# Vomitting in the car.



## Ted Efthymiadis (Apr 3, 2009)

I have two clients who are having issue with transporting their dogs.

One is a 13 month old GSD, One is a 10 month old yellow lab. 

Both dogs, when driving in the car for more then 10 minutes, will vomit.

I asked them both if they could crate the dogs in the car, not an option for both of the dogs.... not that that would fix the issue, but I thought it might be worth a try.

Both clients have small cars, and can not get a kennel in their cars.

Question:

DO you know of any natural way to prevent vomiting in the car?

The vets around here will just make the dogs take meds 2 hours before car rides... I am wondering if there is any other way....


Thanks!


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## Geoff Empey (Jan 8, 2008)

What type of cars? I've seen people transport 95 lb GSDs in a crate they assembled in the back seat of a Nissan Sentra. So I don't really believe the crate baloney they are feeding you. They are just silly pet people who don't want their dogs in doggy prison. LOL! Fido be free! To me that has a lot to do with a dog yakking up it's lunch. If it was in a crate or at least better contained there is no moving around and the dog has to be calm and then in turn doesn't have as much of a chance to fixate on the movement to get motion sickness. If it is a small hatch they could at least get a gate and lay down a dog blanket to protect the car. Like this .. http://www.discountramps.com/dog-pet-barrier.htm 

They could just feed their dogs one bigger meal at night, that way by the time the dog needs to get into a car the next day the food has moved out of stomach. So outside of water or treats the dog has an empty stomach so not as much chance to vomit if there is nothing in there. Crack the window .. Fresh air always helps me when I want to heave lunch.


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## Jackie Lockard (Oct 20, 2009)

Geoff Empey said:


> What type of cars? I've seen people transport 95 lb GSDs in a crate they assembled in the back seat of a Nissan Sentra. So I don't really believe the crate baloney they are feeding you. They are just silly pet people who don't want their dogs in doggy prison.


I drove a Civic and anything bigger than 50lbs couldn't be crated in my car. I believe the biggest crate number would be classified as a 300. If it's a small car then aside from getting a K9 unit installed in the back of their car, what other options are there? Whether or not you think it's bullshit, it's basic math to me. I'm definitely not a silly pet person that won't crate their animals.


As far as the vomiting goes, not feeding before a car ride and starting with small around-the-block trips and working up to bigger trips can do it. One of the guy's I train with has a 2yo Shepherd that still throws up occasionally. It's just something he deals with, no real solution other than not feeding her before traveling.


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## Ted Efthymiadis (Apr 3, 2009)

Geoff Empey said:


> What type of cars? I've seen people transport 95 lb GSDs in a crate they assembled in the back seat of a Nissan Sentra. So I don't really believe the crate baloney they are feeding you. They are just silly pet people who don't want their dogs in doggy prison. LOL! Fido be free! To me that has a lot to do with a dog yakking up it's lunch. If it was in a crate or at least better contained there is no moving around and the dog has to be calm and then in turn doesn't have as much of a chance to fixate on the movement to get motion sickness. If it is a small hatch they could at least get a gate and lay down a dog blanket to protect the car. Like this .. http://www.discountramps.com/dog-pet-barrier.htm
> 
> They could just feed their dogs one bigger meal at night, that way by the time the dog needs to get into a car the next day the food has moved out of stomach. So outside of water or treats the dog has an empty stomach so not as much chance to vomit if there is nothing in there. Crack the window .. Fresh air always helps me when I want to heave lunch.


You are making assumptions about the people without knowing the facts.
Now you know me better than that Geoff, you know I would check out there cars and call them on it... if they did have room for kennels.

What I did not mention is that both families recently had babies.... So baby seats and kennels in small/medium kennels are not the easiest thing in the world... from what people tell me.

Both dogs are kenneled in the house, so it's not the tool they are refusing.....

Thanks for the feeding tips, good idea.


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## Kadi Thingvall (Jan 22, 2007)

Fresh air and ginger. My sister's Malinois gets carsick every time they go somewhere, unless the window is rolled down. As long as that window is down, he's OK. They have tried everything else, he's 11 or 12 now I think, and he still gets carsick.

Ginger is also supposed to help. I've talked to people who use candied ginger, ginger snaps, basically anything with ginger in it (not ginger flavored cookies but ones with real ginger in them). They feed it to the dog shortly before they take them in the car.

Finally I would look at the location of the dog in the car. I will occasionally get car sick, but only in the back seat. If I'm in a front seat, or somewhere that I am not looking out a window, then I'm OK. So making the dog lay down, or letting it stand up, or whatever (move it around and see) may help.


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## Anna Kasho (Jan 16, 2008)

Ginger works. I have never fed it to a dog though. My scarlet macaw got very carsick, so when I used to take her everywhere the trick was no food/water and some raw or candied ginger right before leaving. And keeping her from getting excited, which I think is the same with dogs. I know dogs that throw up simply by getting all stressed and worked up, just from sitting in a kennel...


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## Ashley Campbell (Jun 21, 2009)

Ted Efthymiadis said:


> You are making assumptions about the people without knowing the facts.
> Now you know me better than that Geoff, you know I would check out there cars and call them on it... if they did have room for kennels.
> 
> What I did not mention is that both families recently had babies.... So baby seats and kennels in small/medium kennels are not the easiest thing in the world... from what people tell me.
> ...


Car seats come out, but yeah, a crate to fit my dog will not fit in my car on the back seat at all, even without the car seats and laying the rear seats down. 
My adult dog pukes in the car almost every time. I limit how much she drinks and eats before I know she's going to ride in the car and I covered my seat with a thick blanket so I'm not scrubbing barf out of the upholstery. Also driving with the window cracked seems to help some, she does a lot better if she lays across the back seat instead of sitting up and watching out the window.


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## rick smith (Dec 31, 2010)

i don't think to crate or not to crate has any relation to puking in a car, and i think any dog can be desensitized if done properly.....i've had three diff owners with that problem ... all three were different breeds......shortest fix took about a month and the longest took almost four months but all ride now and arrive with their guts full of whatever was in there when they got in the car. my system may not be 100% but has been for the three i worked with. patience is involved so if you're in the "i tried but now i just deal with it and puke proof my car" category, don't email me for the details. if that's not the case feel free to shoot me an email and i'll work with you for free and explain in detail 1:1 since i only check this list about once every couple weeks...


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## Ted Efthymiadis (Apr 3, 2009)

Thanks all, some good ideas here.

The ginger has been tried several times with no difference....

But I have a few other ideas.

Kadi, freash air in the middle of winter here could be an issue hahaha -31 right now!
I should move to Cali!


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## maggie fraser (May 30, 2008)

Short car trips round the block, to the shops etc. building up the time gradually and often....crate or no crate, dinner or no dinner doesn't matter in my experience.


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## Tammy St. Louis (Feb 17, 2010)

just short trips , is the best way to help 
drive up and down the driveway , 
up the street and back 
are the dogs freaked out in the cars, or happy to go in them 
if they are freaked out nervous
maybe have them eat in the car, ( not in motion ) just to make it a ok place,


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## Kadi Thingvall (Jan 22, 2007)

Ted Efthymiadis said:


> Kadi, freash air in the middle of winter here could be an issue hahaha -31 right now!
> I should move to Cali!


LOL Believe me, over the years my sister has made some pretty cold road trips. But if the dog is in the car, it's always with a window down an inch or so for him, and the heater cranked up high for the humans :-o

Maybe one of those battery operated fans would give the dog the same benefits, without the negative of the window down?


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## Geoff Empey (Jan 8, 2008)

Ted Efthymiadis said:


> What I did not mention is that both families recently had babies.... So baby seats and kennels in small/medium kennels are not the easiest thing in the world... from what people tell me.
> 
> Both dogs are kenneled in the house, so it's not the tool they are refusing.....
> 
> Thanks for the feeding tips, good idea.


Well you didn't say they had kids and smaller car that is totally different. Just going by the info you gave in your OP. 

FWIW I was able to get 2 -300 sized crates into a Nissan Altima 4 door sedan, It involved reclining the front seat and removing the head rest then adding a cushion for leveling the rear crate, then assembling the crate on the front seat inside the car. Sure the car was then a 1 seater and cramped but it was done. 

They have the wrong vehicle simple as that. Time to get a mini-van, SUV, CUV or a pick up with a super cab. I sure wouldn't be condoning having any dog in the back seat loose with a baby in a car seat. Remove one or the other from the equation. They can't support both (kid and dog) obviously with the current vehicle. 

Getting the dog contained is the main thing about the vomiting. As the dog is sitting there trying to balance it self in a moving vehicle with everything else it entails is most likely the main culprit causing the issue, the rest would be details around feeding or not feeding and repetition as others have pointed out already.


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## Geoff Empey (Jan 8, 2008)

Jackie Lockard said:


> I'm definitely not a silly pet person that won't crate their animals.


Well good for you, your momma must be proud! :razz:



Jackie Lockard said:


> I drove a Civic and anything bigger than 50lbs couldn't be crated in my car. I believe the biggest crate number would be classified as a 300. If it's a small car then aside from getting a K9 unit installed in the back of their car, what other options are there? Whether or not you think it's bullshit, it's basic math to me.


Did you even read my post? Or did you just do a knee jerk reaction to a few words in it? 



Geoff Empey said:


> If it is a small hatch they could at least get a gate and lay down a dog blanket to protect the car. Like this .. http://www.discountramps.com/dog-pet-barrier.htm


One of these will work for one dog easily in a 4 door Civic sedan too, just utilizing the whole back seat. There is always a solution. Just you are not going to be commuting back and forth with more than 1 other person and the dog as well.


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## Alice Bezemer (Aug 4, 2010)

Laugh all you want but I will give you something to think about....

Ask the owner of the vommiting dogs if the cars exhaust is ok without any holes in it. 

Thing is that if the exhaustpipe or muffler has a leak in it the spill can get in the car through the vents, not something we would pick up on easy but trust me your dogs will and they will puke their furry hearts out every time you take them in the car. You might smell it ever so slightly and atribute it to carsmells in general but your dog will pick up on it with its highly developed sence of smell.

you might think it funny but in 2 cases I have had this very problem and have seen it with other peoples dogs and the simple fact was the exhaust system was leaking a bit and it made the dogs sicker then hell.


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## maggie fraser (May 30, 2008)

Alice Bezemer said:


> Laugh all you want but I will give you something to think about....
> 
> Ask the owner of the vommiting dogs if the cars exhaust is ok without any holes in it.
> 
> ...


 
:lol: :lol:

That post takes me back years and years and years ago (you listening Doug)? I had a mini van (in my teens) which my great dane and I would traverse the highways in :-D, we'd have ourselves a regular good puke at least until I worked out it was exhaust fumes getting into the motor.


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## Ted Efthymiadis (Apr 3, 2009)

Lots of good ideas here guys, thanks a lot.

Never would I think to ask about there exhaust pipe.... anything is worth a shot, who knows.

Thanks again, I have a bunch of things I will try, in addition to this stuff.

Thanks

-ted


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