Going deaf?

[inca]

my tri is deaf she is nearly 8yrs old she has been deaf for 2 years now
she dosent have SM and replies on hand a facial expression i think she is perfectly happy
and still very bright as long as we are consistant with what we are asking of her

[RodRussell]

We have had Cavaliers which became deaf around ages three or four. I found out that a neurologist, Michael Podell, who is in the US State of Illiniois, has researched what he calls "progressive hearing loss" in Cavaliers, which usually begins during puppyhood and progresses until the dog is completely deaf, usually between the ages of three and five years. The progressive nature of this form of deafness in CKCSs is believed to be due to degeneration of the hearing nerve.

Read about it at http://cavalierhealth.org/deafness.htm

[Margaret C]

Early loss of hearing does seem to be common in cavaliers.

Two out of the three cavaliers permanently resident here are totally deaf, the other seems to have partial hearing loss.
They all have SM, but I am not sure that is the complete explanation for the deafness.

A few years ago I had one little dog that would look up when I called him, seem to stare straight at me, look around & then walk away. I would get so cross at his 'disobedience'
Later I found out that he was only registering certain ranges of sound and had difficulty in locating where sound was coming from.
This could be the explanation for the 'selective hearing' that so many of them display.

Tommy & William have learnt to come to hand signals, but I can spend some time rounding them up, if they are too absorbed in what they are doing to raise their heads.
Fortunately we have a secure community garden, so they can be off their leads without me worrying about them getting lost.

I also find it sad that they cannot hear me when I talk to them, especially as Tommy is having an uncomfortable time at the moment ( now on gabapentin, but not sure it is the best choice for him ) I try to comfort & reassure him, and would love to know he hears my voice, but I rather think his world remains completely silent.

Margaret C

[ttsabin]

even when your dog is going deaf its important to keep talking to them because they read your facial expressions.