What is Hearing Loss?
Deafness is the temporary, partial, or total loss of hearing in one or both ears. Causes of deafness in dogs include birth defects, infection, trauma, obstructions, and old age. Certain breeds and white or merle-coated animals are more likely to be born deaf.
Sadly, hearing loss due to genetics, old age, and trauma is often permanent and untreatable. However, acquired deafness (due to an infection or blocked ear canal) is usually temporary with veterinary care.
If you suspect your pet may have lost their hearing, see a vet ASAP. A veterinarian can examine your dog’s ear canal for excess wax, infections, injury, polyps or tumors, foreign objects, and other obstructions. Generally, the sooner you seek treatment, the better the dog’s odds that hearing can be restored.
Hearing Loss Average Cost
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Symptoms of Hearing Loss in Dogs
Symptoms of deafness include little or no response to sounds like:
- Squeaky toys
- Clapping
- Snapping fingers behind the head
- Doorbells
- Calling their name
- Other dogs barking
Dogs with hearing loss may also be:
- Difficult to wake
- Startled easily
- Inclined to bark excessively
Types of Hearing Loss in Dogs
Congenital deafness occurs when a pup is deaf at birth due to genetics or birth defects that affect the development of the ears or nervous system.
Acquired deafness occurs when a dog is born with normal hearing and loses their hearing due to trauma, infection, blockage of the ear canal or geriatric nerve degeneration.
Conductive hearing loss occurs when there's an issue with sounds being conducted from the outside to the nerves in the inner ear.
Sensorineural hearing loss occurs when nerve receptors are unable to transmit signals from the ear to the brain centers responsible for hearing, preventing them from receiving and interpreting auditory data.
Causes of Hearing Loss in Dogs
The cause of hearing loss will vary depending on the type of deafness.
Causes of Congenital Deafness
Birth defects of the ear or nervous system may result from bad genes or abnormal development.
Certain dog breeds and coat colors are also at higher risk for hereditary deafness. White fur on the head and ears, as well as merle patterns, are associated with deafness.
Causes of Acquired Deafness
- Old age (geriatric nerve degeneration)
- Being around loud noises (gunfire, stereo equipment)
- Blockages (from wax buildup, ear hair, grass, fluids, or foreign objects)
- Injury (includes trauma to the ear canal, ear drum, or brain)
- Ear infections (bacterial or yeast infections)
- Inflammation of the ear or Eustachian tube
- Tumors of the ear or Eustachian tube
- Heavy metals (especially exposure to mercury, arsenic, or lead)
- Drug toxicity (certain drugs can lead to deafness, including furosemide, cisplatin, chlorhexidine, erythromycin, and others)
How is Hearing Loss in Dogs Diagnosed?
If you suspect your dog is experiencing hearing loss, you can test their hearing by clapping or making other loud noises and watching for their reaction.
Partial or unilateral hearing loss may be tricky to catch. Here's how to test for it:
- Try exposing your dog to softer sounds, focusing on one ear at a time.
- Snap your fingers close to one ear and then the other, and note their response.
- If they respond on one side but not on the other, they might have hearing loss on one side.
To diagnose hearing loss, your vet will first conduct a hearing test and physical exam to determine possible causes. During the exam, your vet will also check your dog's ears for wax or hair buildup, foreign objects, and other obstructions or injuries.
If your vet suspects an ear infection, they may swab and culture the ear to confirm the type of infection and the best treatment for it.
The vet may also order a brainstem auditory evoked response (BAER) test to measure the brain’s response to auditory stimuli. Radiographs may also be necessary to find the cause of hearing loss.
Treatment for Hearing Loss in Dogs
So can anything be done for hearing loss in dogs to prevent its progression? What about the damage that is already done? Can you reverse hearing loss in dogs?
The answer to all the above is: it depends. Whether hearing loss is treatable hinges on the cause and severity of the hearing loss and if there are underlying conditions at play.
Treatment Options for Permanent Deafness
Sadly, there’s little vets can do to reverse congenital and geriatric deafness. They may attempt to correct hearing with surgery if the defect is in the middle or outer ear or involves inner ear inflammation.
However, most congenital defects involve delicate inner ear mechanics or nervous system defects. Likewise, hearing loss due to drug toxicity, heavy metal exposure, and loud noises is often permanent.
Hearing Aids
Hearing aids and cochlear implants are becoming available for dogs; however; they're currently still costly and somewhat impractical. The devices work in a similar way to human devices, but pets typically don't respond well to the device’s presence on the body and may not tolerate it.
Foreign Body Removal
In the case of a foreign body, treatment may involve removing the obstruction, cleaning excess wax, or plucking overgrown hair. The veterinarian will also examine the ear canal for injury and clean the ears thoroughly.
Treatment for Infection
Your vet may prescribe a regimen of ear flushes, drops, oral antibiotics, and/or anti-inflammatories, depending on severity. A longer-acting, wax-based antibiotic medication may be inserted into the ears at the clinic if daily ear washing at home isn't feasible.
Tumors of the Ear
Vets may opt to perform surgery on tumors inside the ear to allow for better sound conduction.
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Recovery of Hearing Loss in Dogs
Deaf animals (whether the hearing loss is permanent or temporary)
require special care. It is essential to carefully monitor deaf pets to
avoid injury. Never let deaf pets outdoors without a fence or
leash.
Recovering from Surgery
In cases of medical or surgical treatments, most dogs will need weekly follow-up appointments to monitor their recovery. Ear infections should clear within 2–3 weeks of treatment, but recovery time can be longer or shorter, depending on the severity.
Training and Interacting with Your Deaf Dog
Train your pet to understand touch or hand signals rather than verbal commands. Instead of calling, stomp on the ground to get a hearing impaired pet’s attention.
Avoid startling your dog by letting know when you’re around with a pat on the head. Deaf pets are prone to getting lost, so microchipping and collars with ID tags are a good idea. Make sure to keep their tags updated with your most recent contact info, and include on the tag that your dog is deaf.
Hearing loss can be expensive to treat. If you suspect your dog is at risk of hearing loss, start searching for pet insurance today. Wag!’s pet insurance comparison tool lets you compare plans from leading companies like PetPlan and Embrace. Find the “pawfect” plan for your pet in just a few clicks!
Hearing Loss Average Cost
From 129 quotes ranging from $200 - $2,500
Average Cost
$350
Top
Hearing Loss Questions and Advice from Veterinary Professionals
Australian Shepherd
Sadie
11 Years
2 found this helpful
2 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Hearing Loss
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?
March 18, 2018
2 Recommendations
Sadie may have selective hearing and is choosing to ignore you when she is being lazy or busy barking at something; however it is possible that Sadie is partially deaf and the noise made by the bag of treats is in her hearing range. You should have your Veterinarian examine Sadie and check her hearing to see if they notice anything. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM
March 18, 2018
Thanks
Aug. 20, 2018
Aman G.
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Pit bull
Cali
5 Years
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Hearing Loss
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.
Feb. 19, 2018
0 Recommendations
Without examining Cali, I cannot weigh into a possible diagnosis or treatment; however there is a board certified Veterinary Neurologist in Overland Park, KS (link below) which is around 25 miles from Leavenworth, KS, the same centre also has board certified Veterinary Internal Medicine Specialists as well. The use of medications like gentamicin are used regardless of the possibility of temporary hearing loss due to their efficacy in treating infections. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM
http://find.vetspecialists.com/kansas/overland-park/veterinary-specialist/bluepearl-specialty-and-emergency-medicine-for-pets
Feb. 19, 2018
My wheaten terrier had perfect hearing. She had an ear infection. I used Malotic which also has gentomicin. She was deaf right after use. I only used it once. I was instructed not to continue using it. I called the company and they suggested flushing the ears but to check with our vet. I am also very upset. My Riley is very sweet and she is not herself. I think she is isolated without hearing and I hope the hearing loss is reverseable.
March 2, 2018
Janice R.
DO NOT use mometamax. It is a poison to dogs ears....especially older ones. My American Eskimo was stone deaf for 3 months and now, 3 years later, can hear claps and loud noises but cannot understand any longer. I’m glad he knows sign language. Very, very sad. The vet and Merke confirmed it was the mometamax but nothing can be done. Beware and investigate anything that is given to your dogs. Hope your dogs hearing returns.
March 31, 2018
Liz
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Chihuahua
Annabelle
11 Years
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Hearing Loss
Ear Cleaning
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
Feb. 12, 2018
Answered by Dr. Michele K. DVM
0 Recommendations
Xtina, unfortunately we may never know what caused this hearing loss, and it seems very odd to me as well that both ears were affected when one was cleaned. I don't have a better explanation for this. It would probably be best to avoid any washes at this time, as they may actually irritate the ear canals further. One thing that you might consider would be a referral to a specialist, as they may be able to do further testing to determine the source of the problem, since it seems so unlikely to have been caused by a routine cleaning with no medication, in one ear.
Feb. 12, 2018
Hey Ken,
I understand Annabelle's mom's feelings. My beautiful wheaten terrier is now deaf due to the u se of Malotic. Apparently it can have a side effect of deafness. If someone had told me, I would have never used it. We try our best with our animals and when someone fails them, it is upsetting. My beautiful girl is not herself. I have called other vets, I called the manufacturer of the product. I want to try everything I can to help her regain her hearing.
March 2, 2018
Janice R.
A vet is a doctor who should research medications BEFORE prescribing them to pets. Obviously, you have some connection to a vet since you seem to think they are infallible. And you sound extremely immature in your comments to Annibell's mom. My chihuahua has now lost all of her hearing after being prescribed a medication - in 2017 I was told she had an ear infection in one ear and it was treated with a medication and she soon lost most of her hearing. 10 days ago I carried her back to the same vet. clinic and this time the vet. put the medication in both ears and she become totally deaf within a few days. Her hearing is NOT going to come back and when I just researched the medication - I discovered many other pet owners whose pets were prescribed this same medication and they became deaf!! So - yes, the vet. is partially responsible - he owed a duty to reveal side effects which he did not do. Had I known of possible side effects such as deafness, I would NEVER have subjected my sweet chihuahua to that horrible medication.
April 8, 2018
Gail E.
Dear Annibell's "mom", honestly, you need help! How dare you blame your vet! I'm on this site because my 14 year old Rat Terrier has suddenly lost his hearing, as well. Shit happens! Grow up!
Feb. 24, 2018
Ken W.
Sorry to hear about your pets hearing loss from the use of meds. I to know that certain meds and ear washes contributed to my dogs hearing loss too.
Our Vet used a standard ear wash on our Shepherd and her hearing loss was almost immediately noticed afterwards. What happens are the tiny hairs that are so critical for a pets hearing are destroyed by the meds or wash and they don’t regrow, hence loss of hearing
April 15, 2018
Melinda A.
Ken W, you are wrong in every way. If your doctor gave something to your child that caused your child to end up blind, deaf, worse, etc, would you say the doctor did nothing wrong? What a horrible and hateful heart you have. Karma!
April 5, 2018
Charlamain K.
My dog suddenly went deaf at 13 and never ever had an ear infection. Actually the Vet use to say his ears were incredibly unusual, like a puppy. He went deaf within a week of his BFF DIEING. And to this day I say it must of been the emotional trauma as they were with one another for 13 year's.
May 25, 2018
Mary S.
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Hearing Loss Average Cost
From 129 quotes ranging from $200 - $2,500
Average Cost
$350
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Easily compare quotes from the most trusted pet insurance companies in the United States.
