Why Do Dogs Get Hiccups? 6 Reasons and What to Do About Them
Dog hiccups have the following 6 reasons: eating too fast, unsuitable dog food, eat irritating food, feels cold, talk in sleep, gastrointestinal problems. Dog owners can consider the following detailed points.
6 reasons of dog hiccups
Eating too fast
Some dogs eat very fast, can not wait to see the food, directly gulp down, eat the excess air into the stomach, causing greater pressure on the esophagus and stomach, leading to the occurrence of hiccups.
In this case, we need to let the dog develop a good habit of eating slowly.
It's best to start with eating habits and find ways to give your dog more chew or portion control.
Unsuitable dog food
Some foods are easy to produce gas in the body, such as sweet potato, which is high in starch, or sticky rice and corn, which are difficult to digest.
When dogs eat these foods, they tend to burp or fart to get rid of the gas.
In addition, if the hardness of the dog food is not suitable for the dog's stomach, it is also possible to cause the dog hiccups.
If you suspect your dog is hiccuping because it's not used to the current dog food, try a different brand to see if it alleviates.
Eat irritating food
Too cold water and spicy foods, such as chili, ginger, garlic, and pepper, can affect your dog's esophagus and cause your dog's diaphragm to spasm. In this case, the hiccups are usually short-lived.
This is something within your control, and you can adjust the dog's eating habits slowly by observing their reactions.
Feel cold
Hiccups and shortness of breath can occur as soon as the dog feels cold during the period immediately after the meal.
Especially in winter, owners should pay attention to the dog's warmth, prepare more warm supplies for the dog, ensure that the dog will not catch cold, help them regulate their body temperature to stop hiccups.
Talking in sleep
Sometimes, when a dog is asleep, it suddenly burps and twitches its feet.
In this case, you can rest assured that the dog is just talking in its sleep. Put your hand next to your dog and he will go back to sleep.
Gastrointestinal problems
Frequent severe hiccups may also be caused by gastrointestinal problems, such as stomach volvulus in dogs, which cannot be ignored, not only hiccups, but also vomiting and abdominal pain, the same reason is eating habits, food poisoning, eating too much, dogs are not very good at controlling their own food intake, owners need to help pay attention or proper training and education.
How do owners properly respond to dog hiccups?
Don't worry too much
In fact, the dog's hiccup is similar to the principle of people, occasionally hiccup is also a normal condition, the owner does not need to worry too much, but must be carefully observed, if there is no stop for a long time, or the frequency is very high, do not ignore it.
Massage can be soothing
Unlike humans, dogs don't have many remedies for hiccups, so owners can massage their bellies and pat their backs so that they can discharge the gas more smoothly, so that they don't feel bad every time they belch.
Consult a professional veterinarian
If the owner has any doubts about the situation of his dog, it is recommended to seek formal medical channels, veterinary hospitals are now more and more, do not feel troublesome, early detection of the condition and early cure is the best.
The best automatic dog feeder for your dog
As we mentioned earlier, dog hiccups can also occur if the dog gobbles and eats too quickly.
Is there anything we can do to keep our dog under control?
Most of the ordinary slow feeders on the market are made of fragile materials, and dogs can easily break the shell to get the food inside.
Lionpapa recommends you use one of our best automatic dog feeders.
It's made of hard material, and the dog is not strong enough to break it.
You can give your dog up to 4 meals a day, and you can also control the size and time of each meal.
When it's time to eat, the automatic feeder will automatically play your prerecorded message calling the dog to eat.
The feeder is either fast or slow enough for the dog to eat at an even rate.
