Dog hiccups can be cute but also alarming especially when it’s your first time seeing your dog with hiccups.
Hiccups are caused by different factors including fast eating and drinking, overexcitement, rapid breathing, stress or inhalation of irritants.
The first step is to always identify the probable cause of the hiccups and then monitoring your dog as they progress through the hiccup episode.
The good thing is that they are not harmful to your dog and they last for a few minutes. Dog hiccups should resolve by themselves, however if they last for more than 1 hour, always consult your veterinarian.
During a hiccup episode you may feel the desire to comfort your dog through the process which is okay. In this article, you will learn how to help your dog get rid of hiccups.
How to Help Your Dog Get Rid of Hiccups
Relax your dog after playing
Heavy breathing or panting during play changes the breathing pattern of a dog which leads to development of hiccups due the irregular breathing pattern which causes spasms of the diaphragm.
When dog hiccups start because of this, have your dog take a rest from playing so that they can relax.
This will bring their breathing pattern to the regular movements, in turn calming the diaphragm and returning it to it’s normal movements which will stop the hiccups.
Slow feeding
Hiccups are also caused when a dog eats or drinks too quickly which results in swallowing a lot of air. The swallowed air makes the stomach distend towards the chest area, pressing on the diaphragm muscle which triggers the production of hiccups.
Therefore if your dog eats or drinks very fast or is very excited during meal times, you can slow this down by using a slow feeding bowl.
This will help them eat their food more slowly and prevent hiccups from developing after meal times.
Read more: Are dog hiccups faster?
Take a walk
By helping your dog return to their normal breathing patterns, you can get rid of your dog’s hiccups.
This can be done by taking a brisk walk around your neighborhood or backyard so that they can slowly come back to their regular breathing pattern.
This will help the diagram to relax and therefore get rid of the hiccups.
Include a sweetener in drinking water
Including sweeteners such as syrup in your dog’s drinking water helps to distract them which helps them return to their normal breathing pattern.
This helps to also to calm them down if the hiccups were as a result of rapid breathing. This helps to stop the hiccups.
Remember not to use sugar because sugar is not healthy for your dog, therefore you should use other sweetener alternatives.
Belly rubs
Rub your dog’s belly and chest area, during a bout of hiccups. The gentle massage helps to stop the spasms of the diaphragm which helps the muscle to return to its regular movements which stops the hiccups.
Belly rubs also provide quality time to bond with their dog which is a win-win situation.
Change their diet
High grain diets tend to make some dogs have a stomach upset with gas. This makes the stomach to distend which moves towards the chest area, irritating the diaphragm and causing it to have irregular contractions.
This causes hiccups to occur. Therefore change your dog’s diet so that they do not frequently develop hiccups.
Should I Be Worried About My Dog's Hiccups?
Dog hiccups are usually not harmful to your dog and you should not be worried about your dog hiccups, however keep an eye on your dog to monitor whether the hiccups last for more than 1 hour or are accompanied by other symptoms.
Hiccups that last for a long time indicate that there might be something serious that is causing them which requires immediate medical attention.
Medical conditions that can cause hiccups include asthma, pneumonia, stomach issues, heart disease, heatstroke, meningitis, encephalitis, cancer and traumatic brain injury.
Can I Use Human Remedies to Stop Dog Hiccuping?
No, you cannot use human remedies to stop dog hiccupping because human remedies can be dangerous to your dog. For example, human remedies such as startling a person with hiccups or holding of breath to get rid of hiccups are not suitable to be used to stop dog hiccups.
These remedies do not work for a dog because when you startle your dog, this will cause stress and anxiety which is not healthy for them. This will also cause your dog to distrust you which negatively affects the bond you have with them.
Similarly, you cannot force your dog to hold their breath which also will be distressing and harmful to them.
Therefore, although dog hiccups are similar to human hiccups and also triggered in the same way, you should never use human remedies to get rid of dog hiccups.
Further reading: Why does my Great Dane get hiccups?
Bottom Line
Hiccups are quite common in dogs but less frequent in adult dogs compared to puppies. They are something that your dog will experience in their lifetime.
The hiccups last for a few minutes and should resolve by themselves without harming your dog.
Identify what triggers the hiccups in your dog and by following the above tips on how to help your dog get rid of hiccups, you can help to relieve them from the hiccups.
Always remember that if the hiccups prolong or are accompanied by other symptoms of illness, always consult your veterinarian so that they may find out if something else is the cause for further treatment to be provided.
Read more: When to worry about puppy hiccups