Car sickness I need help - Page 1

Hi I have a GSD puppy that is 12 weeks old and he gets very car sick very fast. I have know idea what to do

last night I took him to town with me and within 3 miles he had thrown up in the car. When I brought him home 4 weeks

ago he got sick in the van I thought maybe it was because of the first ride in the car. I am not feeding him till after we get

home. If anybody has any advice help me out.

Marty

Marty, the majority of the time people will advise to desensitize the pup to the car. A lot of the problem is mental, especially if his first time was rough for them. Usually  people are advised to sit in the car without it running and feed treats, then get out. Then work up to feeding in non running car.  then treats in parked, running car. Then food in same. Eventually go around the block then feed in the car and a little further every time. Try to make the destination a place where you can take him out and play, if possible. It is important to go SLOWLY. It does pay off with a pukeless lifetime if you do it slowly enough.

Some of it is physiological so try to go slowly enough that the forces of turning and deceleration aren't adding to the problem. Some people use ginger snaps or Rescue Remedy. For my dog all these did was make the puke smell mix with ginger and herbs.

Be patient, it will pay off for years. And experiment with whether windows down causes relief or more stress.

Dawgs

• Covering up the cage so the dog cannot see things moving
• Homeopathic remedies: Cocculus, Bryonia, Petroleum, Sepia, Tabacum, Nux Vomica
• Herbal remedies: Ginger, Scullcap and Valerian
• Bach Flower Essences: Rescue Remedy, Cherry Plum
• Commercial Products: Seren-UM, contains vitamins, minerals and amino acids.
• ginger biscuits

Good advice allaboutdawgs. I also let my pups ride with my very kind, tolerant males, sometimes even in the same Giant crate. Never had one puke yet snuggled up to Dad, no matter how far we went. I start with a trip down the driveway to the training field, then a little farther, etc. Crates amplify the problem, so I throw something down on the floor and in my lap the first few times to let them ride loose if possible, not that a little puke would make any difference in my dog-van. Ha ha ha. It doesn't seem to matter if you feed them or not, if they're donna do it, they're gonna do it. Happily, they do grow out of it eventually.

SS

Many years ago I had a female who used to get car sick.  She pretty much outgrew it but one day I decided to take her and my children (little at the time) to ourcabin in the mountains 2 hours away.  Got 5 miles from our destination and she puked all over the back seat with the kids screaming "GROSS".  Had to stop at a friends house to get water to clean up (we had no rinning water at the cabin) and his water was rusty!  It was still better than smelling vomit all weekend so I used it and it stained the cloth seat.  That stain never came out.  The things we endure for our dogs!

In my experience females tend to be more prone to motion sickness, short trips as stated above and they usually either get used to it or grow out of it.

Good luck!

This was discussed at length some time ago: http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/gsd/bulletins_read/45094.html#45100

Regards,

Bob-O

Hi, what's suggested here seems good.  But I want to ask questions to provide possible conditional/dependent solutions.

Bear in mind, your dog is still very young.

Does he get many rides, or just "every so often"?  You may not have done it often enough (albeit gently) to get him used to it.

Does your pup seem concerned/scared or even just nonchalant?  Or is he high-strung and excited, as if he's having fun?

How does your pup seem in the crate under normal circumstances?

I had a pup several years ago who seemed to throw up EVERY TIME I had her in that dark, dank small crate.  She was more the "concerned" type who didn't show much emotion as far as taking a ride early on.  I used a small cat crate that I could even place in the front seat so she could see me - but it was an official "travel crate" of all plastic.  They are totally different from the wire crates, which allow easy viewing.  If Lana wasn't in the crate, but watched by my mom or whomever, she was fine.  She seemed to hate traveling when she could NOT see what was going on and got more nervous!  By 5 mos, she was happy to go for a ride and didn't have a problem.

My current dog, Tara, was EXCITED about going for rides.  Her problem, even for a year or so, seemed to be motion sickness combined with over-excitement (you've heard of kids vomiting "for no good reason" - they're too wound up!).  She would never vomit outside a car without actually being sick - whether moving wildly or being all wound up (which is lots).  But I think she both had typical early problems of handling the motion PLUS she was SO happy about going places, she couldn't control herself.  I drove gently as I could with her, and tried to be just a calming influence, not getting her crazier than she already was with silly high voices or too much action or anything.  I now warn her of changes in driving - stopping, turning left or right, bump in road, etc.  Now it's just a courtesy; but early on it helped her understand how to handle the motions and brace for them and thus, even out the uncertainty.  Eventually, maybe by 2yo, she stopped ever throwing up and I don't have to worry anymore about being gentle - although I do as much as I can.

My 1st registered GS?  Never had a problem.  Ride home from breeder, she fell asleep in back within the half hour.  And always enjoyed it after (but never got hyper like Tara!).

I wonder if you might want to take the other dogs OUT of the equation.  They might actually be too exciting or aggitating in themselves (I DON'T mean they're doing anything, just how the pup sees it) in an aggitating situation like moving.  If it's not working now, why not try the opposite for a bit?

He does seem very tense after we get going but I had never had a bog get sick so quickley.

He been with the last three times rior to this and not gotten sick but I held him those times and

he was slobbering like crazy. Thanks for all the input I will try to just get him more comfortable with being in the

car.

Marty

Bob, thanks for the link and the advice looks great.

Marty