My puppy suffers from motion sickness?

Question

My 16 week old puppy has suffered motion sickness on the last to trips out in the car. He sits in the boot of my estate car.
I have been told that there may be several reasons for the sickness...and that he may grow out of it as he matures..?
Any advice from some experts would be great...please.

Answer 1

Try having your puppy sit in the middle or in front of the car that may help

Answer 2

here is the advice given to a similar question by another member:

Dogs who become carsick must be exposed SLOWLY to riding in the car. Each step should take a week, and if the dog gets sick on a step, you need to back off to the previous step until he doesn't get sick.

Put the dog in the car. Have a toy to keep the dog's mind off the car, but don't let him get too rowdy.
Dog in the car, car started and running in driveway.
Dog in the car, car started. Back down the driveway and then move back up the driveway (IF the dog hasn't gotten sick on the way down!)
Dog in the car, take car around the block (shorten the trip for a week if even that is too much)
Dog in the car, take car to local convenience store and back home (or any place close but farther than around the block with a couple of starts and stops along the way).
Dog in the car, short trip (you decide the length based on how your dog is responding.
Dogs who get carsick will especially benefit from either a crate (especially the more enclosed plastic crates) or a seatbelt (check your local pet shop for dog seat belts). These will limit unsteady movements. Keep in mind, dogs don't always vomit when they are carsick. Some may just drool excessively or look wet around the mouth and may have a sick or queasy look in their eyes. Watch your dog for signs of carsickness and work with the steps above to make both of you feel better!

You could also try giving your dog Dramamine and do not feed for at least a couple of hours before taking the dog for a ride.

Answer 3

Your dog is still very young, and as such hes not used to being in the car yet moving at fast speeds. At most hes probably run around in the house/yard a bit, but being in a car takes some getting used to - the same way it does for young children.

I would take him out in the car for drives where you arent going exceptionally fast (like side streets, not highways) to get him used to being in the car and being in motion without him actually doing the moving.

Once he gets used to the car he shouldnt have too many problems with it, and as he gets older the problem should also get better (from experience).

Your dog will most likely always kind of sway and trip around in the car though, they have issues standing up in moving vehicles, but this is not a real issue and happens to most dogs.

Hope this helps.

Answer 4

Give him an travel sickness pill called sealegs,you get it from a chemist and its brilliant.
Give one about an hour before you go out in the car and he will be 100% fine.
I show dogs and we cover miles and miles and we need a dog to be comfortable on the journey so any that have travel sickness we give 1 tablet each time for a few weeks then do a trip with out the tablets and see if the dog needs them anymore.

Travel sickness can be down to anxiety,the dog is sick on one journey then the next journey he remembers being sick and so frets again,you need to gently break the cycle.

Sealegs will do him no harm at all and in a few weeks you should have a dog happy to travel with you again.

Answer 5

I'm not an expert. I do have experience w/this tho
I'll bet he outgrows it. When I brought my German Shepard puppy home she made a huge mess in the car. We started making short trips (around block) getting her used to it & having an outdoor destination even for a few minutes fresh air really helped make it
fun.(The key)
It just kinda tapered off as she grew. Then I couldn't keep her out of the car. Your trips haven't only been to vet right? Hope it helps:~)

Answer 6

my dog was the same way. but she only got carsick during day trips, at night she was fine. try going on trips during different times of the day and see if there is a difference. my dog did grow out of it by the time she was about 6-7 months old. now it's hard to get her to stay out of the car. talk to your vet about it and if things do not change you may have to give you puppy some sort of medication before going on any car rides.
good luck.

Answer 7

Well I know my german shepard threw up every time she got in the car when she was a puppy but grew out of it and loves to go for rides now. However my cat has to be sedated to go on any car rides becuase he completely stresses out in the car and has diarrhea and vominting because of the stress. But I would think your puppy will grow out of it. Good luck and try not to let them eat before you take them in the car and wait to give any treats until about 30 minutes after getting home so they have time to calm down. Hope this helps

Answer 8

takw him out daily if you can just to the bottom of the road and back. Don't feed him before he travels. I hope you have him in a dog cage in the back for his protection and yours. This area of an estate is called the 'crumple zone' and is designed to literally crumple and soften a rear end shunt. In which case, the dog won't stand a chance but may if he is protected by a dog cage. Personally my dogs are not allowed to travel in the back, they sit on the back seat with ablanket on the seat and a dog car harness on for safety.

Answer 9

Usually if they get sick one time they will never do it again.Maybe withold food immediately before traveling and then feed and water once you have reached your destination.Most of the time they will only be sick one or two times.There are things you can get from the vet without being charged lots just call on the phone and ask for something for motion sickness.Good Luck!Happy New Year!!!!

Answer 10

I'm no expert (and please forgive my ignorance) but isn't the "boot" of a car the trunk? I would think that would make anyone or animal sick.

I know that ginger root helps people with motion sickness but I don't know if it is safe for puppies.