Travel Sick JRT - Help!

We have had our rescue JRT for a year now, when we collected her from the rescue, she was sick quite quickly in the back of the estate car.

We have found that she is sick wherever in the car we place her, we have tried crating her in the middle, covering up all except front view, we have changed the car, tried a van. The only "solution" seems to be to travel her on my lap, whilst husband drives and have a sick bag ready!

She was getting a bit stressed and to start with we hoped it was a stress reaction. But now I think the stress was about being sick.

I have tried, rescue remedy; another anti emetic system, the vet can supply another drug, but say it expensive and not always that effective! We drove her to the vet slowly 3 miles away without her being sick, but she was sick on the way back. We have tried short journeys and she can sometimes go a mile or so OK. So we hoped that by doing lots of short journeys, she would stop getting stressed and it would improve. We do want to have a few weekends away and do want to take the dogs with us. Naturally, we want happy relaxed dogs!

We withold food before travelling and make sure she is empty.

Any ideas?

One of my dogs was so sick.

1/ Start by feeding her in the car.
2/ Close her in.
3/ Start the engine.
4/ Drive for a FEW minutes.
5/ Very slowly make the journey longer.
6/ Drive slowly at first. Do not excellerate too fast, up hills round bends,
7/ do not feed before a journey.

You could also give Rescue Remedy before she goes into the car, Holland & Barret & Boots sell it.

If poss have some one in the back who can reasure her.

Play relaxing music.

Have a window open, also make sure the car is cool.

How long you need to be on each stage will depend on your dog. DO not try to rush things.

Good Luck.

Thanks! Tried all of that except relaxing music, forgot to include we did spend ages making her comfortable in a car environment, doing short journeys.

Will find something relaxing to play next time we try.

Aww poor dog and poor you. I'm afraid I don't have any advice over what you have already done. Our family dog ad gsd/collie/lurcher never got over his car sickness or anxiety over car travel and was too stressed to take any food or treats in the car.

He used to travel in the front foot well, it was where he seems happiest, but would often brace himself with one foot on the floor and the other of the underneath of the glove compartment.

In the end they used sedatives from the vet for long journeys but I think once you go down that route there is no way they will ever learn not to be scared as they are too doped up so unable to learn.

My last little dog suffered terribly in the car. She would start to drool and then be sick. We tried everything that has been mentioned already. Firstly my vet said that dog's don't get travel sickness in the same way that a human does (i.e. motion sickness) and that it is from stress.
I strongly believe that their fear is down to their first experiences in a car, which as your dog wasn't a puppy when you got her you don't know what that experience was like.

What eventually got my last dog more accepting of car travel: I would get one of my family to drive around with me on a back seat with a thick towel on my lap and with my dog on my lap in my arms. I kept on repeating this whenever she came in the car for a few weeks. She was fine my arms - no problems. I then introduced a dog seat-belt harness but kept her on my lap. Finally, she would travel either on the seat next to me or behind the passenger seat where she could see me if I was driving. I would place her (with harness on) on top of a pile of blankets/towels which I plumped up like a nest so that she felt secure when I cornered etc. Whenever I thought about it I would take her and just sit in the stationery car and give her treats while I read the paper/book.

Good luck and I do sympathise.

Some people find giving a dog a ginger biscuit or two about a half hour before a journey helps.

Thank you all. I think the work we have done has helped, she was quite positive about going out in the car. I know the general opinion is that most of the time it is not motion sickness in dogs, but stress. Whilst I know she was getting stressed, I am now certain the main problem is motion sickness and now she knows she is not going to get shouted at (or worse) for being sick, she is much more positive about going in the car to go for a nice walk. We tried Nelsons Travella, she did get about 6 miles before being sick and was then only sick 3 more times. She is much more relaxed about getting in the car and travelling, so we are wining. I am going to give her her tea earlier next time, so there is less in the system.

I will try the ginger biscuits idea too. Ginger is one of the things I have used myself for travel sickness, although I find sugar free mints the best solution, the dog doesn't like mints though!

I hope we can crack it, as she is a great little dog that had a really terrible start in life so will not give her up, however going out for the odd daytrip and weekends away (with the dogs) is what we do!

Great news that your dog is getting better travelling in the car. Hopefully she will continue to improve Just a side-note that I believe sugar-free products which contain sweetners are I believe dangerous for dogs ..... so just as well she didn't them

That's good news indeed With your determination you deserve to have a carsick free dog very soon now.

I've found short journeys at first with a small terrier like this, supported in your lap in the front seat so as they can focus in the direction of travel can really help.