What do you do with a 10-week old puppy suffers from dog car sickness? Kallie lives in Alaska and has long rides in her future. Doris LaMagdeleine Ruckoldt of Palmer, Alaska wasn’t sure how to help Kallie and asked Animal Bridges for help. Every weekend they travel back to Palmer from Anchorage.
She wrote “I was wondering would you have a suggestion on something I can help Kallie with for her motion sickness? I know people say to ease her into the car rides but I didn’t have time for that when I brought her home.”
“She was showing all the signs of car sickness & stress [dog car sickness]. On my way back to Anchorage on the 4th [of July], I covered only part of her kennel, which was in the front seat of the truck. I had to stop about 12 miles from town to clean up her kennel & her because she had throw up a few times.”
People recommended ginger and DAP (Dog Appeasing Pheromone) Spray to spray in Kallie’s crate for her dog car sickness. Her vet said “there’s really nothing you can do now.” Doris was concerned and frustrated.
After giving several suggestions, 6 days later I receive this email:
“Hi Elaine, I just wanted to let you know I took Kallie out to my house today. Palmer is 48 miles north of Anchorage. At first she was a little stressed while we were driving thru town but once we got past all the stop n go & out onto the highway, she settled down a lot. We’ve been using the Rescue Remedy & I’ve been doing the ear slides. Gordon put her in her bed & buckled her in the seat. On the way out I kept stroking her ears as if I were doing the ears slides. I couldn’t believe how relaxed she was! She actually fell asleep a few times & we made it to Palmer without getting sick! Yay Kallie. I hope she remembers this as a good experience. We’ll see when we head back to Anchorage on Sunday. I will keep using the RR & make sure she hasn’t eaten anything at least an hour before we leave. Thank you for all your advice!! Doris”
The next day Doris sent me this text message, “Just letting you know we made it to Anchorage [48 miles] without too much stress”
Wondering how Doris helped Kallie in such a short time? Here are 5 tips to help you and your dog with dog car sickness:
- Put the crate on the floor of the vehicle, if possible. Or use a seat harness for the dog. Remember you want the dog to be secure.
- If you have time, slowly introduce the dog to the car. Sit in the car with the engine off for a few minutes. Next time, start the car and sit for a few minutes. Watch your dog for any discomfort.
- Give the dog Bach® Rescue Remedy as directed on the bottle. It helps with stress and fears.
- Do Tellington TTouch® Ear Slides before and during the trip.
- Also shredded fresh ginger in the food or ginger snaps may help.
Concerned about your pet? Need more help with dog car sickness? Schedule a Free 15-Minute Phone/Zoom Consult.
