Hearing Loss in Dogs

My 12 year old Shih Tzu recently tumbled down a flight of stairs (12 total) Amazingly enough he didn't have any apparent physical injuries. He is walking fine, still eats and eliminates as usual. However he appears to be deaf now. He doesn't come when we call him, doesn't respond to the door bell ringing. My husband tried tapping a fork on a plate which he did hear. His ears look normal inside-no excessive hair, no redness, no odor, no drainage.
Just wondering if his fall could have caused his hearing problem or if it is a coincidence? Is there anything we can do to help him now? Planning on taking him to the veterinarian this week.

Hi, our GSD goes to work with my husband daily. He's a carpenter. Yesterday he was using a nail gun putting down a floor. At 3:30pm all of a sudden Noah lost all hearing. No doubt it was due to the trauma of the loud noise. Vet has him on 5mg Prednisone twice daily for three days. My question is, how common is this and does anyone have experience with it? What's the prognosis? I'm wondering if/when he will get his hearing back. We are beside ourselves with sadness.

My dog is going to be 12 in a month. He had a little hearing loss over the past year and when we took him to the vet for a skin condition his hearing got worse within three weeks. He was prescribed antibiotics, antifungals and Apequel for his chronic itchiness. When I realized his hearing had worsened I stopped these drugs, all of them. Now I have him on Quercetin plus washing him every other day with T-Sal shampoo mixed with sulfur and witch hazel. That helps his itch almost as much as the Apequel. I just wish I knew how delicate my dog's hearing was, and wish I knew how to best preserve the hearing he has left.

We have a 12yr old Jack Russell/poodle. We took her to the vet for her annual checkup and she had a bit of yeast infection. We were given MotoZol and have given it to her twice now. Yesterday she could hear us and today she can't. I looked up the medication and one of the side effects is hearing loss. Is this possible? Why would medications to make her ear better make her lose her hearing? Makes no sense. Could it be temporary and what can we do to help her? It's so sad :(

my 14 year old cheweinie's hearing started deteriorating a year ago. She hears some pitches better that other.
I thought about getting a dog whistle, so we could alert her when we are behind her etc, and so she could come when we call, etc.
Will she be able to hear a dog whistle?
I guess it's a stupid question! We will know after we get the whistle and see if she responds to it!!
But, after reading many questions/entries etc. on your website, I never saw any mention of a dog whistle to help with deafness. No, I take that back- I saw one mention, but it was for a dog who was deaf in very early life.
So--- I am both asking, and putting forth the possiblity of dog whistles being a help to deaf- especially deafness in older dogs- being a help.
Thank you.

We have a 10yr old pitbull name Bruno that has had medical issues since early on in life. When he was 7 he developed diabetes, but wasn't diagnosed early enough and as a result he lost his eyesight. Later on he also developed Cushing's disease. All of these issues have been addressed with our vet and the appropriate medicines prescribed. recently we took him to see the vet for a large ear hematoma, we suspect he banged it since he cannot see. Anyway the vet recommended surgery to drain it. We also requested to remove a fatty cyst on his chest while he was under. When we went to pick him up after the procedure, the vet prescribed us Metetavet drop for a yeast infection in his ears. 8 drops per ear once a day for 14 days. I placed the drops as directed and by the second day of treatment we noticed that he was not responding to verbal commands. We tried whistles to no avail... We immediately took him back to the vet as we were very concerned, they did a saline flush and told us to wait and see. It's almost a week now and no sign of improvements. My wife and I are heart broken that our dog with sight impairments is now also deaf with the possibility of it never to return. Has anyone also experienced this situation with their pets?

My Boxer is 12 yrs old. Lost his hearing overnight. Is that possible due to his age? Or is it likely he has a infection? He has no odor coming from his ears, and doesn't shake or scratch at his ears. He is sleeping a lot. His eating habits are normal, his behavior is normal.

The vet suggested sadation for flushing and packing ears as well as nail trimming. (Not firsttime they have done this procedure) I dropped him off at 930am they said sedation /proceedure at 11am, they told me to pick him up at 2 30pmsaid he was still sleepy and ask if I wanted to try and wake him up. I went in the back room and he was laying on the floor and was completely out of it. He didnt respond to me. He's eyes were droppy and goopy. They had to carry him to my car! I was told he should be mmoving arouND by 8pm that night. HE would not eat or move and winning all d and night. Next day would not get up, whining and would coward and was scared when we would wipe his eyes or try to get hm to move. He's had little water and no food. Took to emergency vet, no temp and heart was good.
Monday afternoon, he usually is waiting at door for me...I was in the house standing I fronfront of him calling his name and he didnt wake up. He finally opened his eyes and was happy to see me... then I realized he wasn't able to hear anything. Doorbell, when I asking him if he wants to go ffor walk.... no response!
The vet said, 'that's strange'
Keep me.updated daily and see if anything changes.....
I feel horrible and heart broken.

Any advice and/or suggestions?

My almost 8 yo. Boston Terrier, with perfect hearing, just went to the vet 3 weeks ago because of head shaking. She was diagnosed with a minor ear infection and given gentizol. After 7 days on it, she is completely deaf. I took her back to the vet where they cheerfully explained "she's just completely deaf. No connection to the medicine. Just coincidence!" I'm furious. Is there anything I can do to help her - or to keep this from happening to other dogs?

I adopted an English Bulldog used for breeding. 6 yrs old. Dr. Said ears calcified, obvious chronic infections. Can't get into canal to clean. She can hear very loud noises. Is there surgery to remove calcification, make canals available for cleaning & care and restore hearing?

Thank you
Beth

Hello and good after noon, I have a 4 year old Jack Russel. For the past week Lila hasn't been responding to anything like ball, treat , door bell, her name , outside. I took her to the vet and they told me everything looked good in the ears. I do have to say a couple of days ago she ate a bee could this have done it to her? I also have been noticing that at night she is doing this thing with her tongue, could she have something else going on? I just don't understand why she has gone deaf. She was fine and now can't hear!! I did put ear drops like once or twice about a week ago what was given to me by the vet months ago, only b/c I thought she was having an ear infection. The med isn't Otomax it's almost yellow ( I don't have the name on me) could that have coursed she hearing loss?

Hi, We have a Terrier, Llhaso Apso mix breed of 13 years old and about 20 lbs. We took him in for hearing loss (relatively recent, he had hearing within the past 6 months) and a general checkup, they said the ear canal was clear although he had a yeast infection. Will his hearing get better if the yeast infection is cleaned up or is it now permanent? Otherwise, he is in good condition, active, eats and drinks well.

What would cause fluid to build up in my 11 yr Lhasa Apsos ears would that cause deafness and how or if there's anything I could do to get rid of it the vet said they could not see down the ear canal due to hair having to be plucked I had the hair removed today but was just wondering what would cause the fluid build up to begin with and now is there a chance the fluid maybe dry up on its own since the hair is plucked now

PLEASE READ!!!!!
We went to the vet because we were due for the Lyme vaccine and a heartworm test.(we had just had our annual physical with her regular Dr the month before) when we went in for the vaccine/test the Tech(Not Dr.) looked her over and said everything looks good. She mentioned she was going to clean her ear, but only one. She said the other looked fine.(there were NO infections or any problems with Either ear. And there Never has been). Of course I didn't think anything of having them cleaned because after all it's no big deal. I was watching her do it, but not fully paying attention because we were also talking. I did Not see her put any solution into her ear, I just saw her go in with a Q-tip. Maybe it had some sort of medication on it but I don't know. I saw she was able to get out a couple chunks of waxy stuff and when she was done I saw her wipe it down with what looked like an alcohol swab. I'm assuming. And like I said she only mentioned one ear. I don't think she did the other, but then again I wasn't paying full attention so maybe she did it anyway? But I don't think so.
Anyway, a few days later I noticed she couldn't hear me and finally realized she was/is COMPLETELY DEAF!!! Like I was screaming her name from behind and she didn't even tip an ear. Let me Assure you her hearing has Always been EXCELLENT. Meaning I could whisper from a distance and she would acknowledge. She has Always been an Excellent listener and those ears are constantly moving to the sounds around her.
So of course I immediately brought her back to the vet to see her regular Dr. He thoroughly examined her and saw No problem with her or her ears except for the fact that she could No longer hear which he Confirmed. I informed him that we were just there a few days before and she had her ears cleaned and now she is Suddenly Deaf. I asked him if it could be related. I was suspicious. I asked many questions. He explained she isn't "Suddenly Deaf" it just seems that way. it would have been a progression that just finally turned to her losing her hearing or it could be attributed to her age. I understood what he was saying but STRONGLY disagreed. We eventually reached a road block because he kept Failing to understand my concern and insisted it was not sudden. I KNOW MY DOG. I know the other day she could hear EVERYTHING and now she hears NOTHING. NO Exceptions.
At a loss, i went home and started to do some research which led me here. I've read all the other posts above including the doctors responses. I fear this has happened to me too! Although we were NEVER prescribed any medication NOR were we treating any issues. It was just the Minimal in office "cleaning".

* Can I do anything to make it get better? I keep massaging her ears hoping it will do something.
* I saw an at home ear cleaning using part vinegar part water, could that help? I don't see how it could make it worse..? Is it ok if I try? I also saw one with part alcohol part water.. Thoughts?
* I will Do/Try ANYTHING!!!!

How can something that is supposed to be used on ears potentially cause Deafness?!? How is it even allowed on the market?!? That's INSANE. If I was informed that there was even the slightest one in a million chance I would NOT have taken that risk. But of course No one informs you of these things. Also who would think you could potentially be doing something dangerous by just doing what is considered to bebroutine good hygiene. And by a professional too!?

I'm disheartened, Our vet has been a Dr for 30+ years and ours for over 20 of that. He is smart and we've always put our faith in him and his knowledge. He had to have known that the cleaning was the result of her sudden deafness. I Don't see how he Couldn't or Wouldn't know this type of information given his experience. I'm certain. I feel I've been lied to. I feel he was intentionally making excuses and that's why he wasn't taking me seriously. Protecting himself.

PLEASE HELP. I am DEVASTATED. I am Physically and Mentally ill over it. I am Beside myself. Not only does this issue now make our every day life a real challenge and safety concern. But as her Mother it is HEARTBREAKING to not have your Baby be able to hear you anymore. She can't hear me tell her how much I love her. What a good girl she is. Ask her for her never ending kisses and all the other things she understood that we did on a daily basis that now trigger No response.
Any true pet parent can relate to this whether you're going through a similar experience or not

I have a 3 month old cockapoo. When we got it from the breeder it had a head tilt so we took him to the vet. He had a bad ear infection in both ears and was put on ear drops and such. The vet says the ears are free of infection now bit the dog still has a head tilt and has issues locating where sound is coming from. He can hear the slightest sound but you go outside and he can't tell where it is coming from. Why is this and what are the possible issues that you have seen?

My Friend just recently got a Dogo argentino and its partially deaf , he has not taken her to the vet since he just got her today but approximately spending wise how much would something like that be and what percentage of her hearing with a hearing aid be?

I took my maltese in for a skin condition and the vet suggested I use an ear cleaner as he noticed a little build up- it was a mixture of panalog, conofite and cerumen. He had perfect hearing (ie heard my assistant pull into the parking lot on the other side of our building daily) and suddenly 5 days later- greatly dimished hearing. Won't wake from a nap when I call him when sitting next to him, does not come running when the treat bag comes out etc. I googled and think there may be nerve damage. He isn't totally deaf but is severely impaired- I'd say went from a 10 to a 2 then took steroids and it went to a 5. Is there anything I can do with supplements or other actions to help? It's been 2 months. Should I try steroids again? Thanks for any help.

I have a 12 year old short-hair chihuahua. He's suffered seizures for the past 6 years and is currently on phenobarbital (16.2g 2x/day). He generally still has 2 grand-mal seizures each month - letting you know this in case it has an relevance to hearing issues. For about the past 2 months he seems unable to hear certain noises. I can walk up behind him and he doesn't hear me. When he's outside he is totally oblivious to the fact that I'm whistling/calling him back in. I understand he's an older dog and this is normal, but one thing that concerns me is that when I open our front door to let him out, the door makes a "suction noise" (for lack of a better description) - when the door is being pulled away from the rubber weatherstrip. This is nothing new, it's always been this way. However, if he is standing closer than 3 feet to the door while it's being opened, his body physically tremors and sometimes he actually collapses - his legs give out and he falls over. I have to push him far back from the door until it's opened to keep him from collapsing. I'm certain it's hearing related, but strange since most of the time he can't hear me, but he's ultra-sensitive to this noise. It's never bothered him in the past.

Question regarding my last post that was not answered...

Dr. Michele King,

Thank you for responding! I really do appreciate you taking the time to read and respond to my story.
I appreciate your information regarding an aging ear canal and I'm glad you were able to also tell me something a little bit different. That was helpful and I wish I was told that before also.
However I am still uncomfortable with the situation considering the circumstances of how it played out and the severity of the outcome.
With that said,
Would it be considered normal for what you had said to have happened if they had only cleaned one ear? That doesn't make sense to me how the ear canal would affect both sides.. If you don't mind, would you be able to explain it a little more to me?
Also I had asked if it would be OK to do an at-home ear cleansing with either water and vinegar Or water and alcohol? See if it helps... Is that safe?

Thank you again!
Xtina

Hi, our 11 year old Australian Shepherd acts like she can’t hear us when she’s tired or outside or barking but when I shake a bag of treats she comes running or if she hears a squirrel on the fence she hears it right away. Do you think it’s a hearing problem?

I have a 5 year old pitbull that I've noticed her not hearing me as well as she used to. We took her to the vet as we thought there could be ear wax and I didn't want to do that improperly at home. They looked in the air and did a swab, came back and said there was yeast and bacterial infection. They sent us home with Mometamax drops and EpiKalm ear cleanser. More days later there was no change so I took her back to the vet. They said to continue the drops and change the earphones or to Cerumotic. We just moved to the area so this was a new Veterinary Clinic through bansfield Hospital. We saw two different vets each visit. The second thought that looked at her said her ear drums were intact and it did not act like there was any type of inflammation or blockage. She said she could just be losing her hearing. This literally just breaks my heart that she can't here when I come in the door or tell her that I love her. She now has horrible separation anxiety. I would just like to know when the yeast and bacterial infection is gone if you think her hearing will get better? And from the side effects of the medication I'm wondering if I should keep her on this? I cannot understand using and medication to help hearing loss that causes hearing loss. How long after use of this medication before the hearing normally comes back? How would I go about finding a specialist in my area? I'm in Leavenworth Kansas outside of Kansas City Kansas or Kansas City Missouri. Thank you in advance.

Over the past few months I have noticed that my dog has not be responding normally to calls and noises. When I walk in the door she no longer perks her head up and I can often sneak up on her now, something which has never happened in the past. I went to my local vet and the description he gave was something like "she magically went death, even though she is healthy in every other way". My dog has had ear infections in the past, but nothing recently so I do not understand how this could have happened. Could it be the ear infections or the medicine I have given her for them (Mometamax)? My vet also said that the ear drum had no damage and he did not mention anything about ear wax build up being a problem. If you have any insight I would greatly appreciate it, my dog is very young still so I am confused on how this could have happened.

My dog a minature schnauzer is 11 years old and has quite quickly lost his hearing, or certain levels of noise. But we have found that now when in the car he pants and becomes extremely agitated. Any advice would be welcome

My dog went deaf soon after a dose of Claro Otic. She started tipping and vomited shortly after and then stopped eating and drinking. I went back the next day and the Dr. said it was likely due to the ear infection and fluid in her ear. The next day she was completely deaf and I had him take the drops out. after looking at the ingredients of the medication, I was appalled to see Propylene Glycol and several other ingredients that shocked me. I am heartbroken and wonder if there is any way to tell if she will recover her hearing? Why are these products being used?

Thank you,

Holly

hi there i have a 4 year old chihuahua i adofted from cyprus and retund to uk with her she was stone deaf when i got her shes merle black and white 1 blue eye 1 brown she seem to here 1 of our other dogs bark and responds by barking back some times it seems like her hearing is very slight can this improve or is it my imagination shes mabe picking up on vibrations

I have a 13 year old pitbull mix in excellent health. However, he had an ear infection that wouldn't go away so the doctor decided to use an antibiotic mixed with wax and put it in his ears the infection went away however, my dog is now at least 90% deaf. His hearing was fine before this treatment even though having an ear infection! Can something like this be reversed? Is there any forms of treatment for this? Or now is my best friend deaf?!

At the time my Boston Terrier Was 13 years old when the vet said she needed a tooth pulled. She is now 15. It cost over $350.00 to remove the tooth during this procedure and an overnight stay. I thought that was quite a high cost and since I've had her since she was 5 months old so I went ahead with out a second opinion. Within a week she was completely deaf. I called the vet and was told her age and the medicine was probably the reason. I am so mad because her quality of life had really been affected. What can I do. I looked over my bills from this certain veterinarian business and it seems I've been overcharged each time. There are procedures that have been done when she just went for shits that they did and when I went to pay it was twice As what it should have been. Once I had her leg checked because she was limping and the vet checked her bottom showing me how to keep her from being constipated and was charged $25.00 for 10 seconds to show me how to use a finger to open her behind up to poop better. I didn't ask her to do that and it wasn't the reason we were there. After I called and asked about the surgery and her going deaf they wouldn't give me a good reason why her deafness may have happened and basically dismissed me after a sometimes things just happen answer. Please can you give me a medical reason this could have happened. I wasn't told the surgery (the tooth was in the far back of her jaw that was pulled) may have this end result. Also I asked how long it took and the attendant told me about 10 min. WOW. EXPENSIVE 10 min. And had to stay overnight too. Please let me know what you think. Thank you. Sincerely Lisa Thorne

My Boston Terrier is 11 and she was not feeling well and seemed to be a little hard of hearing, so took her to vet. Doc said ears look fine but she has teeth needing to be extracted. 2 days later, 13 teeth removed, ears were cleaned and the out some kind of antibiotic ointment in just in case ears were irritated. (?) Took her home and she slept a lot for the next 3 days, I figured from antibiotics and pain med. Then I became aware she is completely deaf!!! I feel like she thinks I did this to her and well, I guess I did. We went back to vet, he confirms she's deaf and days this is not suppose to happen! He thinks the ointment is blocking something and says it will dry up and she SHOULD be fine. My but is screaming at me to do something! It's been 10 days since my poor BT had tooth surgery and she also won't eat her can food that she loves! Well she will but only a little at a time. Help her please!

MY Lulu is a Shi Shu and 13 years old 10/25/16 yesterday ! In the last 2 weeks she is not able to hear me unless I do a high whistle. She watches my face when I'm talking to her but doesn't seem to understand like she did . I'm doing hand signals for her to come! We just had a check up 4 months ago everything seem fine. Can you help ?

Very healthy: energy and appetite are both normal. I took him to a NEW vet for a regular check up, nail trim, and ear cleaning. The doctor is actually one of the practice owners. Blood panel is normal and no temperature/fever. I walked out satisfied that I had found my new doctor. But 3hrs later my dog was completely deaf! He did have a lot of wax buildup (black in right ear) so the vet put some Malotic cream in both ears "for good measure". "I use it in my own dogs and have used it for years. It will just keep everything clean and prevent yeast." Called and went back the next day after reading online that Malotic can do this in rare cases. Hearing may or may not come back! Next he was prescribed a low-dose antibiotic in case he has some inner ear infection. He only had the one application of the Malotic which was 3 days ago and still can't hear and now he is tilting his head to the side a little bit. Doctor made a few calls and said a few sorries and told me to sit- wait-and-see.

My 6 & 1/2 month old border collie seems to be experiencing deafness in both ears after being around a few guns that were fired. Is there a way that the loudness from the gunshot could have caused her to be permanently deaf or is this a temporary deafness? She is otherwise acting fine, just looks around almost trying to hear a sound. We have contacted her local vet and they said it is a waiting game to see if it comes back. Is this common?

I suspect my Frenchie is deaf in her left ear only. The other questions and article were very helpful in considering if she has lost hearing or not. My question is: would loss of hearing in one ear be the cause of her unstableness of both front and back left legs? They often slide to the outside when on our hardwood floor and she will misstep going up and down the stairs with her left side. I would describe it as she only has about 80% functionality of her left legs.

My 11 year old cocker spaniel service dog is losing his hearing. He has been examined by our veterinarian who found nothing obvious such as foreign objects or infection. His breeder tested both parents for everything known 11 years ago. They were clear of known health problems in the breed and there was nothing notable in their pedigrees.

My cocker spaniel won't allow another dog in the house, so I can't start training another dog while he's still here. After being with me 24/7 for so many years, releasing him to someone else would tear up both of us emotionally.

I'm willing to try whatever treatment is available including hearing aids. My veterinarian doesn't know the state of the art with regard to treating hearing loss, especially for a service dog.

Recommendations for me and for out veterinarian, please?

Wondering what we can do to help him get his hearing back

I have an 8 week old German Shepherd puppy and she seems deaf. Vet said she thought she was fully deaf but her ears are incredibly clean and no blockages. She just doesn't respond to noise.

I have a Dalmatian .
He is 8 weeks old.
He id not at all responding to the sounds .
Tried everything ..
Snapping clapping shouting calling his name and everything else too..

Hello,

My older dog has been going deaf, which regular checkups have shown to be just geriatric hearing loss. Apart from some mild cataracts, he doesn't have any other health issues. He is in great physical shape (still joins me on several-day backpacking trips) and has no difficulty with cognition (continues to learn new tricks and now performs all commands without voice cues).

Today, he couldn't stand or walk without falling over to the right. It only lasted for about 5 mins, and now he's completely back to normal. Responsive to hand cues and balance is normal. Thinking back, he's been hesitant to jump up onto furniture the last couple weeks, but that could be unrelated. He's eating and drinking, and no problems with bowel or bladder functions. I'm wondering if this is just scarring / calcification of the inner ear causing vestibular issues along with deafness, or if this is something more serious. And I was wondering if, regardless of what the diagnosis is... Is there anything to be done? He's had multiple clean bills of health, and I was told there's no treatment options - it's just age. Perhaps this new symptom changes things?

Thank you for your help and advice

how can I treat my dogs hearing loss? Is there a way to clean their ears?

My 12 yo pug had an ear infection 10/5 vet tech filled ears for treatment...dog still has not regained hearing . Prior to treatment could hear/respond/barked at door etc. Now it has been over a month is there anything that can be done? is this permanent condition ...I walk in house she is asleep...startles to waken, unable to hear me in house must make eye contact...worried!

Can a thorough ear cleaning restore a deaf dog's hearing? We recently rescued an older (estimated 9 years old) neutered male shih Tzu whose only problems seem to be total deafness, arthritis in his left front elbow, a small bubble-like tumor on the front of his right eyelid and very bad teeth (only his very back teeth are left besides the lower front ones). The vet at his recent initial health check also said his ears are full of gunk. He is set to be sedated for a teeth cleaning eyelid tumor removal and a good ear cleaning. Is it possible his total deafness can be cured by the ear cleaning?

My 14 year old Jack Russell Terrier went yesterday for her yearly routine check up/shots/teeth cleaning appointment. She was in great shape before going in. They told me everything was fine but that she might vomit after due to anesthesia (which she did). Only that today she s been having trouble walking, loss of balance when trying to shake her hear and head tilting, plus she vomited what she ate earlier. Despite the age, Luna is in such amazing shape. She s super active and healthy.
Is it something common to develop this symptoms followed by such procedures/anesthesia?

I have a generally healthy senior Chihuahua that has been Addisonian since age 2, with no incidences since initial diagnosis. The past few months, he doesn't come when called, doesn't wake when I come downstairs, and I have to touch him for him to wake up startled. Since he is so old, I am not concerned, but should I use a whistle to get his attention now?

Hi I have a 13 year old Chihuahua mixed with Pinscher. I took him to the Vet last Monday because he kept scratching his ears. Vet gave me an Ear Cleaner and Malotic to apply on his ear. For the past few days he doesn't hear when I call him nor wake easily. What should I do?

I have a 13 year old American Eskimo dog who very abruptly has no hearing. He thinks he is 13 weeks and has always been very very hyper and aware of everything around him, about a week ago I noticed he didn't hear me come in or call him I could walk right up to him and nothing until I touched him. My son suggested hydrogen peroxide in his ears to clean them to see if it would help since I live pay check to paycheck. Any suggestions that i can do at home before taking him to a vet? Thanks so much

My dog appears to have gone suddenly deaf!! Do you know what could be causing this?

He is a cavalier King Charles and is 3 years old!

I going to take him to the vet but wanted your advice!