Can animals have hiccups?

Short answer: yes.

Here's C. Claiborne Ray's "Q&A" feature from yesterday's New York Times Science section, in which she elaborates.

Hiccups in Hounds

Q. Can animals have hiccups?

A. The collective wisdom of veterinary practitioners is that hiccups do exist in animals, at least in puppies and kittens, but they are episodic, and the animals typically outgrow them, said William E. Hornbuckle, professor of veterinary medicine at the Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine.

Persistent hiccups or hiccups in older animals are quite rare, Dr. Hornbuckle said, although they may occur in association with conditions that cause irritation of the phrenic nerves, like distention of the gastrointestinal tract.

In human beings, a hiccup involves the vocal cords and the diaphragm, the sheet of muscles in the chest that controls breathing and separates the chest from the abdomen. When a sudden involuntary contraction of the diaphragm is accompanied by a quick closure of the vocal cords, the “hiccup” sound occurs. In puppies, at least, there is also a sound.

The phrenic nerves, which run from neck to chest, normally coordinate the smooth contraction of the two leaves of the diaphragm, and hiccups may result from any irritation, mild or severe, anywhere along the path of a phrenic nerve. In both humans and animals, hiccups are often associated with a big meal.