It is normal that sometimes we lose our voice due to different causes. Talking about dogs, can dogs lose their voice just as humans do? In this case, the same thing may happen to your cute dog.
Can a dog lose its voice from barking too much?
As a dog owner, you will feel uneasy to see your friend suffer such a thing. Of course, it can be super frustrating for your dog. Therefore, it is crucial to know what are the symptoms and why does it happen to your little buddy. By doing it, you can make the best decision to cope with the problem.
In this article, we will show you everything you need to know surrounding the dog voice topic.
What happens when my dog lost his voice?
Dogs lose their voice, what is it?
Whenever you hear something weird in your dog’s voice, it could be the beginning of the problem. They can be differences in the tone or the quality of your dog’s bark compared to normal days, or even worse, it stops barking. The symptom is quite simple to recognize even if we are not a professional.
We can define the symptom as a major change in various aspects of your dog’s voice that causes your dog to stop barking and dog losing his voice temporarily or permanently. The seriousness depends on different causes as we give in the list below.
Main reasons that make your dog lose the voice
We know that voice comes primarily from the larynx or voice box. Hence, problems related to voice are usually because of the malfunction in these organs and reduce the ability to make a sound.
Laryngeal paralysis
The first cause that we usually think of is laryngeal paralysis. The symptom can be that even if your little dog opens its mouth to bark, you hear little or absolutely nothing coming out of his mouth. This means that the dog’s voice box may get into trouble and lose its main function.
Dogs who have laryngeal paralysis will have a big change in their voice and the bark will be raspy. In some cases, the dog’s voice is more severely affected and it could lead to respiratory distress, which is very bad for your dog’s health.
Laryngeal Collapse
The collapse of the Laryngeal is a condition that happens commonly in dogs. In the first place, the cartilage of the dog’s voice box becomes less rigid. It means that the cartilage couldn’t help the laryngeal further.
As a result, the larynx fold and collapses from the ordinary position. Hence, the sound is distorted, and it is uneasy for your dog. Furthermore, it is a threat to your pet because it can block the airway. In this circumstance, medical attention is necessary, or even surgical treatment may be needed.
Obstruction in the airway
A more serious concern involves obstruction. If your dog has an object fly to his throat, this may be a trouble that makes the dog’s voice becomes weird and also compromise the airway passage. It is also possible that your dog swallows something big that stuck in its throat and blocks the movement of airflow.
They will not be able to be so cute once they lost their voice
There are some simple signs you can easily see to check if there is an obstruction in the dog’s throat. We can think of coughing, squeaking, or labored breathing.
Injury to the larynx
Assuming there is a traumatic injury to your little friend’s neck, there will be a high potential that it creates swelling. This swelling can ruin the normal movement of airflow through the vocal cords, which results in dog lost voice. Any other possible injury and damage to the voice box can also be considered to be the reason for the issue.
Infection or ailment
Another factor to consider is infection and ailment. It could be a throat, ear, or respiratory infection that damages the capability to vocalize. When suffering a severe infection, the nerves control their laryngeal and make a change to adapt. Thus, the dog’s voice is adjusted.
Ailment due to climate change is also a reason. Your dog can’t adapt quickly to the weather such as cold winter or hot summer, and your pretty dog gets sick easily. During the illness or after all the symptoms disappear, its voice will start to be hoarse and strained.
Your dog barks too much
Just like us, a dog’s voice can also become hoarse if they bark too much in a short time or use the voice all day long. You should bear in mind that your dog’s voice is made thanks to the movement of airflow through vocal cords.
Hence, if they overuse it for an extended time, the vocal cords’ tissues are weakened faster, as well as other structures of the laryngeal. Consequently, their function will not be as efficient as it used to be. Generally, it leads to a change in your dog’s voice rather than causing your dog to be forever silent.
Consequence of surgery
The dog losing voice problem may also come from the consequence of surgery in the past. If your pretty dog had a surgery related to the throat, it can affect how your dog’s voice should be.
It is because all the tissues need time to fully recover from the surgery and also, they might not be able to work as properly as they used to. Hence, your dog’s voice can be changed or even disappear after this time.
Other causes
These reasons are not commonly seen but they can also make dogs lose their voice, including autoimmune disorders, muscle disorders, or hypothyroidism.
On top of that, an autoimmune disorder is a condition in which the dog’s immune system attacks cells of the dog’s body to prevent further problems. Sometimes, it attacks the nerve cells providing the voice box.
Conclusion
To conclude, if you notice any strange thing happening to your dog’s voice as we talked about previously, it could be a sign of a dog losing his voice.
Hopefully, after reading this article, you can do some simple diagnostic tests to determine what the reason is. Then, you can make a good decision on how to solve the dog losing voice issue.
