my dog gets carsick

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My dog is chow-mix.  She is 3 years old, eats Pedigree dry 2 times a day, and is mostly an indoor dog, but also loves the outdoors.  

My dog gets very nervous in the car--no matter how short the trip.  I'm not sure what causes it, because she actually is very excited to get in the car and enthusiastically jumps in on her own.  I'd say within a couple minutes, she starts salivating and wimpering.  She will lean out of the window (when we are not going too fast), and seems fine then, but when she is in the car and NOT hanging out of the window, she gets very nervous.  She used to get sick and/or have diarrhea within just a few miles.  Now, we can actually make short trips--especially if I do not feed her beforehand.  But still--she does get sick or go to the bathroom if the trip is too long...for her nerves.

This weekend I am bringing her on a LONG roadtrip--8 hours to Chicago.  I am very nervous.  I have never brought her on any trip over 30 minutes.  Are there any tricks you know of?  Is there anyway to calm her down, or keep her from getting sick?

Thanks!

Maggie
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I am not sure what all those weird characters are in my response to you. They did not show up on my screen until I hit "Send," so if you have trouble reading it, let me know.

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That is very weird. I have no idea what happened to the other reply, but it's a good thing I save all of them on my computer!

Here you go again.


I have a chow mix, too. Aren't they great?!
Since you only have a day before you leave, what I would normally suggest is not an option. It IS something you can do when you get back though, to desensitize her to riding in the car. I will explain it at the end of this response.

You could try stopping every 30 minutes, or when she seems to be starting to get worked up, and take her out and walk her around a bit, letting her use the bathroom if she needs to. This will make the trip last a little longer, because each stop will be for at least 5-10 minutes.

Another thing would be to sedate her. This might be the better option for you both, because it will keep her calm and less stressed out, and it will allow you to go for longer between stops (you should try to stop at least every hour to hour and a half anyway). Will her crate fit in your car? If so, you might want to consider that. Being in her crate should help keep her calm as well, because she should view her crate as her safe place or den.

As far as what kind of sedation you prefer, it's up to you. You can either use something herbal-based (like Drs. Foster & Smith Ultra Calm Biscuits), or something chemical-based (like Dramamine). Your best bet is to call your vet and see what he/she can recommend. Do not feed her for at least 12 hours before you leave, and make sure she pees and poops before you leave the house.



What I would normally recommend for dogs that get nervous in the car is to start out slow, and then gradually make longer and longer trips. Start out simply by letting her get in the car, and then you get in as if you were actually going to go somewhere. When you get in, praise her and give her a treat. Turn on the radio if you want, and roll down the windows. Just sit in the car and don't go anywhere. Every so often, give her a treat. Then roll up the windows, turn of the radio, get out, and praise her and give her a treat. Then go back inside and don't give her any more treats. Do this one to three times a day. Take her on short trips, just long enough so she doesn't start to stress out, and be sure to give her treats every so often and then when you get back home. Gradually extend the trips by a couple of minutes. Always stop when she first starts to get stressed out. Walk her around until she is calm and ready to get back in the car. NEVER force her to get in. If she's not ready yet, walk her around for a few more minutes.

This is just one way of desensitizing a dog to riding in the car. If you go to www.yahoo.com or www.google.com and do a search on carsickness in dogs you should get more ways of doing it that might work better for you. Keep in mind that some dogs never become fully desensitized, and will require more frequent stops on long trips, just like people that get carsick.

Good luck and please let me know if there's anything else I can help you with.

Kristen