Advice Please!!

[GemmaBailey]

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Does anyone have any advice that could help me and my travel-sick Whippet?!

He gets sick everytime we go in the car. I've only had him since Saturday (5 days), so do you think he'll get used to travelling in the car over time?

 

[rls22]

It's not unusual for a pup to suffer when travelling, so I would give him a chance to get used to it.

Start off with short journeys - literally just round the block and when he is old enough to go out on walks, make the journey 5 mins to a lovely walk, which he will enjoy and will then hopefully have a positive association with the car.

You can also try just going and sitting in the car and reading for half an hour and taking your puppy with you.

If it does persist then I can recommend one Sealegs tablets an hour before a journey. I had to resort to this with my dog who was 6 months and very bad in the car. It only took a couple of journeys for him to break the cycle and he now happily leaps into the boot! And believe me he was a terrible traveller - we had sick, poo, wee on the smallest of journeys :x

Good luck! :luck:

 

[Cornish]

Our greyhound used to be travel sick.... don't feed within a hour of going out in the car and try not to travel far until s/he gets used to it.

:huggles:

 

[Rebecca Claire]

Hi Gemma and Welcome to K9.

Congratulations on your new whippet addition, can't wait to see photos :wub:

When I got Bailey he was around 12 weeks old and the first puppy I have owned who was sick in the car! I actually put a thread on this site and I received so many helpful tips :thumbsup:

When we got Bailey from the owners in Doncaster he had over a 4 hour journey to us just South of Gatwick, in which he was sick, so I wanted him to relate the car to positive things.

Firstly I carried Bailey to the car and sat him my lap, door open (naturally the engine was off and not moving! :lol: ) then let him walk around the car and sit on the back seats which is where their duvet is with toys and chew bars! After 5 mins I took Bailey back inside. Then the next day I took him to the car again, with Rocky my other dog who sat in the back, put Bailey in the back with him, I sat in the front and turned the engine on but still the car being stationary so he got use to the sound. After about 10 mins I took him inside and built this up daily. Then after a few days I took him round the block in the car and gradually built it up - it worked for Bailey but just judge what works best for you. You will no doubt still experience your boy getting a little sick at times but give it time and he will soon love and relate the car to great fun journeys :huggles:

Hope this helps and good luck :luck:

P.S - make sure you haven't just fed him before you take him on a car journey! :- "

 

[GemmaBailey]

It's not unusual for a pup to suffer when travelling, so I would give him a chance to get used to it.  Start off with short journeys - literally just round the block and when he is old enough to go out on walks, make the journey 5 mins to a lovely walk, which he will enjoy and will then hopefully have a positive association with the car.

You can also try just going and sitting in the car and reading for half an hour and taking your puppy with you.

If it does persist then I can recommend one Sealegs tablets an hour before a journey.  I had to resort to this with my dog who was 6 months and very bad in the car.  It only took a couple of journeys for him to break the cycle and he now happily leaps into the boot!  And believe me he was a terrible traveller - we have sick, poo, wee on  the smallest of journeys  :x

Good luck! :luck:

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

Thanks for that. He is 4 months old now, but I don't think he had ever been in a car before I got him. We've been out every day since Saturday, and his behaviour varies.

He won't jump into the car on his own, we have to coax him in with treats and praise - it's the same getting him back out of the car too, which I thought was odd?!

He is sick, wees and poos sometimes, even on short journeys. Although the other day we did manage a half hour journey with only a little wee.

I'll keep trying him in it and hopefully he'll get better with practise!

He also doesn't seem to "eliminate" outside much - we take him on a short walk every hour at home, but he has NEVER wee'd outside. He pooped outside the past two mornings - after the horrible car journey to work.

Any ideas about that?!

Thanks,

Gemma

 

[buzby]

Do not feed him for at least 2 hours before travelling, or not at all where possible. As he improves, cut this time down slowly. Make very short, steady journeys and increase travelling time slowly.

My boy responded to being higher up in the car, so as I had an estate we placed a board right across to lift him for a while. This means anchoring the dog is more difficult, though, so only suitable for very short local journeys.

As the digestive system matures, hopefully, he will be o.k. My boy is fine now.

 

[GemmaBailey]

Hi Gemma and Welcome to K9. 
Congratulations on your new whippet addition, can't wait to see photos  :wub:

When I got Bailey he was around 12 weeks old and the first puppy I have owned who was sick in the car!  I actually put a thread on this site and I received so many helpful tips  :thumbsup:

When we got Bailey from the owners in Doncaster he had over a 4 hour journey to us just South of Gatwick, in which he was sick, so I wanted him to relate the car to positive things. 

Firstly I carried Bailey to the car and sat him my lap, door open (naturally the engine was off and not moving!  :lol: ) then let him walk around the car and sit on the back seats which is where their duvet is with toys and chew bars!  After 5 mins I took Bailey back inside.  Then the next morning I took him to the car again, with Rocky my other dog who sat in the back, put Bailey in the back with him, I sat in the front and turned the engine on but still the car being stationary so he got use to the sound.  After about 10 mins I took him inside and built this up daily.  The next day took him round the block and gradually built it up - it worked for Bailey but just judge what works best for you.  You will no doubt still experience your boy getting a little sick at times but give it time and he will soon love and relate the car to great fun journeys  :huggles:

Hope this helps and good luck  :luck:

P.S - make sure you haven't just fed him before you take him on a car journey!  :- "

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

Thanks for that, I would love to try your routine of building it up gradually, but I work full time and I have to put Archie in the kennels at work - so he has a half hour journey there, and a half hour journey back everyday.

I'm trying to build his confidence by sitting in there with him for a bit each time though.

P.S

The 3rd photo on the bottom of your message looks just like my Archie!

 

[rls22]

Do not feed him for  at least 2 hours before travelling, or not at all where possible.  As he improves, cut this time down slowly. Make very short, steady journeys and increase travelling time slowly.My boy responded to being higher up in the car, so as I had an estate we placed a board right across to lift him for a while. This means anchoring  the dog is more difficult, though, so only suitable for very short local journeys.

As the digestive system matures, hopefully, he will be o.k. My boy is fine now.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

It sounds just like Logan was. He was almost 5 months when I got him and had only been in the car twice - once on a mammoth journey up to Scotland and again coming back, in which he was really poorly. He therefore hated the car as he associated it with this.

I was really starting to despair as I knew we were going to Ireland in a couple of weeks so lots and lots of driving and despite doing everything that I recommended to you he didn't improve, at times it seemed to be getting worse. So on the day we left for Ireland I gave him his first tablet and that was it - he's never hada problem since. He now loves getting in the car, because it means going to a lovely walk or going to see his brother and sister :huggles:

I really would consider using the Sealegs if there's no sign of improvement within a few weeks. :thumbsup:

 

[Rebecca Claire]

Hi Gemma and Welcome to K9. 
Congratulations on your new whippet addition, can't wait to see photos  :wub:

When I got Bailey he was around 12 weeks old and the first puppy I have owned who was sick in the car!  I actually put a thread on this site and I received so many helpful tips  :thumbsup:

When we got Bailey from the owners in Doncaster he had over a 4 hour journey to us just South of Gatwick, in which he was sick, so I wanted him to relate the car to positive things. 

Firstly I carried Bailey to the car and sat him my lap, door open (naturally the engine was off and not moving!  :lol: ) then let him walk around the car and sit on the back seats which is where their duvet is with toys and chew bars!  After 5 mins I took Bailey back inside.  Then the next morning I took him to the car again, with Rocky my other dog who sat in the back, put Bailey in the back with him, I sat in the front and turned the engine on but still the car being stationary so he got use to the sound.  After about 10 mins I took him inside and built this up daily.  The next day took him round the block and gradually built it up - it worked for Bailey but just judge what works best for you.  You will no doubt still experience your boy getting a little sick at times but give it time and he will soon love and relate the car to great fun journeys  :huggles:

Hope this helps and good luck  :luck:

P.S - make sure you haven't just fed him before you take him on a car journey!  :- "

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

Thanks for that, I would love to try your routine of building it up gradually, but I work full time and I have to put Archie in the kennels at work - so he has a half hour journey there, and a half hour journey back everyday.

I'm trying to build his confidence by sitting in there with him for a bit each time though.

P.S

The 3rd photo on the bottom of your message looks just like my Archie!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

Oh I didn't realise - perhaps my method wouldn't really work for you after all - sorry :- "

At least you have the bonus of taking your Archie with you everyday - how lovely. Love the name Archie - superb :thumbsup: Perhaps on your days off you could build it up, but he will adjust I am sure. Don't worry too much, at least you know that its quite natural for puppies to do this.

The first two pics on my signature are of Rocky and the second two pics are of Bailey. Can't wait to see pics of Archie, he sounds gorgeous :wub:

 

[~Helen~]

Does anyone have any advice that could help me and my travel-sick Whippet?!He gets sick everytime we go in the car. I've only had him since Saturday (5 days), so do you think he'll get used to travelling in the car over time?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

Hi

There should be loads of advice for you, along with previous discussions/recommendations, in our FAQ section - cos this is a subject that 'comes up' quite a lot :x :clown: :lol:

Have a read through the advice other members have recieved when they've asked this question. There are quite a few things you can try :thumbsup:

 

[woofer]

if your whippet is just a puppy this car sickness is to do with it`s middle ear, the middle ear dos not form properly until it is about 10 months old. you could try Johnson's ginger travel-eze tablets, you can get them from most pet shops

 

[FifeJillandIan]

You could try 'Travel Treats for Dogs and Puppies' they're crunchy dog biscuits with a soft centre containing extract of chamomile, ginger and peppermint. We saw these at Pets at Home and thought we'd give them a try as Blue used to get sick even on fairly short journeys and we'd been trying sitting in the car with him with the engine on but not moving and building up from very short journeys but we hadn't really had a break through. After just one of these treats he had his first sick-free car trip (just a ten minute drive but that was great). I'm not sure if the treats did it or if it was just a coincidence and our hard work with the de-sensitisation sort of stuff just finally paid off or he just grew out of it but we continued to use these treats and he can now go on a one hour car trip with no problems at all. After a few weeks Blue started to refuse the treats (which is strange for him as he usually wants to eat everything!) but the travel sickness has never returned. There is a website on the back of the packet if you want to have a look. www.markandchappell.com

Good luck :luck: hope you find a solution

Jill

 

[Angela Bayley]

Stugeron (available from Chemists). One tab an hour before travelling for adults, 1/4 - 1/2 tab for puppies). Doesn't seem to have any side effects. You'll wonder how you ever managed without it.

Hope this helps. :thumbsup: