Puppy Car Sickness

Posted by LinusMom
Apr 3, 2012
This may be more a vet issue, but I think it may also be behavioral or psychological. When we first brought our handsome then 5 mos. old puppy, Linus home--we drove him 6 hours from Missouri and he was fine in the car. When he was 6 mos we drove another 6 hours and back to my mother's for Christmas and he was also fine in the car. But in the last two months (he's 8 mos), he gets really sick even after a mile or so in the car. He foams at the mouth and vomits.

I should add that when we got him he had been on a raw meat diet and for those first two trips he was still eating that way. We have since switched him to a grain-free dogfood diet. Perhaps that has something to do with it?

But the radical change from happy car cruiser to total car sick pooch has me worried and stuck. We really want to take him to my mother's for Easter, but not if the car ride is going to be miserable for him.

Any thoughts?
Thanks
Lisa
Posted by KOPCaroline
Apr 15, 2012
Hey Lisa,

I had a similar experience with my dog - I brought him home from about an hour away at 2 months old, no worries. As he got older, he went through a phase from about 5 months to 8 months of always getting sick in the car. Then, all of a sudden, he got over it. I'm not sure what the cause was - maybe its just a maturation thing that some dogs go through with their vestibular system and balance.

With your diet change, it could have made your pups stomach a bit more sensitive. You can talk to your vet about it - there are pills you can give to sedate you pup on car trips, though its probably too much for every day trips. Perhaps your vet has another solution.

Sorry I can't be more help, but hopefully its just a phase like my dog went through - although its a messy one!