Sometimes pets are simply nervous in the car. They pant, pace, drool, urinate, defecate and whine. These guys do benefit from anti-anxiety drugs or sedatives. However, some pets vomit when they travel in the car. Even associated with panting and drooling, if your pet vomits in the car, he or she is probably actually car sick. Sedatives won’t help this pet very much. But fortunately, there are techniques and medications that can help a lot.

Simply withholding food several hours before traveling can help. If this doesn’t work, ask your vet about Cerenia. This is an anti-nausea medication that has been approved for use in pets who get motion sick. However, if you are on the road and want to try something a little more available, you can always try Benadryl. Benadryl, or diphenhydramine, is very similar to the product in Dramamine. Pets can take 1mg per pound, so a 25 pound dog would take one of the 25mg tablets. You can also use Dramamine. Ask your veterinarian about doses. I tend to use the non-drowsy formula made with meclizine because doses for this medication have been well established for dogs. No matter what medication you choose, it will work better if you get it on board an hour before you hit the road. It is a lot harder to stop nausea once it has already kicked in.

Whether you pet is simply anxious in the car or if he gets motion sick, desensitizing the dog to spending time in the car can help a lot. Think about it, most pets only ride in the car when they are going to a kennel or a vet. The dog quickly begins to associate the car with something scary. You need to change this.

Start by putting the dog or cat in the car, but don’t start it. Give your pet a treat and some good lovin’. Be sure to take the pet out of the car before he or she begins to pant or get nervous. After doing this several times, try to turn on the engine. Again, reward and praise your pet and remove him from the car before he gets nervous. If this is going well, you can actually try to back out of the driveway and immediately come back home. After a week or so of these exercises you might be ready to drive around the block. Slowly increase the time driving and continue praising and treating good behavior. You must be sure to get back home before he or she gets nervous or sick for this exercise to work.

A good walk, run or active playtime is a great idea before a long car trip. This will increase the chance your pet will sleep most of the way.

Also, try to make your pet as comfortable as possible in the car during the trip. Keep cats and small dogs in carriers.

They feel safe, and are safer, inside their box. Always provide a favorite blanket, bed and toy. Freeze water in bowls so water can slowly thaw as it is needed and it won’t spill all over the back seat. Only offer a meal once you are safely at your destination and your pet has calmed down. Use lavender sachets as your car’s deodorizer.

For stronger calming effects, use Feliway or DAP hormones in the car or on the pet’s bedding. Feliway and the Dog Appeasing Hormones (DAP) are formulated to help pets feel less anxious. These come in sprays that you can spray on the bedding or in the carrier about 10 minutes before you put the pet inside or as collars that dogs can wear during a nerve wracking trip.

So, when does your pet need a sedative?

If the above suggestions haven’t helped, ask your vet whether your pet needs a sedative or an anti-anxiety medication. Sedatives, like the popular acepromazine, simply make your pet groggy. This drug makes it difficult for your pet to respond to whatever is scaring him. However, it doesn’t make your pet less scared. It simply minimizes the unwanted behaviors like whining, vocalizing or drooling. If you really want to help your pet feel less scared, consider an anti-anxiety drug like Xanax. This drug doesn’t cause nearly as much sedation, but it does increase the fear threshold. I find that some of my clients are unhappy when their dog is not completely “knocked out”. My response is “if your pet needs to be knocked out, then he is very, very scared and he needs to go through the desensitization process. Medications may help us along the way, but simply anesthetizing him every time is not the safest answer to your problems.”

If you plan on traveling for the upcoming holidays, you need to start desensitizing exercises now. It can take weeks to months of daily training to calm nervous or car sick pets.

(Dr. Katherine A. Saenger, DVM, owns Bees Ferry Veterinary Hospital and Boarding Kennel (www.beesferry.com). E-mail her at vetsaenger@bellsouth.net with your questions.)