Does anyone have a good remedy for motion sickness in the car?

Ripley was actually driven for countless hours (thanks Deanna) to be delivered to me. He never once got sick. The trip was taken in cold/cool weather and he was crated.

Since I started taking him in the car to training (slightly over an hour drive), he's been vomiting nearly every time. I feed him his first meal between 8 and 9 am. We don't get in the car until 5pm. (He's on a raw diet, so the food is digested by then.) Since we're transporting 2 dogs, we don't really have enough room for the size crate he would need. Though, when he was in a smaller crate in the back of the car (Jeep Liberty) he would still vomit in the crate. Since then, he's been in a doggie seatbelt (harness), or put in the back of the Jeep. He pukes whether he can see out the window or not. His maximum time in the car without puking is right around an hour. It takes an hour and 5 minutes to get to my trainer's location and he always pukes right before we get there. This could have something to do with the combination of heat and motion, since it's warmer now.

He usually gets sick right before we get there. A few times, he hasn't gotten sick on the way there. However, after all of the treats he gets during training, he did get sick on the way back. The odd thing is that he only ever gets sick once. He's never gotten sick on the way there AND on the way back.

I've tried one herbal remedy and I was going to try Ginger Tummy next. Does anyone have additional suggestions? I take him in the car with me at least twice per week, but never for trips that long and he's always fine.

When our Rott was a pup he got car sick every time we went for a ride. We had to go on a 6 hour ride to N.J. and our vet suggested giving him Dramamine about 1/2 hour before we left. Our vet looked at his weight and advised us of the correct dosage. It worked quite well.

Thanks Matthew! I'll call the vet today and ask what the correct dosage would be for his weight.

The best remedy for car sickness is usually *training*, if you've got the time.

I had a GSD about 13 years ago ( Also named "Fetz", I recycle names <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> ) that suffered from *severe* car sickness. It was so bad that the dog would literally get ill when he heard me picking up my car keys ( and no......I'm not kidding <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> ). But with training, the issue fully resolved, and here is the method to use ( Which Ed touched on the "Raising a Working Puppy" video 117 )

Ok, you begin by giving the puppy crate time in your vehicle with the car turned off. The puppy simply hangs out in the vehicle crate for ten minutes and you slowly increase the time by five min. intervals - don't rush this process, the dog needs to get use to the crate in a vehicle concept.
Next, after the dog has gotten use to the vehicle crate and can tolerate it without a problem for 30 mins., you start to feed your dog in the vehicle crate ( with the car engine still turned off ). Do this step for at least ten to fifteen feeding. When the dog is comfortable feeding in the vehicle, then feed the dog with the car parked and in idle with the engine running. Repeat this step for a few dozen feedings.

I've found the above training regime to work for the vast majority of dogs that suffer from car sickness. It takes some time, but once the dog is eating in a parked idling car for a period of time, you're usually home free.

Will. You're real original on the names. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

I do have the Raising a Working Puppy CD, but I wasn't sure that would work for him. He has no anxiety about getting in the car. He actually gets excited to get in the car. If I leave my car door open and give him his command to get in the car, he runs full speed and hops in. He also doesn't get sick on trips under an hour.

If you think it will work anyway, I'll give it a try. I work from home, so I have the time to do it. The only concern is that my vehicle is the one that's here during the day and it's my husband's vehicle that we tranport the dogs in when we go to training. Do you think that will make a difference?

Serious, give it a try for the month that it takes and I'll bet it helps.

And my current "Fetz" is my 4th dog to be named this - I *really* recycle names..hehe. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I've also heard that Dramamine was good to use.

I used Benadryl for my dog. She would get violently ill in the car as a pup, even with no food in her system. She seemed to outgrow it, but before she did, she went through a stage where she would drool so much she soaked her whole front end. The Benadryl (aka, diphenhydramine)really did the trick. I would give it to her according to her weight, and on an empty stomach approx. 1/2 hour before traveling. It always worked well for me, and she no longer needs it.

I should add that she never showed any signs of drowsiness that humans might associate with Benadryl.

Will. Is that because you just can't remember a new name, or do you REALLY like the name Fetz? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />