Hello all,

I've looked through and found a lot of advice on travel sickness in puppies on this board, so I suppose I'm just asking again for confirmation of what people think is best.

Our situation is we have a 16 week old Border Terrier pup who is travelsick every time we take him out in the car. We are certain it's motion sickness and not anxiety - he shows no fear of the car and loves to play with us and explore inside it (with or without the engine on) so long as it is not moving. Once we are moving he will start to drool and pant, and eventually be sick. We have travel sickness pills from the vet which made no difference at all (TravelRite) - his last outing (with these pills) was the worst yet.

He travels in a carry-crate on the back seat with me, facing forwards, but he can't see out of the car.

He will always feel it worst when going around tight bends or roundabouts. When we brought him home from the breeder he was sick a couple of times but managed the 50 mile stretch of motorway fine. Then the last few bends and roundabouts from the motorway junction to his new home set him going again ...

We're at a loss to know what to do with the poor thing - we want to show him the world but we can't even show him the next village :-( We can't take him to puppy classes as this involves a 15 mile journey (we tried ... and turned round for home) so it is affecting his socialisation with other dogs.

We'll book him back in with the vet to see if they have any other suggestions - in the meantime does anyone else have ideas that can help?

Hello, 1 of my pups was exactly the same, it does help if they can see out of the front window, but not a lot. If it's any consolation most do grow out of it. It was after doing a 350 mile trip when Alfie found his "sea legs" so to speak, the journey took about 7-8 hrs he was never travel sick again after that. He was about 2 yrs old at that time though.

Poor little thing. I really don't know what to suggest, all I can say is that our Border Terrier (not that being a border also has anything to do with it !)was only ever sick in the car once and I think it's because it was a stop/start journey (if that makes sense) so he didn't have time to settle. He's always worn a car harness though so with roundabouts and corners he tends to move with the car rather than against it. Maybe in a crate your little pup gets moved around a bit too much.

Anyway, have fun with your little lad. Aren't they great ?!!!.

Val

You're right - they are great! He's our first ever dog and fantastic in every (other) way!

We've bought him a harness although we haven't tried it. Perhaps it's a good idea though as he does seem to get rather thrown around inside his crate.

It might be a bit big for him to start with so you may have to support him a little - more excuse to cuddle him as you drive along though !!.  Let me know how he gets on.

Val

I have had some experience of travel sickness with a friends dog. He used to be not too bad until we went round a corner or a roundabout. Then he was extremely sick. We found that regular trips in the car helped and after a while he got used to it and now hes completely fine.

kat

As someone who was incredibly car sick myself as a child I sympathise. I've just had a litter of puppies & had completely different experiences with 2 of them - which might help. The bitch I am keeping myself, so I took her out in the car occasionally from 5 wks old. The first few times, OH drove & she was on my lap. She squirmed a bit, didn't get her own way & went to sleep. Then I put her in a very small cage which just fitted the front seat. She squealed & bellowed for about 5 minutes, then went to sleep. She's now 9 wks, still squeals for a couple of minutes, then sleeps. She has never ever been sick (she probably will be tomorrow having said that.) The dog puppy I sold to someone who lived a long way away, so I took him half way on my own, him in same small cage. He screamed & bellowed, before I'd gone 5 miles he'd been sick, got on  the motorway and he decided he had to poo! OMG, had to drive 50 miles before I could stop at a petrol station, buy 2 toilet rolls, clean up sicky, pooey puppy, sicky pooey cage, sicky, pooey car!!! The new owner got hold hold of him & said "Oh you do smell of sick!" - then gave him a great big cuddle!!! He went the rest of the way cuddled in a coat on a knee & just slept all the way.
So, what I am saying is, think you have to take it easy, start off with him on a knee, graduate to being near someone in a cage, to being on a cage on his own in the back. He will grow out of it, but you have to perservere & don't stop taking him in the car. Taking him on a long drive on a motorway may also help - it si stopping & starting & corners that make it worse.

some breeders recommend taking them out in the car for around 1 - 2 hours until they fall asleep from around 4 weeks of age, they say that they have never had travel sick puppies" when they do this.

I'm probably the worst traveller I know of :( I've never been able to travel in a bus without feeling really queasy and getting sick, car isn't much better unless I'm driving.  I've found the most effective treatment to be GINGER!  I use crystallised but you can get Ginger travel tablets for dogs from pet shops - and they really do work for motion sickness.  They have to be given a little while before travelling (about 20 mins) so that they can work but are very effective.

Thanks everyone - we'll keep our fingers crossed that somehow he can overcome it. I met a Border Terrier owner yesterday whose pup had also been travelseick, she also suggested it might just work sitting him on a harness on my lap so he can be held still and see out of the window(don't worry - my partner would drive ...).

I may dig out some very old clothes and try that given that he seems to be thrown around so much just in a small crate. Unfortunately for him the next car journey is likely to be to the vet, to see what advice they can give ...

Harness is working for us, Leon was poorly and cried before when he was in a big travel box but now he just goes to sleep.