Finding a Vet
Most veterinarians will have experience with deaf animals, but depending on the cause of your dogs deafness, you may want to seek out a vet who specializes in that condition.
I personally recommend asking fellow owners of deaf pets for recommendations or even hopping online to do a little research.
Its not mandatory to find a vet who has experience with deaf dogs, but it can help your pooch to feel more comfortable if your veterinarian understands how to work around a deaf canine.
Training is mandatory
Training is mandatory for any dog, but its even more important for deaf animals because, unlike hearing dogs, your deaf dog can only interpret what you are saying from your expressions, your body language, and your hand signals.
While a healthy-hearing dog has the added benefit of hearing the tone of your voice, a dog with no hearing doesnt have that luxury.
Think about how often you get your dogs attention with a word, then remember that this doesnt work when your dog is deaf.
Know the Unique Needs of Your Dog
If you are considering adopting a deaf pet, its important that you fully understand any unique needs that they may have.
For example, do they have additional medical conditions that caused their deafness and that have a lifelong impact on your dogs health?
Does your deaf dog require specialty medication and if so, can you afford that medication for the full life of your pooch?
Its essential to know as much as possible about your dogs condition so that you can provide the best care possible for them and be sure that you can provide that care financially throughout their lifetime.
If your deaf pupper will require specialty medications and you can afford them, do you know how to administer them, or do you need a vet to show you how?
If you need help, be sure that you follow up on that “how to” before bringing your new canine home so that they dont have to go without necessary medications.
S1 – E3: What you NEED to know about DEAF DOGS – How to Train a Hearing Impaired dog!
But the truth is that with a few tweaks in how things are done, caring for a deaf dog is just as much work as caring for a hearing one.