Many dogs aren’t a big fan of the vet, and our Benji is no exception. They are invasive and scary, and usually someone will handle him in a way he does not feel happy about. It reached a point where my little Benji was shaking for fear in the waiting room. And we needed to step in and change protocol.

Luckily most vet visits can be pre-planned. Here are some of our tips on how to make a vet visit more bearable for your anxious dog:

Prepare your visit at the vet

• The day before the visit I give Benji a double dose of Zylkene (OTC casein), the same on the day of the visit. We tried Trazadone before but the results were not great and it almost had the opposite effect.
• Make sure you take some super super yummy treats – think of roast chicken or raw meats. You will need them to feed your pooch and “sweeten the deal” for him when at the vet. It also helps to distract from what is going on.
• We take Benji’s handbag dog carrier to the vet. He feels safe in it, and it gives him a spot to retreat.
• Make sure you have a plan of what you expect from the vet, what you will expect at the visit and how far you are going to go that day.  
  
  

At the vet – Check up (No anaesthetic) 

• I usually have Benji wait in the car. I go inside, have a chat to the vet about my dog and how the consult will be run. Examinations the vet will need to do and how I would like my dog to be handled, what I would like them to do and what not - and how all of this will play together with the work the vet will need to undertake. A briefing basically where the vet and I agree on a strategy for the consult.
• On the first vet visit since changing strategy, we actually requested for the vet to examine him outside at the car park as just entering the clinic would make him shake.
• When the examination outside was not possible, I would carry Benji inside the clinic with him being in his handbag carrier. We’d go straight to the consult room, no waiting in the waiting room.
• If possible in any way, the examination will be done on the floor.
• It also helps if the vet isn’t dressed as a typical vet. Benji doesn’t like them wearing their dark veterinarian gown. 
• We sit on the floor, the vet and I, Benji is getting fed treats and slowly gets used to the room, the vet and potentially other people (nurses etc) in the room. Because he does not trusts vets, I am not aiming for them to make friends with him. This could be done if you always see the same vet but if you deal with changing doctors and so, this may not be a viable option. Therefore I like the vet to be neutral, toss a treat sometimes but not be creepy and forcing themselves on being Benji’s new best friend. He wouldn’t believe that, he’d take the treats and find them still creepy. That’s why I prefer neutral. This may take 10 minutes or so, while I have a chat with the vet I play some treat games with Benji (touch, treat chase, luring) to shift his mindset.
• When it comes to handling him, I am there with him during the examination. I advise when things need to slow down, I talk to Benji, I coach him through the situation, I reward him with treats for being so patient. 
• If any equipment is used for the examination, we make sure Benji has a chance to get used to the equipment by sniffing or looking at it, rather than being too straight forward and just going for it.
• We make sure the vet knows to not have other people enter the room during the consult if possible.
• We create a relaxed atmosphere – as much as possible.

At the vet – Treatment/ Procedure (With anaesthetic)

• In this case we would request for the vet to sedate Benji while he is in the car. It’s a quick injection and I let the staff know when has passed out.
• I would then bring Benji inside the clinic where the procedure is done.
• When the procedure is done, the team would wake him up with another injection. 
• Depending on the circumstances the wake up could either happen in your car so the dog would have no memory of being in the clinic, or like in our case we had Benji wake up in a consult room with direct access to the car park. When he opened his eyes and pulled his tongue in, I picked Benji up and carried him straight to the car.

After the vet visits

• Depending on how the visit went, you may put your dog back in the car after the consult and then go back inside to clear the bill. This way your dog doesn’t have to wait around in this (in his mind) dreadful place.

Fear is not rational and you will struggle to explain to your dog that it is “just a vet visit and not the end of the world” when your dog thinks that this is actually what the vet visit is. Benji never liked the vet and we are glad things weren’t going bad for too long, but I could just see that we were heading in a direction that wasn’t great for my dog. Changing our protocol and advocating for our animals seem to have helped a lot so far.

Fear is not rational and you will struggle to explain to your dog that it is “just a vet visit and not the end of the world” when your dog thinks that this is actually what the vet visit is. Benji never liked the vet and we are glad things weren’t going bad for too long, but I could just see that we were heading in a direction that wasn’t great for my dog. Changing our protocol and advocating for our animals seem to have helped a lot so far.

​Recently little Leeloo, the spoodle, stayed with us for a board and train. When she arrived she was only 20 weeks of age. On her first day with us I put the dogs in the car to go to work, Leeloo got the seat next to me. Only being in the car for a couple of minutes, Leeloo started drooling resulting in a big patch of wet under her. Oh dear! Poor Leeloo gets very car sick. Seeing any animal feel so miserable and not being able to change their situation, is really heart breaking.

​In many cases it starts with puppy hood. The puppies vestibular system is not yet fully developed. It is the sensory system that provides the leading contribution to the sense of balance and spatial orientation for the purpose of coordinating movement with balance. And that’s where the problem is. The coordination between eyes, ears and body awareness is not yet fully there. Now that is all much easier when the dog is intentionally moving itself, however is a bit of a different story when being moved. The puppy’s vestibular system will usually be developed at around the 6 month mark.

​Animals may also have bad associations with the car. One of the puppy’s first car trips is often when it’s taken away from the litter, or has been driven to the vet. Scary, scary. Car trips can also be scary for adult dogs. The noises, the sounds, the feeling. It can be a combination of factors. Some puppies will grow out of it, and some even get worse over time. Imagine if every time you drove a car, you got sick. After a few times, you just need to look at the car and you will probably start feeling not quite right, if not sick.

And so the story goes on and on.

The symptoms of car sickness include many signs of stress but most commonly I have seen:

• Vomiting, retching
• Salivating and drooling
• Panting and rapid breathing
• Procrastination - shutting down – you may see them lying down almost like burying the head in the sand and pretending not to be there.
• Sweaty paws 
• Yawning
• Excessive licking
• Restlessness, trying to escape

​To resolve their dog's car sickness, some people may count on ‘they grow out of it’ but I’d rather help the dog in every way I can to make sure they will grow out of it and the dog will overcome their car sickness.

Adjust your driving 
Drive like a grandma. I find turns, reversing and quick accelerations hard for dogs to deal with. City traffic is often worse than driving straight on the highway. Drive like you had a fragile 4-tier wedding cake on the seat next to you.

Find a spot or a position where your dog is most comfortable 
We tried a couple of different spots. Benji’s booster seat wasn’t for Leeloo as I think as it made her feel even more out of balance but is perfect for Benji. She was most calm on the seat next to me. Some dogs travel best in a crate, and covering may help. I prefer having the dogs on the row behind me, with easy access to assist. When they are car sick, I can have an eye on them during the drive, talk to them and give them the feeling they are not alone. Given that we assume motion sickness may not be forever and find out what a comfortable spot is for your dog, whilst they go through the motion sickness treatment program. You can still change that later. Just don’t have them on your lap while driving.

​Restrain your dog 
The more they are restrained, the less they can move around and throw themselves off balance. However, some dogs may feel too restricted if restrained. For those dogs, a crate may be a more prudent decision. Usually I have the dog wear a well fitted harness that clips in to the seat belt buckle.

Provide fresh air 
I find opening the windows and letting in some fresh air can help. Be aware that your dog putting their head out of the window and having visual inputs of the moving surroundings can also be a bit disturbing for some dogs (opening the windows only a small amount can create this sensation). Consider opening the window not on the same side as your dog is seated on.

Supplements and medication 
I've used the prescription medication Cerenia in the past. Cerenia is used for nausea and general vomiting. I've had great results with it, but it is also a very expensive medication.
Ginger has long been used as an alternative medication to prevent motion sickness in humans and it has also been used for dogs with some success. TravelEze is one of the remedies using ginger as a main ingredient. I've tried TravelEze on a couple of dogs but with not much success.
You can also put a bandana with Adaptil sprayed on around your dog’s neck. Adaptil is a synthetic pheromone simulating the smell puppies take in when drinking from their mom. It has a calming and soothing effect. I use it to help treating fear related behaviours but from my experience it only works in around 30-40% of the dogs.
Again, with all these remedies it is a bit hit and miss but definitely worth a try, to see if they work for your dog. Same as with people, not every substance has the same effect on every person. 
The most success I had was with desensitisation and counterconditioning. And pharmaceutical meds if really needed.

Desensitisation and counter conditioning
I put treats around the car, in the footwall and feed my dog in the car with out moving the car. Switch on the engine and sit with my dog in the car without moving it so teh dog gets used to the sounds of the car and the vibration when the engine is switched on. We drive short distances, we may practise reversing, we drive to fun places, we drive just around the block.Break the sensation of being the car down and keep training sessions short. It also helps to avoid drives to to 'scary' places for a while or use a different car for that. Breaking down old believe patterns is a big part of what the counter conditioning process includes.

Cooperation 
I do a lot of work on getting dogs to react enthusiastically about the car (best case scenario) or at least feel less helpless about getting into the car. Quite often when dogs are car sick, they do not like to get into the car and some will even try to avoid it. Because we want our dog to get in the car, we often lift them up and just put them in or they are dragged into the car. Whatever it is, it is against the dog’s will and it almost always makes the whole car story worse. ‘I don’t want to get in. I am forced to get in. I know I will feel sick. And I feel sick again.’ I work more on getting the dogs cooperation in the actual act of getting into the car. I teach entering and exiting on command like it's almost a trick. And I always watch the dog asking the question ‘how does your little dog feel about this vehicle? and getting in and out of the car now?’

Distractions
Try offerings to distract your dog with something yummy to chew on, like a kong with some roo mince, a bully stick or a snuffle mat with high value treats. But don’t be disappointed if your dog doesn’t go for it. Remember the car can be very stressful and may shut your dog down to the point they don't want to eat. The more your dog settles, the easier it can be for them to focus on the yummy treat.

Do not feed the dog before driving
Try to withhold meals a few hours before a car journey. Not having eaten may help your dog to feel less sick. Having a somewhat hungry dog can also help your pet/dog to focus on chewing a bully stick..

A tired puppy is a good puppy
It will also help if your dog is reasonably tired by the time you put them in the car. This will assist to reduce arousal and help your dog with falling asleep in the car.

Not necessarily. Some will once their vestibular system is fully developed, but many won't. Helping your dog to overcome car sickness through behaviour modification and training is essential to ensure your dog will enjoy car rides as much as we do.

​Urban Dog Training in Brisbane created a very informative and really nice video series about motion sickness in dogs.

Contact us for help and advise on how to resolve car sickness in your dog.