Dogs Also Have Hiccups

Sooner or later it happens to all dog owners to hear their pet … with hiccups. Normally it is nothing serious, as long as the phenomenon does not last for days.

If your dog gets hiccups, there’s nothing wrong with that. Also, if you have a puppy, it will be even easier for this to happen.

What causes hiccups?

Hiccups are an involuntary contraction of the diaphragm, the muscle that separates the chest cavity from the abdomen, which produces a short and sometimes high pitched sound.

The underlying causes of hiccups can be various. The main one is excessively fast ingestion of food or liquids. In the case of puppies, the cold can also be a factor.

In other cases, hiccups can be due to stress, anxiety, nervousness, fatigue, fear, and so on.

How does your dog perceive hiccups?

Just like in humans, hiccups are not necessarily a symptom of anxiety or illness. It is presented to help the stomach eliminate excess gas, avoiding the occurrence of irritation. Sometimes, its purpose is to coordinate the nerves that control the movements of the diaphragm.

Hiccups can be a rather annoying and irritating phenomenon for dogs . The important thing, in these cases, is to identify what originated it. If you have any doubts about it, it is always best to go to the vet.

How to solve the problem of hiccups

To keep this type of disorder under control, you can wait for it to resolve naturally or teach your dog to eat slowly. The ideal way to do this is to pour the food little by little into the bowl, rather than all at once, so as not to generate anxiety in him.

If, for example, you have to give your dog 300 grams of food, instead of giving it all at once, we recommend that you give it to him slowly, dividing it into 10 portions of 30 grams each.

When he has finished one portion, wait a few minutes and continue with the next until the whole meal is complete.

Another tip to help him learn to eat more slowly is to always feed him from the bowl and never from your hand.

The character of the dog

A very nervous and stressed animal will suffer from hiccups with much more frequency than quiet ones. Stress and anxiety have been shown not only to cause flatulence and general malaise in our dogs, but can also cause more serious problems that will seriously damage their health. Dogs are not naturally stressed animals, we humans make them stressed.

Some tips to get rid of hiccups

• Just like for people, a little scare, carefully calibrated, can help stop the annoying phenomenon in our pet.
• A good walk will solve the problem of hiccups. The animal will have fun, sniff around, play and thus be able to forget the problem.
• Drinking water in small sips can also help make hiccups go away, as can ingesting small amounts of food.
• Taking a bath to the dog is often an excellent alternative to eliminate this annoying malaise.

• Know that hiccups will in no case compromise your pet’s health, whether it disappears immediately or lasts a little longer. You can therefore choose to ignore it or try to make it disappear as soon as possible.

• The results of our recommendations may vary depending on the individual animal. Since hiccups tend to go away on their own, it’s not essential to try to get rid of them immediately. However, it will certainly be useful to try to distract your little friend by interacting with him, so that he has fun and does not think about the disturbance.
• Among the things that our four-legged friends like most we find games, walks, runs etc. By doing one of these activities, the animal’s breathing will change, and the hiccups will disappear more easily.  
• Baths can also cause a change in the animal’s breathing, leading to the disappearance of hiccups – whether the dog likes to bathe or not. In any case, the impact of the water will alter his breathing, helping to stop this malaise.