My dog freaks out in the car. What helps with car anxiety or sickness?

I'm sorry to hear that Cooper gets car sick - that's no fun for anyone! Hands down, the best anti-nausea medication for dogs is a prescription medication called Cerenia. Benadryl is an antihistamine that can be mildly sedating for some dogs, but it very rarely helps with vomiting and nausea from motion sickness. Children and adult Dramamine have different active ingredients. The dimenhydrinate in the adult form of Dramamine can be helpful with motion sickness in dogs, but it is generally less effective than Cerenia and has more possible side effects. Likewise, at only 10 pounds, Cooper is simply too tiny to be able to accurately split a Dramamine tablet into an appropriate dose. I would strongly recommend asking your vet about prescribing Cerenia. I hope that everything goes well!

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Great question! Many puppies will outgrow carsickness as they approach a year of age. So, Duke may get over this. If you want to use ginger you need to use fresh ginger: grate and use 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon orally about 20-30 minutes prior to travel. Give with just a small amount of food (a couple small bites). I have had a few clients give a ~2 ginger snap cookies instead of the fresh ginger and they said it worked. I am not familiar with the liquid ginger and cannot make a recommendation without seeing the bottle to see how much is in it. If you want to post again with some photos of the bottle you are welcome to do so. If the ginger (in whatever form) does not work then I suggest you use Dramamine 1/2 to 1 full tablet about 30 minutes prior to travel. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Hello. There is a medication called Cerenia that is designed specifically for motion sickness. In addition, a very small dose of acepromazine may calm your pet for the duration of the trip. Please ask your veterinarian about prescribing these medications to you. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. The human medications for car-sickness rarely work well in animals and often can have serious side effects. I would recommend asking your vet about a drug called 'maropitant' or Cerenia. This is the best drug for dogs for car sickness. Alternatively Ondasetron can be used, however it might be hard to get a tablet small enough for Fiona. Best of luck with Fiona, I hope your car trip goes well.

I think the answer depends on why Katie is getting unsettled. If she is nauseated, there are some medications to try for that. If she is anxious, there are other medications that may help with that. I have found that the best medications are prescription, so I would recommend contacting your vet for a suggestion. Again, there are both prescription anti-nausea and prescription anti-anxiety medications that may help. The only over the counter option you could consider would be Benadryl which may help a little. https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/dog/benadryl/ I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Benadryl is generally quite safe for dogs so it's unlikely that this would cause any harm; however, it rarely does much to help with anxiety in my experience. A better option would be to talk to your veterinarian about prescription anti-anxiety medication such as alprazolam or trazodone - these medications are much more effective for anxious pets, and can be used as-needed for car rides or other situations that may cause stress :)

You can try giving Dramamine which is available over the counter, however it is not specifically labeled to use in dogs, and it is not effective for all dogs. See info including dosage here: https://www.petcoach.co/pet-medication/dimenhydrinate/ There is a prescription medication called Cerenia, which is highly effective for motion sickness. You can ask your vet for a prescription for this medication if Dramamine doesn't help. Thanks for asking PetCoach!