We had the same question about our cat. She caterwauls in cars, and the 17-hour drive would be unbearable for me. So I got an anxiety med for the cat, and my sister will be with me for the drive. The cat will not be "sedated" but she'll basically not care that she's stuck in a carrier for 6 hours til we get to our first hotel (which is pet-friendly). I'll give her just a spoonful of food first thing in the morning (which she'll eliminate in the cat box 10 minutes later, that's how their digestive systems work), so she isn't hungry on the trip. She'll get a couple pieces of kibble when we stop for food/gas, not enough to make her have to use the litterbox, but enough to remind her that she's in good hands.
Repeat for the second leg of the trip to the second hotel, and again for the last leg to our Villages house.
I don't know if gabapentin works for dogs but you might ask your vet. It's a capsule, I will sprinkle half the powder of one over her food the night before, and the other half the next morning 2-3 hours before we get her in the carrier for the drive. She'll be good for around 7 hours.
|