Heaving Hiccups

[lucy]

Last night I went into an absolute panic when I thought I heard a tiny choking noise coming from one of my pigs - I picked her up, had a quick look in her mouth and massaged her throat a bit just in case. I was completely prepared to stick my fingers down her throat at one point I was so scared!

Thank god for Peter Gurney - he described exactly what was happening as 'heaving hiccups' and said this was completely normal and the pig usually sorts it out itself when they've eaten too fast and they've gotten a bit of food wedged somewhere. Has anyone else had this? It sounded a bit like a chipmunk or a baby choking!

[abby]

No i haven't experienced it thank god though i have read about it. I used to have ratties and they frequently choked on food which was always absolutely terrifying. Their mouths are so tiny it was hard to scoop anything out even with your little finger but we had to save them like that probably half a dozen times. It's so scary when you know you've got seconds in which to act. Glad your little one is alright!

[twistedsymphony]

Freya keeps doing this, its scaring the life out of me, 'only' for a minute at a time normally, but its becoming a weekly event, do you think shes ok?

[Orlaith]

I'm sure she's okay. Does she eat her dinner really fast or something?

[twistedsymphony]

they both seem not to chew quite enough lol! Freya has always been in a rush, so rushing her food would seem plausible. Its the scariest sound in the world though, and it looks like she is having a fit >.<

I watch her doing it in a panic, get the phone out to ring the emergency vet, feeling like I am going to have a nervous break down and then she just makes a little 'kack' noise, and bimbles off and eats as if she has done nothing o.o... I appear to be much more traumatised than she is.