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.
Hearing Aids
Hearing aids and cochlear implants are becoming available for dogs; however; theyre currently still costly and somewhat impractical. The devices work in a similar way to human devices, but pets typically dont respond well to the device’s presence on the body and may not tolerate it.
Some foreign objects may lead to perforation of the eardrum, which can open your dog up to an infection. Even if you’re able to remove the object yourself, you should consider a checkup with the vet to make sure there’s no further damage.
If ear infections recur regularly, it may be a sign of an allergy in your dog’s environment. A full workup should be done to identify the allergen, Winger says. Ototoxicity
While rare, Rosychuk says blunt trauma to the head, whether there are fractures present or not, may result in blood getting into the dog’s inner ear, which can lead to deafness. The trauma may also lead to direct damage to the inner ear. This deafness may be either temporary or permanent. Foreign Bodies
If you own a dog, you know pretty much anything is possible. One fairly common, and thankfully temporary, cause of deafness is the presence of a foreign object in the ear canal. Winger calls this conductive deafness. It doesn’t affect the transmitters, but rather it simply blocks the transmitters from the environment in which sounds are generated.
If your suspect your dog is deaf or experiencing hearing loss, approach him slowly during rest or sleep to avoid scaring him. Deaf dogs should always wear identification tags, and, for similar reasons, microchipping is very important, Winger says. “They should always be kept on a leash or in a fenced yard, as they may not sense threats, and they will have limited recall. You also need to train them using visual cues, rather than verbal ones,” she adds.