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Dog going Deaf :(

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  • 12-05-2006 1:30pm
    #1
    netwhizkid
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,558 ✭✭✭


    My dog (see attachment) I have noticed these last two weeks is going deaf. She seems now to spend a lot of time sleeping in her box in the garage. We recently did a huge cleanout of the garage and gave her a new bed of newspapers.

    She is well cared for and is given meals with both meat and dog kibble. However I now can sneak into the garage and find her asleep something, which has only really started happening since about January. However these last two weeks I notice when i call her name "Rosie" she doesn’t react unless I shout loudly.

    She is thirteen years old heading 13 ½. I am concerned for her hearing as it would be a shame for her to go deaf. When we got her they told us she was some sort of Chihuahua (obviously she is of no resemblance to one) although as a pup she was. I call her my little fox as she is very like one!

    Anyway she has had three litters of pups, first with a sheepdog (don't get me started, it must be a freak on nature) secondly with Pomeranian and the last litter with a neighbour’s terrier.

    Anyway she was diagnosed sometime before Christmas with Demodectic mange, our vet called out and gave her an injection which helped the thing. As you can see in the photo her paw is infected, although it has improved since that photo was taken during the Snowfalls on March 1st. my Vet recommended "Advocat" which is a tube of liquidy cream which is applied to the back of her neck around where the collar goes so she can't lick it off. I got some and put it on her about a month or three weeks ago now.

    I am wondering would this Advocat have caused a reaction, which is affecting her hearing. If anyone here has experienced deafness with their dogs I'd like to know how they have dealt with it and if it can be cured. I know she is old and has only got maybe another three years to live (pushing it) but she is our pride and joy and won many the prize at various shows up until we retired her from showing around 2000. She hasn't has puppies since about 1998-1999 and I would love to be able to everything to make her final few years as good as I can.

    Any advice or experiences is greatly appreciated.


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    #2
    nollaig
    Closed Accounts Posts: 445 ✭✭nollaig


    I am wondering would this Advocat have caused a reaction, which is affecting her hearing. If anyone here has experienced deafness with their dogs I'd like to know how they have dealt with it and if it can be cured. I know she is old and has only got maybe another three years to live (pushing it) but she is our pride and joy and won many the prize at various shows up until we retired her from showing around 2000. She hasn't has puppies since about 1998-1999 and I would love to be able to everything to make her final few years as good as I can.

    I had a deaf dog befor but he was deaf from very young(prob forever, id imagine). But he got along fine, maybe he made up for it with his other senses. Had a great sense of smell. But your old dog will rob not be able to do this. Guess Im not much help, but it didnt hinder my dog too much.


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    #3
    peasant
    Registered Users Posts: 17,819 ✭✭✭✭peasant


    Don't know where the deafness comes from. Could be the meds, could be the mange ...could just be old age. Get her checked out properly, maybe get a second opinion.

    The deafness shouldn't really be a big problem for her, hearing isnt THAT important to dogs, really.

    Make sure to introduce some sort of sign language with your commands ...different, clear hand movements for all the things she already knows how to do. While she still has some hearing, make sure that she learns which movement means which word. You possibly already use "signs" without you realizing. (lots of people put their hands on their thighs, for example and bend over a bit, when they ask their dog to come) Examine your routines for those "signs" and gestures and start to pronounce them more ...so she doesn't have to learn a completely new "language" and can stick with most of what she knows already. Close inspection of your body language will probably reveal that there already is a "sign" for almost everything anyway.

    So basically, the dog will have no problem ... you on the other hand just might :D:D:D (people are just so used to shouting commands about)

    For getting her attention when she can't see you ...try stamping your feet ...she should feel that.


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