Many puppies tend to have these hiccup episodes at some point as they’re still in the development stage. As they grow older, their episodes will decrease. However, it’s still good to consult with a veterinarian if you see your puppy have hiccups, so you know for sure that it’s nothing too serious.

This guide will help you find out everything there is to know about dogs having hiccups, from how to deal with them to what to do if it becomes a health concern for your puppy.

What Causes Puppies to Have Hiccups?

Due to the young age of puppies, the most common reasons for them to get hiccups are from: eating and drinking too quickly

By eating and drinking too quickly, your puppy swallows up more air that causes it to get hiccups. This causes your puppy’s diaphragm to contract by irritating its muscles and causing stomach distention. This process is known as aerophagia.

Stress and Overexcitement
Another reason that causes puppies to have hiccups is stress and overexcitement. When puppies are stressed or excited, they tend to take shorter breaths and start breathing due to the increase in heart rate and cortisol levels. This causes the puppy to take shorter breaths and breathe with its chest instead of its diaphragm.

Stomach Gas
A puppy having hiccups does offer one benefit, and the benefit is that hiccups can help your puppy get rid of gas in its stomach.

Medications
If your puppy is taking medications like antibiotics and corticosteroids, then it is bound to get hiccups. These medications can also cause your puppy to have acid reflux.

Foods Your Puppy Should Eat in Small Quantities
There are specific foods that your puppy must eat in small quantities. Here is a list of those foods:
Rice, Bread and Grains

If your puppy’s diet consists of any of these 3 foods, then you must monitor how much of it is consumed by your puppy. This is because eating rice; bread grains can cause your puppy distention by swelling up in the stomach. This would cause your puppy to have hiccups. For you to prevent that from happening, you shouldn’t give your puppy too much rice, bread, or grains.

Spicy Foods
This is a type of food that your puppy should eat very little or shouldn’t eat at all, no matter how much they may love it. Many dogs might be able to tolerate spicy foods, but puppies aren’t! Spicy foods not only cause your puppy to have severe hiccups but also cause them to have stomach issues like diarrhea, gas, and stomach pain.

Mangoes
Can dogs eat mangoes? this is a very common question asked by dog owners, and the answer to that is yes, dogs can eat mangoes. However, it’s important to remember that your puppy is still essentially a baby and can only eat and digest a certain quantity.

So, if you’re going to feed your puppy mangoes, cut them into small pieces that your puppy can easily swallow and digest; if they eat too many big pieces, it can cause them to choke or have hiccups.

How Long Do Hiccups Last for A Puppy?
For a puppy, hiccups last for about a few minutes. These episodes can sometimes last for about 10-15 minutes or even an hour. However, if your puppy has hiccups for more than an hour, then you should take it to the vet immediately to get it checked.

How to Stop your Puppy’s Hiccups?
As stated in the above point, most of the time, a puppy’s hiccups last for only a few minutes. If the hiccups last longer, then you can try to stop them in different ways, such as offering your puppy some water to drink or taking it out on a walk. If that doesn’t work, then you can try scratching or petting its belly or making sure that it eats food slowly.

If that doesn’t work, then here are some methods that may help to stop your puppy’s hiccups:
Milk

If your puppy gets hiccups after eating something spicy, the best way to make those hiccups stop is by giving milk to your puppy, preferably one that contains casein. This is because casein is a protein that helps to break down capsaicin particles present in the spicy food that would irritate the puppy’s throat and diaphragm.

Sweet Liquids
Another method that can help you to stop your puppy’s hiccups is by giving it some sweet liquids to drink, such as honey or maple syrup. The sweetness of these drinks helps to divert your puppy’s attention from its hiccups and slow its breathing pattern back to normal.

Make Frequent Visits with Your Puppy to The Vet Clinic
It’s important to make frequent visits to the vet’s clinic with your puppy so that you can stay up to date with your puppy’s health and clear any doubts as well.

Hiccups are something that is very common for puppies to have; however, it’s still advised to get a checkup from the vet. Although it’s very rare, a puppy can also get hiccups due to other health concerning issues such as:

• Heatstroke
• Asthma
• Pneumonia
• Bronchitis
• Respiratory defects

That’s why it’s important to take your puppy to the vet clinic, even if your puppy just started having hiccups. This way, your vet can find out whether the reason is something serious or not.

It’s Normal for Puppies to Get Hiccups
Hiccups are common in puppies and usually reduce as they age. Your pup can have hiccups due to eating quickly, feeling stressed or excited, stomach gas, or acidity caused by medicines.

Feed your puppy food items such as rice, grains, bread, spicy foods, and mangoes in small quantities to prevent your puppy from getting affected by hiccups.

Hiccups generally stay for only a few minutes but can continue for an hour. If your puppy’s hiccups don’t stop within an hour, get it examined by a vet.

Author Bio:
Dur-e-Sabih provides ghostwriting and copywriting services. Her educational background in Accountancy helps her in tackling topics ranging from career and business productivity to web development, finance, and digital marketing.