of travel sickness until she was over a year old. The vet prescribed a sedative for her, which once seemed to cause her to get cramp in a back leg. It is a very long time ago so there are probably better medications available now.
 
One of mine was awful! Sturgeron tablets from the chemist and always having a window cracked open fixed him in a week. It was amazing. He still needed the tablets on long or rough journeys occasionally as an adult, but it stopped the vomiting straight away
 
I'm Dun said:
One of mine was awful! Sturgeron tablets from the chemist and always having a window cracked open fixed him in a week. It was amazing. He still needed the tablets on long or rough journeys occasionally as an adult, but it stopped the vomiting straight away
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Cinnarizine has no established safe dose in dogs and is kidney toxic at relatively low levels (6mg/kg in one paper). Much safer to stick with using medications with established safety data like Maropitant (Cerenia) and Dimenhydrinate (Dramamine/Gravol)

Sturgeron seems to get recommended a lot on show dog pages but it's definitely not the safest option.
 
It was actually someone on here recommended it, but it was a long time ago. That dog has been gone for 4yrs now so possibly outdated information. It did work instantly with permanent results though.
 
Our JRT x was terrible as a puppy but did eventually grow out of it. She used to chuck up, eat the sick, then chuck up again and could do this whole cycle on the way up to the vets where I work - no more than 5 minutes 🫣🤢.
We did get Cerenia when we took the dogs on holiday - be prepared, it's quite a pricey medication.
 
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