Sedating a dog

[Shangri-laschild]

Not counting on much luck with this but I figure why not. We are driving down to Florida this weekend (from Illinois) and the dog is making the trip as well. She normally gets very excitable about car rides and she also has a leaking problem. Her being sedated and in some sort of dog diaper would work best and she wouldn't tolerate one if she was fully awake. The vet gave them Valium to try with her but that just made her non stop whiny for several hours. Anyone have any thoughts/suggestions? The drive is to move them down there so not taking the dog isn't really an option and between figuring out how to manage the leaking and the dog irritating the 9 year old and them being stuck in the car together, it's going to be an interesting drive.

[strawbabies]

Has the vet ever had you try Proin for the leaking? It tightens the urethral sphincter and has worked wonders for my elderly schnauzer.

As for sedation, there's another drug called acepromazine that you could ask the vet to try.

[Seshat]

There are several different benzos (the family of drug Valium is part of); different humans react differently to each one. I assume dogs are the same - that maybe your dog just needs a different dosage or a different drug.

If he/she is crate-trained, you could maybe put him/her in a crate with absorbant fabric on the floor of the crate. If you have a bunch of old towels you were going to throw out, you could use those; and they could just toss stained towels as they go. If the dog doesn't already consider a crate to be his personal 'bedroom', though, this is not the time to try to introduce it.

As for the excitement, perhaps put the nine year old in the front for the first little bit of the trip, and have an adult let the dog have some exciteable time at first, then get rewards when he behaves calmly. Once the dog has worn out some of the excitement, you can switch back for the adult in the front.

Also, lots of playtime the night before with the dog (I know, lots to do anyway), and as long a walk as can be managed before the dog enters the car.

[mathnerd]

My dog's harness has an attachment that the seatbelt can be threaded through to keep him safe on car rides. He can still sit and lay down with it on. Something like that might be an option to help with the excitability.

I agree with the others about trying different sorts of meds, though you might find that after the first hour or so, she settles down a bit.

As for the leaking, they do actually make several different versions of doggie diapers. Petsmart and Petco both carry disposable and washable versions.

[Seshat]

Yes - I didn't even think about excitability being a problem in terms of keeping the dog restrained. They make dog harnesses out of seatbelt material. We got ours from the RSPCA. Like mathnerd's, it has a D-ring that will attach either to a leash or to an extension that attached to a standard seatbelt clip.

We adjust the length of the extension so our dog can comfortably sit or lie down in 'her' spot on the carseat, but can't get far beyond it. So she can snuggle against whoever's sitting in the back with her, but has absolutely no chance of annoying the driver. (except by barking, I guess.)

The harness has the same 'slowing' property as seatbelts do, so it's not a bad way to keep her somewhat safe in the car if an accident occurs. It's not perfect, but it's a lot better than her being loose.
Some crates are designed to be safe restraint crates, as long as the crate itself gets seatbelted in.

[csquared]

By placing the dog in a crate in the car, you might be able to limit the excitability. Toss a blanket over it to keep it dark and limit the view. Remember to secure it for the safety of the dog and you.

Any "med" that you give the dog will probably need a prescription. Best to discuss it with your vet.

[Sapphire Silk]

As for the excitement, perhaps put the nine year old in the front for the first little bit of the trip, and have an adult let the dog have some exciteable time at first, then get rewards when he behaves calmly. Once the dog has worn out some of the excitement, you can switch back for the adult in the front.

I strongly advise against this. The front seat of a car is a very dangerous place for a child to be. In many states there are age and/or weight limits to when a child can be in the front seat: often age 12 and at least 80 lbs. The OP will be crossing several state lines; the laws are likely to vary from state to state. It's a good way to get a ticket, and heaven help them if they're actually in an accident.

A crate is a great idea if crate trained. If not, a safety harness is a must. Its safer for both the humans and the dog. In an accident the dog will fly about the cabin, striking the humans like a cannon ball. In addition, you don't want an upset or anxious dog to interfere with driving or distract the driver.

Also, lots of playtime the night before with the dog (I know, lots to do anyway), and as long a walk as can be managed before the dog enters the car.

Now this is a great idea. I suggest giving the dog the sedating meds, THEN really working the dog physically so that it is tired. By the time you get on the road, the meds will start to work and the dog will fall asleep, and probably sleep for hours. More exercise, and another dose of sedation (if it is time) on rest breaks.

[Seshat]

If a nine year old is too small to fit properly in a front seat (and if SS says they are, I think she'd be right), then skip that part of my suggestion. She's absolutely right in that mis-sized seats and seatbelts are dangerous or even deadly; and the back seat behind the passenger seat is the safest part of the car (statistically).

If there's room for an adult in the back seat as well as the dog and the child, then stick an adult in there to help calm the dog. But don't put the kid in a seat they won't be safe in.

[Shangri-laschild]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. The 9 year old is actually probably big enough even by the 12 year old standards due to some medical issues both in height and weight. We ended up trying Benadryl due to time constraints. She was incredibly whiney for the first half of the drive. She is already a fussy dog as it is. If she can't get to you, she will whine even if she doesn't actually want to be with you. She's barked at me for attention before but then not let me pet her. Not to mention her general excited freaking out during any car ride. By the second half of the trip, the Benadryl had worn off and she was worn out enough to be calm enough to not actively wear on the nerves. I was able to sleep during the first half of the trip but the girl who was also driving had no luck sleeping through it. It was rough but we managed. The 16 hour drive took 24 hours by the end. We're thinking that feeling drugged freaked her out and made her more vocal.

[Sapphire Silk]

It's hard to say if it was the Benadryl or not. Just a difference in routine is enough to upset some dogs.

EE and I took Goldie and Copper to the groomer yesterday to get their nails clipped.

Copper is usually excited to be in the car because it usually means he's going to my house to run in the back yard (mine is fenced, EE's isn't). Then the route changed and he got very anxious; whined a bit and was very restless in the car.

He kept snuffling the rear seat AC since he couldn't put his head out the window.

Goldie was anxious as well, but quiet. She didn't start whining until we got to the groomers. She doesn't like anything that smells like lots of animals: the groomer or the vet. We think she associates it with the shelter, which is where EE got both dogs.

She cried the whole time we were there. He cried when the groomer took her and he couldn't see her anymore. They both settled down as soon as we got back in the car.

[Barracuda]

Blowdarts! (Yes, that is a joke.)

[Shangri-laschild]

Just guessing that's the case seeing as how she was the same way with the Valium until it wore off as well but yeah, the situation definitely factored in some.

Hahaha, I think my friend was close to being a little too game for ideas like that by the time we were halfway through the drive as she got no sleep with the dog constantly whining. The dog got revenge later though by playing dead and making her freak out thinking something had happened to the dog. The dog then gave there the "what's your problem bitch?" look when she finally responded. I swear that dog knows how to hold her breath and does it to screw with people sometimes because she's tried it with me before too.