Why can horses hiccup but not burp?

Irishcobs

Irishcobs

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Have been thinking about this all day. Why can horses hiccup but not burp?
I'm thinking because hiccups come from the diaphragm and burbs would come from the stomach (same as being sick) but does anyone know if this is right?
 
horses hiccup? never knew that
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what does it sound like?
 
My mare can burp and does it all day out hunting. Sort of a rumble in the tummy, you feel it, then it rolls up her throat to her mouth. Doesn't make a proper noise like a human burp though, but defiantely air coming out!
 
Bit like a human hiccup I suppose. We have one that sounds like it is wind sucking but he is definitely not sucking in air.
 
I know the cardiac sphincter is a ring of muscle where the oesophagus meets the stomach, this opens as food passes down (by peristalsis) and closes after. This is what stops a horse being sick...in theory it should stop a horse burping too as that is gasses from the stomach going up.

Like you said the hiccup is to do with the respiratory system and the diaphragm, so pretty much unrelated to burp.

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Dogs don't burp either but they do hiccup! A hiccup's to do with the diaphram though isn't it whereas a burp is to do with gas? Hmm, I am not sure. Not seen my horse hiccup yet though!
 
My dog burps! always after her dinner great big ones like a beer swilling drunk!
As for horses i assumed that although they get hiccups it is almost like gulping air down ( well was in the case i have seen) whereas burping is air coming up might be completely wrong though.
 
My dog Burps , he is a staffie too, they just stink all round, Burps , farts , stinks, ive only ever heard one of my old ponies burp , none of my others , Im not sure about hiccups , never heard them either . x
 
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Dogs don't burp either but they do hiccup! A hiccup's to do with the diaphram though isn't it whereas a burp is to do with gas? Hmm, I am not sure. Not seen my horse hiccup yet though!

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My dog can burp for england after she has wolfed down her food!
And my mare was hiccuping the other day. Very strange..
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Dogs AND cats (and husbands) can burp for Britain. Burping is just swallowed air/fizz being released from the stomach. I would have thought neds couldn't burp though. Hiccups are very different as delilah and ladyt say. It is to do with the respiratory system and is a spasm of the diaphragm. I have heard a theory that it is a way for the developing foetus to test its breathing mechanism since a hiccup is as if you are about to take a deep breath and it is instantly stopped by the spasm of the diaphragm. So the foetus can safely try the "breathe in" reflex in safety.
 
Hiccups in horses are known as "thumps" and can often be linked to dehydration/electrolyte imbalance.

Not sure about burping though, didn't think horses could?
 
Just googled it:

"Smooth muscles lining the esophagus do not allow a horse to burp or vomit, so large quantities of gas or fluid can accumulate within the stomach, contributing to pain and colic"
 
Ok, so i s'pose dogs do burp a bit, i hadn't really thought about it as i am thinking human burps but actually my dog has burped (in my face - nice) after its dinner! Never seen/heard my horse burp though! I remember our donkey having hiccups once, that was quite funny.
 
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