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Posted by Topic subject:   dog ear infection causes deafness
Kellisue
New Member

Posts: 4
From:Iowa, USA
Registered: Sep 2003

posted 09-04-2003 06:39 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Kellisue     Edit/Delete Message
My ten year old Scottie had an ear infection a few weeks ago, evidenced by his ears being tender to the touch and his not hearing well. We took him to the vet and got drops. He was no longer sensitive, yet he still could not hear. Took him back to the vet, who basically said, "Oh, I guess he's deaf now."

We are broken hearted for our dog. The vet offers no help. Should we take him to a city vet? Can anything be done or is it too late? He is so lonely and depressed. Thanks for any assistance that you can give us. Kelli

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jeminn
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Posts: 52
From:
Registered: Jul 2003

posted 09-04-2003 08:37 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for jeminn   Click Here to Email jeminn     Edit/Delete Message
A second opinion would not hurt. It is common for an older dog to begin losing their hearing, although I am not sure if I would say your dog has reached that ripe age of "natural hearing loss", but maybe so. And, maybe it was the ear infection, it is hard to say.
My old husky began to lose her hearing at about at 13. She is now 16, and totally deaf, from what we can tell. She does not respond to our voices, loud noises or startling sounds, and she once was a very well obedienced trained dog. If you dog does turn out to be permanently deaf, don't despair! Deaf dogs can still be happy, but it may take time to adjust to a different kind of life. If this is the case, you just have to make the best of it and give her even more "hands on" attention and love.
Let us know what happens-

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Maisey
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Posts: 309
From:Portland, Oregon US
Registered: Feb 2003

posted 09-04-2003 11:22 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Maisey   Click Here to Email Maisey     Edit/Delete Message
It sounds like a second opinion would maybe put you at ease a bit more, and it can't hurt. Is it in both ears or just one? If he has lost all his hearing...something to remember is that he may now startle easier, and sometimes dogs will snap or nip when startled. Approaching him when he is sleeping should be done slowly and gently, a light touch on the shoulder, or tapping the floor with your foot. I had a Beagle that lived to be 23, she was stone deaf by about the age of 16, of course that happened gradually so she had time to adjust. We adapted with her, found ways of doing things that made it easier on all. She also became blind a bit later...and we learned to adapt to that as well. My daughter is losing her hearing slowly, she is 11 and for quite some time we have been studying American sign language as a family. No pressure kind of stuff...we try to keep it fun. One way we have done that is to teach our dog some signs. He learns then faster than we do! but she thinks it is cool so it helps motivate her. You could pick up a book and start teaching your dog a few, I do think old dogs can learn new tricks! Also try using your search feature on your computer for finding information on deaf dogs, there are good articles and sites out there where you could learn a few tricks that will help you and your dog adjust. Keep us updated...it's nice to hear how everyone is doing.

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puttin510
Member

Posts: 616
From:,Calif. U.S.A.
Registered: Dec 2002

posted 09-05-2003 10:07 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for puttin510