Deafness - just musing

Amy May In A Manger

Amy May In A Manger

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My little Doo is clearly starting to go deaf. Low sounds seem to totally escape her now, higher tones she can still here. I'm sad that she can't hear me talking quietly to her any more 🥹

How quickly did those of you who's dogs went deaf notice the decline?
 
Tawny was very gradual, she was always very responsive on walks but started ignoring me saying her name. Being a Labrador and not a whippet I assumed a physical issue 😄. She could always hear the whistle, thankfully.
I think if Daisy is still close and being petted and spoken to she’ll feel the vibrations and love without hearing the words.
 
I suppose we were aware that our elderly beagle was becoming more than selectively deaf, but it was only when he started barking a lot more that we realised just about all hearing had gone. He became more fixed in his routines too, and more stubborn about what he wanted, and when. He picked up on signals, body language, and what the other dogs were doing.
We lost him, aged 15, last November. He had been deaf for about 2 years.
 
Little Dee who I lost last year started going deaf about age 14. It was very noticeable with her because she used to hang on my every word. First she couldn't hear me whispering to her, then she just couldn't pinpoint where sound was coming from...but I think it took about 18 months for her to go functionally deaf so she could only hear close-by shouting. By that point she had sort of disappeared into her own little dilly dally world. She still seemed happy and lively, but was much more content with just doing her own thing.

The westie who is 15 now has started losing her hearing in the last 6 months or so. It's only noticeable really because again she can't tell where sounds are coming from. But it hasn't changed her really - she never listened to what I said much anyway 😂 and has always been an independent soul who very much exists in her own version of reality. So pretty hard to tell with her how fast it is progressing.
 
We’ve always taught ours hand signals, really obvious open arms kind of signal. It came in very handy when big dog lost his hearing. He regularly checked in anyway or just looked to see where we were. Does she know any non vocal commands? If not, could you teach her? I bet she already knows loads, it’s probably just unconscious signals right now, but think about what non verbal signs she responds to now and capitalise on those.
 
Cinnamontoast said:
We’ve always taught ours hand signals, really obvious open arms kind of signal. It came in very handy when big dog lost his hearing. He regularly checked in anyway or just looked to see where we were. Does she know any non vocal commands? If not, could you teach her? I bet she already knows loads, it’s probably just unconscious signals right now, but think about what non verbal signs she responds to now and capitalise on those.
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Yes, lots of non verbal signals given since a puppy, and she always checks in, and is always close. Big arms, hand to chest (sit), flat palm (wait), long arm point (go to..) etc. xx
 
My ‘almost’ 13yr old Dalmatian is almost completely deaf now (was not affected by any sort of genetic deafness from birth, BAER tested as a pup).

It seemed to happen very quickly, from noticing a slight decline, to only responding to hand signals was a matter of about 6 months. There may also be an element of ‘I’m an old lady- I’ll do what I want 🖕🏻’ 😂 however she now also doesn’t hear her food being prepared or come to greet us as we arrive home if she’s asleep.

She’s in incredibly good health otherwise though 🤞🏻 we just don’t let her off the lead anymore unfortunately.
 
My 13 year old terrier is now incredibly deaf, it’s taken about a year but I don’t think he can hear very much at all now, if he’s not down for breakfast I have to go and get him. I have tried a whistle but it doesn’t register, maybe I need a higher(?) pitch. Now I take the younger one running and he comes for the odd potter. He’s also got cognitive decline, arthritis and a heart murmur so that doesn’t help matters. I know we’re on a downhill slope now but I don’t know how long it will take. We’ve agreed that major anxiety and messing regularly in the house will be the cut off. He’s on monthly librella injections so he gets seen by the vet every month which is reassuring (and he loves the vet’s, he’ll pull to get in the room as he knows there are treats!)
 
Tilly went quite deaf from the age of about 12. She would watch but sometimes lost us. She also got cataracts a year later. After she wandered under a bush and sat just waiting for me in bright sunlight I walked her on lead. She was great in the house and garden but you could see she was happier on walks feeling attached to me.
I'm sad to say she developed dementia quite soon after and I wondered if it was due to the lack of stimulation to sight and sound though she could see well in electric light and dull sunlight.
 
Mine is definitely going deaf, same as yours, low sounds no response, some response to high sounds. It was confirmed for me after a recent thunderstorm where previously she'd always hide, instead she was outside happily mooching about. It seems to have noticeably come on since she had vestibula around Christmas. Our vet reckons she's 14 but we don't know for sure how old she is, she was a secondhand dog.
 
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