Q & A: Hiccups
By Dr. Kim Everson, DVM
Question: My new puppy sometimes sounds like he has hiccups. Is this possible? Is it normal?
Answer: Hiccups in puppies is a common but harmless condition. There are many theories as to why this occurs in dogs.
A hiccup occurs when the diaphragm, the large sheet of muscle separating the chest cavity from the abdominal cavity, spasms suddenly. This spasm causes a sharp intake of breath which is stopped by the vocal cords snapping shut. This sudden closure causes the classic “hiccup” sound.
In people, development of hiccups has been linked to eating or drinking too quickly causing the stomach to swell, swallowing air, smoking or imbibing alcohol, emotional stress or excitement, or sudden change in temperature in the stomach contents. These same triggers (except for, I hope, smoking and drinking alcohol) may also cause hiccups in pets.
Many veterinarians believe hiccups in puppies are simply an outward sign of a pup’s immature nervous system developing. One interesting theory is that a puppy’s floating 13th rib may rub against and stimulate firing of the large phrenic nerve, the nerve that controls the diaphragm’s movement. Even merely stretching the immature phrenic nerve due to swallowing a lot of air during vigorous play, barking and rapid eating in puppies could lead to hiccups. Strangely, my puppy always got hiccups when he needed to go outside to toilet, which made potty training a breeze! Rarely, unresolving or severe cases of hiccups (especially in older pets) may indicate an underlying condition requiring treatment.
Whatever the cause, hiccups seem to bother owners more than the puppies. Episodes of puppy hiccups generally do not last long and go away on their own. However, you may try to shorten a hiccup spell by gently laying your puppy on his back and rolling him from side to side a few times. Another trick is to place a teaspoon of sugar on the back of his tongue. Most puppies outgrow the hiccups by 12-18 months of age.
Originally printed in Pet Journal, November 2013