Regular hiccups in puppy normal? (border collie, shepherd, labs, golden retriever)

[LAbleedsBlue]

Our now 12-week old Austrailian Shepherd/Border Collie, Lucy, has regular "hiccups." Atleast, that's what I think they are. They tend to happen when she's scared or been running for awhile and is sitting/lay down next to me. It lasts for about a minute or two and happens about once to twice a day, that I notice. She doesn't whine or act out of the ordinary when it happens (I'm the one who's antsy! ha).

Is this normal? We've had labs in the past and they haven't had this "hiccup" thing hardly ever (that I remember).

[leorah]

Hiccups are common in puppies. As long as they are eating, drinking and eliminating normally and they have had a clean bill of health from the vet, you can probably ignore them. Puppies usually outgrow them in a few months. If they are continual and they seem to be bothering the pup, call the vet.

[LAbleedsBlue]

Thank you leorah! That does relieve some of my anxiety! She does eat, drink & eliminate normally and has daily exercise at the local dog park as well as walks three times a day.

When should I become worried?

[World Citizen]

My dog went through that as a puppy. He's now about 8 months old and doesn't do it anymore.

I bring him for a long walk before eating. If he's become excited from playing, I wait until he's calmed down before feeding him.

I just Googled puppy hiccups and it seems that everyone concurs that it's normal for puppies.

[LAbleedsBlue]

Awesome. Is there something I can do to prevent them, or to decrease their frequency? I'm not sure what's causing them.

[leorah]

I don't think anyone really knows the cause. Puppies eat fast and they could be swallowing air. Their bodies aren't fully developed, so their diaphragms could just be havong spasms. I think you just need to wait it out. Do ask your vet if you are concerned, though.

[donnaleahw]

I have a 9 week old golden retriever and was wondering the same thing, thank you for the info. I would like to add that my puppies hiccups usually happen when i pick him up to bring him inside the house, and has nothing to do with his eating habits.

[Hanna B.]

My 5 month old puppy gets them too. I googled it and found out it is pretty normal, so I relaxed.

[Venom]

All puppies I've known hiccup.

[veterinaryinsider]

Hiccups in pups are thought to be caused by swallowing too much air when playing hard or eating fast. They're harmless and pups will outgrow them.