# Should I dope my dog?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-dope-my-dog/13240>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [January 29, 2000, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-dope-my-dog/13240 "2000-01-29T20:01:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\
**Post date:** [January 29, 2000, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-dope-my-dog/13240/1 "2000-01-29T20:01:00Z")

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I’m moving, and my new home is four hours away. We plan to drive up on moving day, and I was wondering, which would be less stressful on the dog: four hours’ drive time in a car, or Mommy gives her a mild tranquilizer and she wakes up at our destination? I know that the move is going to be hard on her, and I want to try to make it as un-traumatic as possible. (When I moved last time, I had to have my mother mail me a gallon of water, because she refused to drink the new, different smelling water that came with moving into the city.)Suggestions?

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**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\
**Post date:** [January 30, 2000, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-dope-my-dog/13240/2 "2000-01-30T00:48:00Z")

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What kind of a dog do you have, that riding in a car is stressful? Are you sure it’s really a dog?

I thought all dogs loved traveling. Four hours isn’t all that long. Get him some pig ears to chew on, or maybe a new Kong toy. No dope.

I’d be more worried about your mom and her thing about water.

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**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\
**Post date:** [January 30, 2000, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-dope-my-dog/13240/3 "2000-01-30T14:30:00Z")

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Some dogs get motion sickness.

Unless your dog is REALLY high strung, I doubt you would need a tranquilizer for her. Chances are, any tranq you would get from a vet would not knock her completely out, just make her a little tired.

Make a stop every hour for her to get out and walk, and go potty. Lay a binkie down for her in the car. She should be fine.