Just in time for that summer vacation ride with your pooch, the drugmaker is making available Cerenia, the “first and only FDA-approved” med for preventing and treating canine vomiting due to various causes, including motion sickness. The drug, which is available in tablet and injectable forms, was actually approved back in the winter, by the way.

To promote its use, Pfizer rattles off these stats: Vomiting is one of the most common reasons owners take their dogs to the veterinarian. Vets see between 16 and 28 cases of acute vomiting per month, with an estimated 3 million dogs experiencing vomiting each year in the US. And another 7 million dogs suffer from vomiting caused by motion sickness.

“For many people, dogs are members of the family, and it’s difficult to leave them behind during vacations or even while running errands because of motion sickness,” says George Fennell, vp of the US Companion Animal Division in Pfizer’s Animal Health business, in a statement.

The statement also says: “In extensive clinical trials, Cerenia was shown to be safe and effective, producing consistent results in a wide range of dog breeds and against several causes of vomiting such as parvovirus, gastroenteritis and renal disease. Cerenia is generally well tolerated by dogs. The most common side effects are excessive drooling, lethargy, lack of appetite, and diarrhea.”

Here’s something the statement didn’t say, but can be found in the adverse events section of the the prescribing info: In US studies looking at prevention of vomiting due to motion sickness, Cerenia caused more vomiting that wasn’t due to motion sickness than a placebo. In fact, a placebo caused no vomiting, while Cerenia yielded a 5.3 percent rate. And in European studies, Cerenia caused more than twice as much vomiting - for whatever reason - as a placebo - 9 percent versus 4 percent.

In other words, better bring that barf bag, just in case.

Update: As one astute reader reminds us - see comments below - Pfizer’s new obesity drug for doggies, Slentrol, caused vomiting in 24 percent of those studied. So if your dog is overweight and given Slentrol before a car ride, presumably, Pfizer hopes Cerenia is the elixir for that problem.