Q&A

Motion Sickness

Benadryl doesn't alleviate motion sickness directly but it is a sedative (makes them sleep) so it could help when you're traveling with your pooch. Veterinarians can prescribe a combo sedative/motion sickness drug called Acepromazine which also works well. As mentioned, dramamine can also help but it doesn't sedate the dogs. Canine dosage is normally up to 50 mg every 8 hours for medium to large dogs and 12.5 mg every 8 hours for small dogs and cats but check with your vet. Dramamine can be dangerous to dogs with bladder problems or glaucoma.

Ginger pills can also be effective. Ginger is very good for nausea. Find pills that are made of pure ginger and give them to your dog about 30 minutes before you leave. Ginger is mostly harmless to your dog so it's hard to overdose, but most professionals recommend 1 100 mg capsule per 25 lbs of dog every 8 hours. Giving ginger cookies or ginger snaps is also effective. Keep some in your car for when Rover starts to look puny. You can use fresh ginger instead of capsules, however most dogs don't like fresh ginger. Ginger snaps are my favorite. Rover doesn't even know he's getting something good for him. He just thinks "Yummy! Cookie!"

Some other tips for motion sick puppies: Always travel on an empty stomach. Never feed the dog the morning before a long road trip (or even a vet visit). Wait until after you get to the destination or when you're stopping for the night or taking a long break if it's a really long trip. A full stomach is just asking for Rover to, ahrem, "decorate" your car.

Most motion sickness, however, is not a physical problem. It's due to stress of the trip. You can train your dog to alleviate some motion sickness. If you're planning on going on a really long trip in a few months, start taking Rover on a short trip every Saturday (or whenever you have the time). Drive him around the block or up and down the street until he seems to be ok there and then gradually make longer trips to work up his courage. If he's really bad, you can just sit in your car with him for a few minutes at first and then try the short trips.

Good luck and happy travels!

Q and A

Please note that due to the volume of requests I receive and the time it takes to answer some of the more complicated questions, I cannot answer every question received and I will not answer duplicate questions. However, I will try my best to get to all of them in a timely manner.

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