# Stressed chi?



## kurtsie (Jan 9, 2013)

Firstly, i would like to wish you a happy new year! 

Now to keep up with the title, if you've read my previous thread, you know we've just came out of a gardia (still don't know how to write it sorry) problem. 

However, since we are on holiday we've been travelling and on the road for the past week and Runy got kinda sick again. He started a few hours ago making some sort of gagging noices and obsessively licking his paws. He's not really used to travelling a lot so i'm worried it might have affected him. 

He's also been kinda coughing a bit and last time i took him for a walk he was trying to eat grass like there was no tomorrow. His coughs started after the intent of eating grass and also kinda trying to throw up. I called the vet and told me to give him something to prevent acid reflux (that's his first guess at what could be bothering Runy) so i gave him the dose and the symptoms do seem to have calmed a little but i'm still very worried. 

I googled his symptoms and most of the posts that showed up were related to stress and anxiety. 

We're returning tomorrow and i'm definitely taking him to the vet first thing as we arrive but i was wondering if any of you has experienced anything like this or know how to partially solve it. Any opinion is very important and valuable to me. I don't want the 3 hour drive back home to affect him more cause it could make things get worse.


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## Jayda (Jun 15, 2012)

Does he travel in the car in a crate? If not it might helpful to keep him in a small comfortable place while traveling. Keep familiar things in the crate like his blankets and toys. If he is have tummy issues, try adding a little 100% pumpkin to his food. That might help too.


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## susan davis (Mar 25, 2011)

I second the crate idea. I had a rescue chi that showed anxiety symptoms on the way to N.H. On the return trip we put a cover over the crate, and she was as happy as a clam.


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## kurtsie (Jan 9, 2013)

Jayda said:


> Does he travel in the car in a crate? If not it might helpful to keep him in a small comfortable place while traveling. Keep familiar things in the crate like his blankets and toys. If he is have tummy issues, try adding a little 100% pumpkin to his food. That might help too.





susan davis said:


> I second the crate idea. I had a rescue chi that showed anxiety symptoms on the way to N.H. On the return trip we put a cover over the crate, and she was as happy as a clam.


I did try it but He HATES the crate or just to be inside small spaces. He does travel on a corner beside me, with most of his blankets and his favourite toy. The problem is that the rode has lots of curves so that might also make him feel dizzy or stressed/anxiuos.

However I called the vet again to see if we could make an appointment but due to the date, he's not attending in our hometown until Monday, he's now attending at another clinic which is way too far from us. But he did tell me that it sounded more like a respiratory infection and he also saw a video of Runy's behaviour and now he's taking new meds which include salbutamol and guaifenesin. We're still travelling back home today so I'll try to make the trip as comfortable as possible for him.


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## susan davis (Mar 25, 2011)

What about a pet 'seat'? It really is unsafe to drive with a 'loose' dog. God forbid, an accident could send him out the front window, like a missle. I'd train this dog to ride IN something; a seat or crate. It is just not safe not too.


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## kurtsie (Jan 9, 2013)

susan davis said:


> What about a pet 'seat'? It really is unsafe to drive with a 'loose' dog. God forbid, an accident could send him out the front window, like a missle. I'd train this dog to ride IN something; a seat or crate. It is just not safe not too.


He does have a pet 'seat' and that's what i use for the trips, however due to the stress he's been managing these last two weeks and the stress he gets on road trips made him feel maybe sick. 

Has anyone ever had an experience with stress and how to manage it? We're home now and he spent the entire road breathing heavy and fast but once we were home his breathing calmed a bit. He's taking the salbutamol (or albuterol, i believe it's the same with different names) for the suspected brinchitis but it makes him shake too much. He weigths 8 pounds and he was prescribed with 1ml every 12 hours for six days. I doesn't seems to be too much for him but he acts different. He's eating and drinking water normaly but his ears have been quite warm all day and it's not exactly sunny outside. It's like 22 C here.


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## susan davis (Mar 25, 2011)

albuterol will make him shake. I wonder if you could lower the dose, say 1/2ml every 12 hours and see if that helps. This is a drug that 'opens' the airways. It also causes a fast heart rate too. Hopefully the bronchitis is better.


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## Dorothy's Mom (Apr 8, 2015)

kurtsie said:


> He does have a pet 'seat' and that's what i use for the trips, however due to the stress he's been managing these last two weeks and the stress he gets on road trips made him feel maybe sick.
> 
> Has anyone ever had an experience with stress and how to manage it? We're home now and he spent the entire road breathing heavy and fast but once we were home his breathing calmed a bit. He's taking the salbutamol (or albuterol, i believe it's the same with different names) for the suspected brinchitis but it makes him shake too much. He weigths 8 pounds and he was prescribed with 1ml every 12 hours for six days. I doesn't seems to be too much for him but he acts different. He's eating and drinking water normaly but his ears have been quite warm all day and it's not exactly sunny outside. It's like 22 C here.


Just a tip for dogs that freak in small spaces and how to keep them safe (or at least, safer) in the car......

I had a dog like this. I put her harness on her and then had a short, 12 inch rope that had a carabiner on both ends. I would attach one end of the rope with the carabiner to the seat belt (that was belted shut). And the other end was clipped to her harness clip. That way she could still lay down on the seat but had very little room to go anywhere in an impact. Sure, not ideal but much better than nothing. Of course, the length of the rope will depend on how big your dog was. Smaller dog, small rope, etc.


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## kurtsie (Jan 9, 2013)

susan davis said:


> albuterol will make him shake. I wonder if you could lower the dose, say 1/2ml every 12 hours and see if that helps. This is a drug that 'opens' the airways. It also causes a fast heart rate too. Hopefully the bronchitis is better.


I talked and took him to the vet and that's exactly what he told me about the albuterol, although I kinda knew it already since I am very familiar with it (I suffered from asthma and still get some sick once ina while). 
He indeed lowered the dose tho, to 1/2ml or a minimum of 1/4ml every 12 hours and he is definitely better now! I feel so relieved and happy cause it really sucks to see them sick and down. 



Dorothy's Mom said:


> Just a tip for dogs that freak in small spaces and how to keep them safe (or at least, safer) in the car......
> 
> I had a dog like this. I put her harness on her and then had a short, 12 inch rope that had a carabiner on both ends. I would attach one end of the rope with the carabiner to the seat belt (that was belted shut). And the other end was clipped to her harness clip. That way she could still lay down on the seat but had very little room to go anywhere in an impact. Sure, not ideal but much better than nothing. Of course, the length of the rope will depend on how big your dog was. Smaller dog, small rope, etc.


Thanks for the tip! Next time we travel I'll have it in mind, just in case he freaks out. Hopefully he won't though


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