Alice White
Hiccups are still uncomfortable for the fluffy friend. Read here what you can do to help your four-legged friend.
Can Dogs Get Hiccups?
Hiccups are caused by a twitch in the diaphragm. Irregular breathing often leads to diaphragm twitching. The stomach releases gases. If the dog has hiccups, anything that changes breathing can help.
Causes of the Hiccups in the Dog
Basically, hiccups have their uses in animals: similar to the little burrow, the hiccups release gases from the stomach. It also prevents water from entering the lungs. From an anatomical point of view, these are irregular twitching of the diaphragm. A little hiccup then turns into hiccups.
It usually goes away on its own after a few minutes. The following can cause hiccups:
- Cold: Puppies and small breed dogs, in particular, are more prone to hiccups from the cold.
- Eating or drinking hastily: Uncontrolled and irregular breathing causes a hiccup.
- Stress, nervousness, and fear: hectic breathing irritates the diaphragm.
- Stomach problems and too much gas in the stomach.
What Helps? Home Remedies for Dog Hiccups
If the dog has hiccups, anything that changes the animal’s breathing will help. Whether a fright or relaxation – what exactly helps, differs from animal to animal. The following measures may be helpful:
Feed
When eating or drinking, the animal’s breathing changes. In addition, the dog is distracted. Usually, the hiccups go away very quickly when eating.
Frighten
What helps with humans is not wrong for animals either: frightening is the best medicine for hiccups. As a result of the shock, the dog draws in the air briefly and violently. This marked change in the breathing rhythm makes the Hicks quickly forgotten.
Play / distract
Take out the dog’s favorite toy and distract him: Run after the beloved ball a few times – and your breathing is just the same again.
Bathe
Bathing is also a tried and tested home remedy for hacking dogs. Especially if Fiffi isn’t a fan of it. Normally, bathing leads to at least internal rejection and resistance in the animal. That shifts the focus: the dog no longer concentrates on the hiccups, but on his resistance. That has a regulating effect.
Hiccups in Puppies Have Other Reasons
Have you ever been lucky enough to raise a puppy? Then you know that young, small dogs in particular often suffer from hiccups – even when they sleep. It is not proven.
It is said that hiccups in puppies are comparable to growth pain in humans. So if the puppy has a hiccup, it is currently growing acutely.
