They can sometimes bark for hours: dogs in kennels, hyper-vigilant dogs, or just the annoying yapping from the neighbors. Do those frequent barkers ever experience voice problems? Or is hoarseness reserved for humans?
The anatomy of a dog's voice is roughly similar to that of humans. In fact, doctors sometimes use the dog larynx as a test model, because of the great similarities.
Hoarseness and hoarseness have their origin in the vocal cords: a set of tissue folds in the larynx, with a gap between them. We can open and close that gap, allowing the folds to vibrate in different ways when air flows through them. For example, we can talk, sing and hum – and dogs can bark, howl and growl.
Very smooth vibration
The vocal cords consist mainly of muscle tissue, ENT doctor Rico Rinkel from Amsterdam UMC said earlier NRC. “That muscle tissue is covered with mucous membrane. Between the muscle tissue and the mucous membrane is the so-called Reinke's space, which is filled with a kind of gel.”
This ensures that the vocal cords vibrate very smoothly when talking or barking. But if they are excessively stimulated, additional fluid can accumulate in both the mucous membrane and the underlying space. Rinkel: “The vocal cords then become heavier and vibrate more slowly. The sound then sounds lower.”
Sound changes can also be seen in dogs that bark excessively, says Ineke van Herwijnen of the Utrecht Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. “They can indeed become hoarse,” she says. “You see this, for example, in dog boarding houses where there is a lot of barking behavior, due to excitement or stress. Hoarseness can also be caused by some respiratory infections.”
But what about longer-term overload? In humans, this can lead to visible tissue changes, according to ENT doctor Rinkel. “We sometimes see this with teachers or singers,” he says. “They can develop a kind of nodules on the vocal cords. If the vocal cords no longer close properly, the voice will sound hoarse.” These lumps can go away through rest and a more relaxed use of the voice. But if the overload lasts too long, they will become less likely to go away.
Big difference between breeds
We sometimes see something similar in dogs, says canine ENT doctor Gert ter Haar from the AniCura practice in Utrecht. “This can happen with any damage or inflammation of the mucous membrane of the larynx, so not necessarily due to a lot of barking,” he says. “Sometimes larger polyps develop, which also cause shortness of breath. That is always reason for treatment. We often take polyps that only cause hoarseness for granted.”
Not all dogs bark equally. First, there is a big difference between breeds. “People have partly selected dog breeds based on their tendency to bark,” says Van Herwijnen. For example, guard dogs bark a lot; the African Basenji does not bark at all. He whines sometimes yes – and he yodels, thus sources on the internet.
Then there are differences in personality and in sensitivity to stimuli or fear, for example after neglect or trauma. Can you actually stop dogs from barking? Not really, Van Herwijnen knows. “Hereditary barking tendencies often occur together with other traits that are subject to selection, such as excitement.” Conversely, you can teach a dog (with a lot of patience and careful training) to sometimes bark, even on your command or signal. For example, police, avalanche or drug dogs.
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