Magnolia experiences motion sickness. We have found ways to make it more manageable for her and us. She can still experience the joys of traveling, it just takes a little extra planning.
To start, we have made HUGE gains in just her comfort level in the car. When we first got Magnolia back in May, she wouldn't even go near the car. We would just park the car in the backyard and slowly condition her with treats that the car was a good place to be.
Once we got her comfortable being in the car, once we actual drove her somewhere, we discovered she would get sick. Lots of trial and error (and paper towel and lysol wipes) later, we found that what helps her the most is limiting food before travel (at least 6 hours) and giving her a dose of Dramamine. We were referred to use this site for dosage recommendations.
We have had car rides up to the cottage, about three hours away with only one barf, and we have even had a few rides were she has not gotten sick at all. Sometimes the stop and go of traffic can make this worse. When the ride first starts, she sometimes seems a bit uneasy, but once we get going steady on the highway, she usually curls up and sleeps. She likes looking out the window and sniffing through the top of a cracked window. (Note: she is an agile and curious girl, so don't roll down the windows too far)
The morning I had to take her to the vet for her spay without Dramamine in her system, it was a barf fest the entire ride :( so the Dramamine definitely helps. For her future adopters, I'd encourage discussing this with your vet as they may be able to prescribe something for this condition. But for now, the Dramamine has been a game changer to help Maggie get out and explore the world. Hopefully she will outgrow this one day, but until she does, always keep a roll of paper towels in the car, just in case.
To start, we have made HUGE gains in just her comfort level in the car. When we first got Magnolia back in May, she wouldn't even go near the car. We would just park the car in the backyard and slowly condition her with treats that the car was a good place to be.
Once we got her comfortable being in the car, once we actual drove her somewhere, we discovered she would get sick. Lots of trial and error (and paper towel and lysol wipes) later, we found that what helps her the most is limiting food before travel (at least 6 hours) and giving her a dose of Dramamine. We were referred to use this site for dosage recommendations.
We have had car rides up to the cottage, about three hours away with only one barf, and we have even had a few rides were she has not gotten sick at all. Sometimes the stop and go of traffic can make this worse. When the ride first starts, she sometimes seems a bit uneasy, but once we get going steady on the highway, she usually curls up and sleeps. She likes looking out the window and sniffing through the top of a cracked window. (Note: she is an agile and curious girl, so don't roll down the windows too far)
The morning I had to take her to the vet for her spay without Dramamine in her system, it was a barf fest the entire ride :( so the Dramamine definitely helps. For her future adopters, I'd encourage discussing this with your vet as they may be able to prescribe something for this condition. But for now, the Dramamine has been a game changer to help Maggie get out and explore the world. Hopefully she will outgrow this one day, but until she does, always keep a roll of paper towels in the car, just in case.