Long road trip with 3 month old puppy

[hudamang]

I have to do a 9 hour trip next month from SF to San Diego and bring my puppy with me. I have read that I am not supposed to feed him 4 hours prior to leaving. The longest I've driven him is about 30 miles, which he did okay but I think he still gets a little car sick.

My question is if I stop every hour or two, does he need feeding or should I just give him some water and walk him a little? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Zhi

[moondog]

It's not uncommon for puppies to get car sick and it usually clears up by the time they're about 6 months old.

Are you taking the 5? If so, it's a long, straight ride and that will lessen the motion sickness more than if you were driving a curvy road. He'll probably sleep most of the ride. Keep the windows open a bit and the fresh air will also help.

I would drive for a couple hours, then stop for a potty break, leg stretch, drink of water....if he hasn't shown signs of car sickness (excessive drooling, vomiting, restlessness), then give him a small biscuit (like a medium sized Milkbone) and back on the road.

You should be able to play it by ear from that point on, and if he does have an upset tummy it won't hurt him not to eat anything until you get to where you're going.

[hudamang]

Yes, I will be taking the 5. Hopefully I don't have to stop at Coalinga where all the cows are. That will be disgusting haha.

I'll bring some puppy pads in case he decides to go pee in the car. Hopefully he just sleeps and enjoys the ride down :)

[scottydoesnt]

I also suggest putting some old bath towels down or something similar in case of vomit. Makes clean up much easier.

[moondog]

Originally Posted by hudamang

Hopefully I don't have to stop at Coalinga where all the cows are. That will be disgusting haha.

Yeah...Coalinga kind of blows the lid off that whole "Happy Cows Live in California" campaign, doesn't it? No grass there!

Originally Posted by hudamang

I'll bring some puppy pads in case he decides to go pee in the car. Hopefully he just sleeps and enjoys the ride down :)

He'll probably just fall asleep for the ride. When he does wake up, that's a good time to find a place to stop....and soon....that's when he's gonna need a potty break!