Karma is not having as much fun on our travel days as we are. She is doing a lot of pacing/panting and rarely lying down to rest between potty stops (every 60-90 minutes). We learned on our trip out of Alaska back in 2008, that Ginger capsules for her tummy were helpful and Benadryl seemed to help her nap during the trip.
Now we have a “Thunder Shirt”. It’s a snug fitting cloth that goes around her middle and is secured at her chest (below) collar position. They are supposedly ”magic” for anxieties like thunder, travelling, etc. etc. etc. Since she isn’t much of a foo foo dog (even though she is half poodle) it is taking time for her to get used to the “shirt”. Today was the first time she really wanted it on. That could be because she is treated well – cheese!
We are also trying an anti-anxiety drug (2mg Alprazolam). We are working on the timing of the drug because when she comes off the drug she has been a little more frantic than is typical for her at the end of our day of travel. Today we gave her the medication about 3 hours before we shirted her and took off. This time she was a bit frantic while we were preparing to leave (you know - slides in, electric pulled and stored, etc.). Now that we are in camp (about 8 or 9 hours after getting the pill), she is her normal self. We would like to get away from the medication and use just the shirt but we aren’t sure it works by itself with her. Some more driving days will tell.
