Half A Chill Pill?

Dear Dog Lady,

I need your wisdom asap. On Dec. 10, I will be driving from Illinois to New York with my seven-year old female pug. She is in good health, I've spoken with her vet, and he's prescribed a mild sedative for her so that she can relax and sleep most of the way. The drive is 13 hours, and he suggested I might start out just giving her half a pill and if need be, give her the other half, as it's supposed to last 8-10 hours.

This is the first time I've owned a pug, and she's been the light of my life for four years now. I just don't want to take the chance on doing anything that will stress her or cause her any harm. Even though my vet has assured me that she should be okay, I'd like your opinion.

Nancy, Illinois

Nancy, you didn’t say if your pug gets antsy-pantsy in the car. If so, Dog Lady sees no harm in following the advice of your vet and doling out half a sedative before the trip. Create a cozy nest with favorite blankets or a crate in the back of your vehicle for your pet so she will be as comfortable and protected as possible. A general rule of thumb is that a resting, properly house-trained dog can last 12 hours with no accidents. During the trip, you should gauge how your darling is doing. If your pet dozes through, just let sleeping dogs lie and plow onward.

When Dog Lady’s dog was a puppy, I took him to Florida for Christmas. He traveled in a bag stowed under my airplane seat. The vet prescribed half a sedative for the journey. Like you, Dog Lady was panicked to administer the med, thinking it might somehow hurt him. But I did give it and he slept peacefully, with nary a whimper of complaint.

Only the lady sitting next to me suffered mild trauma when, as we were landing, Dog Lady cooed sweet assurances to the bag under my seat. The woman looked at me with alarm until I explained there was a dog in the carry-on. My seatmate still looked a bit shocked.

Posted by Dog Lady at December 1, 2003 03:00 PM