I have a Thai Ridgeback puppy thats 14 weeks old. He cant be in the car more than 15 minutes without getting sick. Any ideas?

I know from experience that there is nothing worse than a pup/dog who gets car sick. Try acclimating the pup to the car, i.e., put him in the car, praise him but don't set the car in motion.

Make the car a positive experience. However, with Jody lying here at my feet, who now loves the car, I can tell you that very often it's just a matter of out-growing it.

When he was a pup, we went through "rescue remedy" and several other homeopathic remedies and nothing worked. Time did the trick.

Good luck.

Hi, Steve -

My mom got a Havanese puppy about 2 months ago - she's about 4 mos old now. The first few times she rode in the car, her mouth watered constantly and she'd end up vomiting after not very long. However, my mom kept taking her out on fairly short trips, and in the last week or so, she's been doing fine. I don't know if this is true of all dogs, but just like Marj mentioned, sometimes they outgrow it, like my mom's pup seems to have done. Good luck!

Hi Steve,

My dog was car sick as a pup too. I flew from Boston to Chicago to pick him up (worked for an airline). When I met his breeder at the airport (approximate hour drive for her) he had been sick. I flew from Chicago to New York and then New York to Boston he was fine in a carrier under the seat. He stayed in the carrier on the bus to my car approximate 25 minute ride no problem and then in a crate in my car to my home; 5 minute ride he was sick. The next day he was back in the crate in my car for a check up at the vets and he was sick again.

And sick on the ride home from the vets. Next time in the car I placed him in the carrier and belted him in the front seat with no problem. I did that for about two weeks and then moved him to his crate in the back (SUV). He was not car sick again. I have no idea why this occurred.

Where does he ride in your car? At 14 weeks I don't believe he probably would fit in one of those small carriers but there are harnesses which are designed to be belted into seats, you might try to change his position in the car and see if it helps.

By the way my dog absolutely LOVES the car; if the weather permits I take him to work with me and let him hang out in the car. He prefers this to being home alone all day (well at least I think so). And it gives me the opportunity to interact with him a couple of times a day during my breaks and lunch.

Goodluck

It depends on why your dog is carsick. I have one dog who is genuinely motion sick and will hurl in cars, boats, and ferries and is usually a barfing mess except when being medicated which still makes her miserable but not puking. I have resigned myself at this point that this dog is simply a homebody unless we need a trip to the vet or she's my demo dog at work.

On the flip side as other people have mentioned it's also a nerve issue sometimes. Generally I can tell if this is the case simply by putting the dog in a non moving car. If the waterworks start before the dog even leaves the driveway it's likely a nervous issue. Short trips like less than 5 minutes is a great way to start. I used to do a few trips to dairy queen down the street to win over my little guys. By the end of it I bet they thought I was nuts circling the block for twenty minutes before pulling in for a cone.

If it's truly motion sickness and not just nerves, ginger might work. It did for one of my collies and does for me. It has to be real ginger and not flavoring. Just give him a few ginger capsules about 30-60 minutes before travel. It's also a good idea to not feed immediately prior to taking him in the car.

 Quote: Steve Lanefski

I have a Thai Ridgeback puppy thats 14 weeks old. He cant be in the car more than 15 minutes without getting sick. Any ideas?

Some ideas for you to try out here: http://leerburg.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/149421/page/4#Post149421

Moving air is a biggie with car sickness. Feeling the wind in your face, whether human or dog, helps a lot. So crack your windows and try ginger snaps.

This is an interesting thread for me. I have a beagle who gets extremely car sick, even when the car is not in motion but just at idle. He loves the idea of getting in the car and runs right to it and jumps right in, start the engine and he immediately starts the mouth watering, go about a mile and he's throwing up. We only take him to the vet when he needs to go and that's about it because car rides are so hard on him. He's done it since he was a pup and no matter how hard we tried to acclimate him to a ride it hasnt' worked. I did try the peppermint with no success. I will also try the ginger and see if that helps at all.
The vet recommended a childs dose of dramamine, but I haven't tried that one. I would rather not drug him if I don't have to. So the ginger will be tried first!

May I note that we have discussed this issue *dozens* of times - it'd be worth reviewing the old threads for the advice given then.