Your Pup and Canine Travel Sickness

Your pup may be lucky enough to have some toys in the puppy pack with his mum and sibling’s scent for the journey home. However, in case there isnt, bring along a cuddly for him to snuggle with on the way as leaving his mum and his first family will be quite daunting for him.

If he feels relaxed enough and comforted on the journey home to sleep through, then there is a chance he might not be sick. Make sure that you bring equipment to help clean up your pup and provide replacement bedding in case he does not travel well. You do not want him lying in a bed of vomit on the journey home.

The breeder will have taken them on a trip or two to the vet for puppy checks and may have also carried out more vehicle acclimatisation during their socialisation training. But the likelihood is that your pup will throw up on route. Be prepared to stop at the earliest convenience to clean him up and of course to let him toilet. Once home, the tendency to want to take pup around to see friends and family is normal.  But try to give your new charge a couple of days at least to get used to you and your family before introducing him to others. 

It is quite troubling watching a pup whilst they try to deal with that feeling of sickness when they travel. Even if they sleep this does not always prevent them from feeling ill. I have found that most pups will grow out of travel sickness if they are exposed to enough journeys. In the meantime though, you need to make it as easy as possible for your little one or your adult dog to cope. 

Ideally, try to avoid any car journeys within a short time of being fed. Of course this is not always possible but it will help if he doesn’t have a tummy full of food.  A sleeping pup will allow you to get a bit further on your journey before you have to stop to deal with any accidents.

When a dog feels sick, they will often drool and lick their lips.  They may pant and keep changing position. Shortly before they are sick they often look a little hunched and may be hanging their head. If you can therefore recognize these signs before your pup starts to feel too bad, you can try to pull over somewhere safe to allow pup to come out of the car to settle for a little while. This can help, although, sometimes, they just have to be sick once to help them feel better. 

In my experience it is really a case of you helping the pup get used to the car over a period of time. Take it on regular short journeys to acclimatise it to the movement of the vehicle. This is the most assured way of stopping the sickness. Don’t restrict your pup or dog’s car travel to the visits to the vets, this will only cause him to be more anxious about the car. A journey with a fun time at the end of it will help greatly.