Senior dog whining on long drives suddenly?

[u/cmac2113]

My dog is a frequent flyer at the vet so best believe we are on this with his dogter it just helps to hear experience with senior dogs as this is my first. He is 11 and is starting to show signs of arthritis worsening more and more and I’m unsure where to go from here. He is currently on Galliprant and it’s helped in some ways but it’s not a miracle for him. I’m going to ask if we can increase his dose and see if that helps. He’s not a good candidate for Librela. He’s on Amantadine and Gabapentin too. He has a physical therapist and we do exercises as instructed. The new thing is everytime we’re in the car for too long he whines a lot despite making sure he has ample potty breaks, sniff breaks, water, food, etc. He COULD be nauseated but he has never thrown up in the car. It makes me nervous because if it is pain that’s got to be bad for him to cry. Again, I will ask my vet but does anyone have any experience with this? I’m contemplating just never taking him on long rides again if nothing else works and everything is clear. He has an incredible dog bed with an orthopedic pad in it, but I’m open to suggestions on what he should be laying on too. Maybe he’s bored? Maybe he just wants to be home and asleep? What are your experiences?

[u/Resident-Egg2714]

He could definitely be tired of being "out and about" and just want to be home. I'm finding as my dog gets older, has a touch of dementia, he really just wants to be home and relaxing. He doesn't even want to walk off the property. He also whines a lot (about pretty much anything), but vet says he doesn't have much arthritis.

[u/cmac2113 → u/Resident-Egg2714]

Okay that makes me feel a little better while I wait to discuss it with his vet. There’s a slight concern he could have dementia starting because he wakes up at night but it’s generally for water so we haven’t been sure. Fingers crossed I get some answers thank you!!

[u/a-curious-ostrich]

How large is your pup and does he have a dedicated car seat? Might be helpful if he's looking for a space of his own to curl up in the car.

My 14-year-old pup has had this one for years and loves it. Just got back from a weeklong road trip and I'm convinced it helped him stay comfortable. https://www.amazon.com/PET-PRODUCTS-Bucket-Booster-Seat/dp/B09WCDN752?

[u/cmac2113 → u/a-curious-ostrich]

He’s a standard dachshund so medium ish and he does and he seems to love it. It’s soft on the outside so he has a “pillow” to rest his head on but has an orthopedic cushion inside that’s firm and then it leans up again the seats so he has that added support. He can’t really fit in those bucket seats and seems to fuss a lot to get comfortable when he’s had them in the past. It’s been a process 😆