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.
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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
minature schnauzer
Hadley
11 Years
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
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
Dec. 8, 2017
0 Recommendations
A sudden loss of hearing in dogs is rare, normally dogs adapt well to gradual loss in hearing until one day it suddenly looks like they lost their hearing overnight; the agitation in the car may be due to a lack of hearing making him uncomfortable in the car. You should have your Veterinarian give a thorough examination to check the ears to look out any any possible cause of a loss of hearing; cannot really recommend any more than that. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM
Dec. 8, 2017
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wheaton Terrier
lilly
11 Years
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Deafness, Head Shaking
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
Sept. 1, 2017
0 Recommendations
I am not aware of a connection with hearing loss and Claro Otic, hearing loss is more common with the use of products containing gentamicin; there are many different types of ingredients in medications which may only be used in small quantities or acceptable limits (even tap water has acceptable limits for poisons). If you have concerns about the use of a product prescribed by your Veterinarian, ask for an alternative treatment. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM
https://bayer.cvpservice.com/product/view/basic/1040169?e=LSdew7K4HnVeeL2EuzyjnfL5DhrACqQQ
Sept. 1, 2017
IT was the ear drops and it was from the mometasone that is in the drugs, same thing happened to my dog. It is a shame that these drops with these ingredients are still being used and owners are not told of the side effects. My perfectly wonderful little schnauzer is not totally deaf becasue of mometasone and gentamicin
July 22, 2018
Mary L.
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Chihuahua
taquila
4 Years
0 found this helpful
0 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Deaf Completely
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
Aug. 30, 2017
0 Recommendations
There are various causes of deafness in dogs, but there is a correlation between blue eyes in dogs and deafness; I cannot comment on why Taquila may be hearing one dog and nothing else, but her deafness isn’t a surprise especially from a genetic point of view. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVMwww.lsu.edu/deafness/genetics.htm (fourth paragraph)
Aug. 30, 2017
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Mixed
Stripes
13 Years
1 found this helpful
1 found this helpful
My pet has the following symptoms:
Hearing Loss
Cannot Hear
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?!
Aug. 30, 2017
1 Recommendations
Hearing loss when using an antibiotic called gentamicin is a common occurrence and is temporary in many cases, gentamicin is still used because it is effective at treating ear infections; after the treatment has ended, hearing will improve generally over time. I would give it some time after stopping treatment, but if the hearing loss continues I would return to your Veterinarian for another examination. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM
Aug. 30, 2017
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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.
