Allerzeit Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 We have a 14 week old puppy who is just terrified of the car. She's an otherwise very outgoing and confident pup, but when it comes to the car she falls apart. She's been in the car 5 or 6 times, from the age of 7 weeks through until now. She does get car sick (how much of that is a stress reaction, I don't know), but hasn't had any other traumatic car events - no car accidents, being hurt, etc - just normal car sickness. She has had trips to the vet as well as trips to have play dates with one of her brothers, so not all of the car trips have been scary vet related. She has such a fear reaction that she now actually refuses to walk out to the car (in fact, she refuses to walk out the front door because it leads to the car), and has to be carried to it - this has been the case since her last car ride about a week ago. I'm wondering if anyone can suggest anything different to what we're doing, or let me know if something we are doing is counterproductive. Here is the plan at the moment: We have started feeding her meals in the car - I take her out to the car, pop her in the back with her meal, and sit with her with the back door open (Ford Territory, so back cargo area, not back seats). She is scared being taken out to the car, but happy to eat once she is there. Once she has eaten, I give her a few minutes just sitting in the car, then lift her back out of the car and encourage her to walk around (on lead) in the general vicinity of the car, then she comes back inside. I have also started giving her rescue remedy around 10 - 15 minutes before taking her out to the car. I have started taking her for little walks out in the front area, without taking her to the car - hopefully to stop her assuming that every time we go to the front door it means car. My plan would be to keep doing this, gradually advancing by feeding her in the car with the engine running, then feeding her in the car with the engine running and the back door shut, then progressing to little drives down the driveway and back (rural area, long driveway), etc Does anyone have any thoughts - anything we should be doing differently? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aussielover Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 That sounds like a good plan I had similar issues with my pup from about 8-10 weeks she was horrible in the car and would poop herself and vomit from the stress. We think it is because she was flown down from rural QLD to sydney. Where are you keeping the pup in the car? Personally i suggest trying the pup in different locations. I found my puppy was most settled when she was in the footwell of the front seat. Obviously you need to tie the lead onto something ( I just jammed it in the door) do she can't wander all over the car. I also started with feeding a yummy treat like a roo chew, just starting the engine and that was it for 2 days. We did this about 3-4 times during each day. Then we progressed to short drives around the block and to puppy class (<10 min drives) for a few more days and she has never looked back since then Now she LOVES the car and hasn't ever been sick in the car again. I don't think crates are great for puppies that show fear/illness, at leats initially. You can move them back to a crate once they have gotten over this. My girl was happily going in her travel crate by 4 months old. Harnesses are ok but if possible have them in the front so they can see you. You could also try someone holding the pup, although this didn't work for me as my volubteer was too scared that the pup would toilet or spew on her. As I said, I think the footwell is a good option for a lot of dogs. If it is truly motion sickness (relatively rare)- you could try an anti nausea injection form the vets (cerenia) but I am not sure of the suitability of this for puppies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allerzeit Posted November 4, 2011 Author Share Posted November 4, 2011 Thanks for your input aussielover We've had her in the back cargo area, although mostly when she was still with her siblings. She had part of one trip in the back cargo area on her own, but after about 10 minutes I moved her into the passenger footwell because she was upset, and that's where she's travelled since. She's now getting a bit too big to sit there though! Any time we've gone anywhere with her, OH has been driving and I've had her at my feet. I've been the vomit "catcher" each time, imagine me covered in towels and with a plastic bag in hand to catch the vomit - I have been vomited on a few times Poor love She's going to have to move to the back though, because of her size. We have a dog show in just over a week, so my plan for that is to have 2/3 of the back seats folded down, and the other back seat up. I will sit in the backseat with her on a harness on the folded down seats next to me, and tied to the cargo barrier. I really don't want to miss the show, because we are doing it for her socialisation, given that we are in such an isolated area - argh, damned if you do and damned if you don't. I won't move her into the cargo area until she is relaxed in the car, so for the forseeable future I think I will plan to sit in the backseat area with her (probably causing me to become car sick - hah!) I have some plush puppy travel well drops, I have no idea if they will help or not, but we will give them a go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 (edited) her car sickness could be whats causing the paranoia of the car - she thinks she's going to be sick and it's the car causing it. She could genuinely just be a carsick dog. What happens if you dont feed her, put her in a crate in the back and drive with heaps of fresh air running through the car (eg all windows open)? Maybe put another dog next to her in another crate/tethered where she can see it and learn to copy its calm behaviour. I would be trying ginger tablets to settle her stomach first. Edited November 4, 2011 by Nekhbet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aussielover Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 I'm sure she'll get used to it with time Does she actually show fearful behaviour in the car? My pup howled and barked in the car. The drive back form picking her up was horrible- an over an hour of crying, howling and barking plus stops when she vomited or pooed! My sister wanted to return her lol. Maybe she just doesn't like going near the car because she always feels sick in it? I hope the puppy drops work for you, but if it doesn't then maybe consult your vet for something stronger. This may help her feel better about the car as well as stopping the vomit! BTW I rotty pups you will have to post a pic! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allerzeit Posted November 4, 2011 Author Share Posted November 4, 2011 Thanks guys No, she's not particularly fearful in the car - just the standard car sickness that you see in puppies. She looks miserable, drools a lot, eventually has a vomit, and then normally sleeps/dozes. Because of where we live, the car trips she has been on have been long - an hour or more - and over windy roads, unfortunately On her own in the cargo area she was crying, but not over the top. Certainly nothing like what you experienced aussielover. Every time she's been in the car we have withheld food for at least 4 hours prior. I don't think that any of our crates would actually fit in the back of the Territory, but I could put her in the back area with her mum, who loves the car, and try short trips like that. I will definitely get some ginger tablets when I go into town next week - are they a chemist item or just from the supermarket? Thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allerzeit Posted November 4, 2011 Author Share Posted November 4, 2011 BTW I rotty pups you will have to post a pic! Well, only because you insisted :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aussielover Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 OMG Allerzeit she is adorable and huge! Did you say she's only 14 weeks! What a gorgeous and cheeky face she has. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allerzeit Posted November 4, 2011 Author Share Posted November 4, 2011 Yep, 14 weeks and 15 kg This is why the passenger footwell isn't going to work anymore Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rotts4ever Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 Thanks guys No, she's not particularly fearful in the car - just the standard car sickness that you see in puppies. She looks miserable, drools a lot, eventually has a vomit, and then normally sleeps/dozes. Because of where we live, the car trips she has been on have been long - an hour or more - and over windy roads, unfortunately On her own in the cargo area she was crying, but not over the top. Certainly nothing like what you experienced aussielover. Every time she's been in the car we have withheld food for at least 4 hours prior. I don't think that any of our crates would actually fit in the back of the Territory, but I could put her in the back area with her mum, who loves the car, and try short trips like that. I will definitely get some ginger tablets when I go into town next week - are they a chemist item or just from the supermarket? Thanks again! I have a rottweiler male puppy that had the exact same problem. He would get very car sick so he started not wanting to get in the car so the stress seemed to caused his car sickness to become worse. Once he threw up before we even got to the car. I cleaned him up with little fuss and put him on the front seat with the air conditioning on him and then he travelled fine. He was the only pup in the litter to suffer and I have never had a dog with car sickness before. He is a very relaxed, happy pup in every other situation and it was only the fact that he was getting so sick that he didn't want to go near the car. We show him so make sure we leave plenty of time for him to settle once we get to the show and he recovers quite quickly. I found that if I put an air conditioning vent on him he was better, if it is warm or stuffy he becomes ill, I also found putting him in the car with one of my other dogs who loves the car and gets very excited has been a big help and he will even follow the other dog into the car now because it's fun. One trip to a show I put him on the front seat with the air on and he slept for most of the 2 hour trip and our last trip I put him in the back seat with an older boy and the windows down and he only drooled the littlest bit and was much happier. It seems the more relaxed he is getting the better he is getting or maybe he is growing out of it, he is 19 weeks old now and is travelling much better and we even travel him in the trailer now but he still drools a bit in the trailer if it is warm so on long trips I stop and give him a walk every now and then which helps. I'm sure once she figures out it's fun she won't feel so bad and she'l grow out of it. My friend fed her pup a ginger biscuit from the super market when travelling which she said helped her little one and she has grown out of her car sickness as well Good luck with your lovely girl Cheers Lee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allerzeit Posted November 4, 2011 Author Share Posted November 4, 2011 Thanks Lee It's a bit of a vicious circle isn't it? They get carsick, so they stress about the car, and then they get sick because they are stressed, and round and round we go! Like you, this is the first time we've had a carsick puppy - poor little love, she's such an outgoing and happy puppy, but to see her when you approach the car it just heartbreaking! I'll try some little sessions with her and Feonix in the car together, to help reinforce that the car is fun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 any ginger tablets safe for carsick kids should be OK for the pup just check the ingredients. Ginger biscuits can work too, tablets are stronger without the sugar and its something you cant really overdose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Fox Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 My plan would be to keep doing this, gradually advancing by feeding her in the car with the engine running, then feeding her in the car with the engine running and the back door shut, then progressing to little drives down the driveway and back (rural area, long driveway), etc Does anyone have any thoughts - anything we should be doing differently? Don't put her in the back with the engine running and the boot up or the exhaust fumes will make her sick ;) . No other help sorry, but good luck with her she's very cute . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bundyburger Posted November 4, 2011 Share Posted November 4, 2011 I have no other suggestions, they've all been covered... but never ever travel a pup in the footwell of the front seat, what happens if you have an accident? The front end of the car crumples. and you can end up stuck... What if your puppy was in there? The reason I say this, is we had an accident one night and smashed the front of the car, my foot got jammed behind the glove box briefly, and our puppy should've been in the car, sitting at my feet in the footwell. However a the last second we left him at home, and I'm glad we did, otherwise he wouldn't be here because he would've been tossed forward, straight into the impact zone. Until that night, I thought yep great spot for a pup, but never again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allerzeit Posted November 4, 2011 Author Share Posted November 4, 2011 any ginger tablets safe for carsick kids should be OK for the pup just check the ingredients. Ginger biscuits can work too, tablets are stronger without the sugar and its something you cant really overdose. What ingredients should I be checking for? Don't put her in the back with the engine running and the boot up or the exhaust fumes will make her sick ;) Yeah, I thought that after I posted it I was hoping no one would pick up on it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandgrubber Posted November 5, 2011 Share Posted November 5, 2011 My experience says that dogs who have good things happen when they go for car rides (eg, get to go to a park that they like, go to a FUN FUN FUN puppy preschool training class, get to go for a walk where there are lots of good smells, get to fall asleep in the car while Mum goes shopping and then get some sort of yummy food treat) come to love the car. I'll bet if the associations are always positive, they'll overcome the possible problems of motion sickness. May require patience. And you may be able to tone down the travel sickness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nekhbet Posted November 5, 2011 Share Posted November 5, 2011 just check the tablets don't contain something like a pain killer or something random like that. http://www.blackmores.com.au/products/travel-calm-ginger the blackmores one is pure ginger root Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aussielover Posted November 6, 2011 Share Posted November 6, 2011 I have no other suggestions, they've all been covered... but never ever travel a pup in the footwell of the front seat, what happens if you have an accident? The front end of the car crumples. and you can end up stuck... What if your puppy was in there? The reason I say this, is we had an accident one night and smashed the front of the car, my foot got jammed behind the glove box briefly, and our puppy should've been in the car, sitting at my feet in the footwell. However a the last second we left him at home, and I'm glad we did, otherwise he wouldn't be here because he would've been tossed forward, straight into the impact zone. Until that night, I thought yep great spot for a pup, but never again. But if its in the back and you're hit from behind you're in the same situation... Even if they're on the back seat and you are hit side on- the result isnn't going to be pretty. Obviously any car accident is bad news, there is not a lot you can do apart from driving as safely as possible and making sure your dog is kept fairly contained. The footwell is not an ideal spot because many dogs are too big to fit comfortably there. But many dogs feel safer/less car sick in this position initially. If you're only starting the car or driving around the block, I'd say the risks are minimal and the benefits (ie puppy not feeling sick, getting to like the car etc) outweight the risk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fordogs Posted November 6, 2011 Share Posted November 6, 2011 I have had some success with ginger biscuits 1/2 biscuit 20 minutes before trip and the other half 5 minutes prior to trip. My girl is just 5 months and she is somewhat better, she only drools a little now, no vomiting for a few weeks. She is still not real happy about going in the car but a lot better that she was 8 weeks ago. I have been taking her out in the car at least 3 times a week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzy82 Posted November 6, 2011 Share Posted November 6, 2011 I have the same problem, puppy was fine in the car when I first got him, then started getting carsick and as a result started hating the car. I hoped he would grow out of it, but at 15 months he hasn't, and still vomits every time we go in the car. If I give him a long massage before we go he will usually only drool, but I can't massage him before leaving to come home, so he will then vomit. Usually when we go in the car it's for training classes or walks, so it always has a fun outcome. Tried ginger tablets, he HATES them, and after the first time I was unable to get him to swallow it. Had no effect anyway. I thought I might ask the vet for something, anyone have any experience with that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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