Deaf or hearing-impaired animals may have limitations, but they can live just as happy a life as those with normal hearing. The causes of hearing loss vary greatly. But how can you tell if your pet is truly deaf? And what can you do to make life easier for them?
There are two types of hearing impairment:
In sound conduction disorders, the sound signal is not transmitted to the inner ear. This is caused by problems in the outer or middle ear. The causes are often treatable, meaning that this type of hearing loss can be reversed.
In sound perception disorders, the problem lies in the hair cells of the inner ear or in the auditory nerve, which converts sound waves into electrical impulses and transmits them to the brain. These disorders usually remain lifelong, as damaged hair cells or nerves cannot be repaired or reproduced.
Hearing can be impaired by bacterial, viral, yeast, or mite infections, as well as autoimmune diseases, due to inflammatory swelling of the ear canals. Fluid can reach the eardrum and block sound transmission.
Injuries to the eardrum can lead to hearing loss or even deafness. They can be caused by awns that have entered the ear canal, severe otitis (see corresponding article), or ear polyps, which are common in cats (see corresponding article).
Severe injuries to the head or ears, such as bite wounds, accidents, or falls, can lead to hearing loss.
Congenital malformations of the outer or middle ear can block or weaken sound.
Congenital, genetically determined deafness occurs in various animal species (see article on torture breeding). It is particularly inherited with white coat color. White animals with blue eyes are particularly frequently affected. In dogs, the merle factor and Dalmatian coloring are also contributing factors.
Diseases such as meningitis or distemper in dogs (see corresponding article) as well as tumors can cause hearing damage.
Some antibiotics and chemotherapeutics can cause hearing loss and even deafness. In these cases, hearing loss may not occur until several weeks or even months after the end of treatment. Antiseptic products for cleaning the ear or certain ingredients in ear drops can cause temporary or permanent deafness in very susceptible animals.
Heavy metals such as mercury or arsenic, which are ingested through contaminated drinking water, for example, damage the inner ear.
Age-related hearing loss usually manifests itself in the last third of life and progresses gradually. Initially, your animal loses the ability to hear high-pitched sounds. Over time, complete deafness can develop.
If you notice that your pet ignores your calls, reacts less or not at all to noises, or seems to sleep more deeply, there is a strong suspicion that it has hearing loss. Unilateral deafness usually goes unnoticed if the other ear is still functioning normally.
After a general examination, your veterinarian will perform an ear examination. The ear canals of both ears will be examined closely using an otoscope or video otoscope. Your veterinarian may take swab samples to detect pathogens. The eardrum will be checked for damage.
Audiometry, specifically the BAER test (brainstem auditory evoked response), a special hearing test, can be used to examine whether sound is being transmitted to the inner ear. This checks the sound conduction. This can determine the degree of hearing loss and the frequencies that your pet cannot hear. To do this, electrodes are attached to your pet's head under sedation. Sounds of varying volume and frequency are then played through small earplugs. The electrodes measure whether the sounds are perceived by the brain and record the measurements on a computer.
Electroneurography (ENG) can be used to measure the nerve conduction velocity of the auditory nerve. This checks the sound perception. For this test, electrodes are also attached to the scalp above the auditory nerve under sedation and sounds are played through earplugs. The electrodes measure the electrical activity of the auditory nerve. This is recorded by a computer.
In exceptional cases, computer tomography or magnetic resonance imaging (see corresponding articles) may be useful to examine for malformations in the inner ear or brain.
Whether and how hearing loss can be treated depends on the cause. Congenital or age-related deafness usually persists. If the hearing loss has been caused by medication or heavy metals, the extent of the damage determines whether hearing can be restored once the cause has been eliminated.
If ear infections, autoimmune and other underlying diseases are treated with appropriate medication, the prognosis is good. Tumors can be surgically removed if necessary.
Unfortunately, there is no prevention for most causes of hearing loss. Treatment with potentially ototoxic (=harmful to the ear) medications should always be weighed against the benefits and risks.
Check your pet's ears regularly so that ear infections can be detected and treated early. Only clean the outside of your pet's ears with a tissue. Never insert cotton buds into the ear canal. If your dog goes swimming often, dry its ears thoroughly afterwards.
Hearing loss significantly limits your pet, especially when it comes to communication and orientation. If your pet has been deaf since birth, it doesn't know any different. However, there are still some things you should keep in mind.
It is important to provide hearing-impaired animals with a safe environment and to take care not to startle them, for example by suddenly approaching or picking them up from behind. In addition, it is important to replace acoustic communication with facial expressions and gestures such as hand signals. Vibrating collars are available as an aid for dogs. You can use these to train your dog to seek eye contact with you.
Outdoor cats are at increased risk from dangers such as cars, which they cannot hear. Therefore, keep your deaf cat indoors or only in a secure outdoor area. Always use a leash when walking your dog and, in the dark, a collar or harness with reflectors so that it is more visible to other road users.
It is particularly important to maintain familiar routines if your pet has become deaf later in life. Act calmly and patiently to give your pet time to understand your body language. Use positive reinforcement in the form of praise or the occasional treat when things have been understood correctly. Generally, give your pet a feeling of security and closeness by petting it a lot.
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