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“Do you want to go for a ride in the car? Want to go for a ride?” Dog owners know that these words, or some variations of them, can be like magic for our canine friends. They perk up instantly when hearing them.
That’s the case with my dog, although it shouldn’t be. She cocks her head when I say these words, though that’s due to my tone of voice, the one I usually use when asking her about eating or going out. If she knew what I meant she’d be much less excited. You see, Chihiro hates riding in the car. I think it’s because she took a very long ride when she was very young.
Nowadays she can tell the difference between long and short rides. When she doesn’t see us packing up the car for a trip she’s much more amenable to getting in the car, because she knows she won’t be there for long. But when she sees those bags, it’s a different story.
In fact, when we were getting ready to leave for the holidays Chihiro brooded in her bed in the living room the whole time we were loading up. When we put her on her leash to go outside she strained at the end of it, trying to get back to the living room. Usually she dances with joy when getting clipped onto her leash to go outside, but she knew what the deal was this time around.
Chihiro’s always been this way, and it’s because she gets carsick. When we first had her as a puppy she would regularly puke in the car. Usually this was reserved for longer trips, but sometimes even short ones would do it. She finally started to improve as the weather warmed (we got her in January), and we were able to put the windows down so she could have some fresh air. Still, the solution wasn’t perfect and it took months until she could take a long ride without throwing up.
During this whole process I researched motion sickness in dogs, to see if my idea made sense. I found out that it was, and that it’s not uncommon for a dog to be carsick. Unfortunately, there’s not a lot one can do to help, although according to the pet section of Web MD there are a few possibilities.
Looking out a front window instead of a side window helps anyone with motion sickness, so you can try keeping your dog in a front seat if possible. Or you can purchase a forward-facing dog seat for your pet, though unfortunately most seem to be made only for smaller dogs. Also try cracking the windows (or putting them down if it’s warmer), as both the fresh air and the regulation in air pressure will help.
If these methods don’t improve matters, there are a variety of over the counter and prescription drugs that can help pet motion sickness. Consult your vet before giving your dog any of these, however, even if they’re over the counter.
My Honda Fit is what helped Chihiro. We used to put her in the back of the car with the seats down, which made for a more unstable ride. The bottoms of my rear seats also go up, however, allowing her to sit in a little well on the floor of the car. That gives her a much smoother ride. While she still seems carsick, as she acts listless and gives us what I call the “car sulk face” during the entire ride, it seems to help her a lot.
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*(This image by Tobyotter is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License.)
