My sweet, little Pomeranian is 13 years old (her name is Lexus), and is starting to loose her hearing.
Are there any tests I can do to see how good or bad it actually is without spending a tons of money going to the vet?
2007-11-07 03:20:18 · 4 answers · asked by Done 6 in Pets ➔ Dogs
I know that she is getting old. I just want to see how BAD or GOOD her hearing is.
2007-11-07 03:38:36 · update #1
With our dogs, as they got older and I started to wonder about their hearing, I would call their name very softly when in a quiet environment. If their ears to up, turn their head, or look at me, I know they can still hear pretty good. Or if they are sitting witht their back to you and you're not moving,try calling her name softly and look for movement in the ears at least. Experiment with different volumes of your voice, just make sure the house is quiet. When our dog went pretty deaf, it didn't seem to bother her much. We used hand signals more, like patting my thigh for her to come her, hand out, palm up, for NO or STOP. We pointed to where we wanted her to go, and she pretty much got the idea, as we used these hand signs sort of while she could still hear. One funny thing was that all of a sudden our very quiet and shy old girl became very loud and vocal when she would see the car pull in the driveway. Since she couldn't hear herself very well, she just let loose and belted out all kinds of interesting howls, yowls, and yips that she never used to do.
2007-11-07 03:39:57 · answer #1 · answered by snapoutofit 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
You do not need a regular vet, you need a veterinary practice that is set up to do a BAER test. The test itself can be rather expensive, depending on whether or not the vet insists on giving anasthetic, and since the equipment is expensive, a qualified testing vet can be hard to find. Ask the largest vet practice in your area if they do BAER testing, if not, they will most likely know who does.
My own unofficial hearing test for my dogs is to whisper the name of their favorite treat at the other end of the house. If they turn around and come running, I know they are not deaf, even though they act that way when I call them in from outside.
2007-11-07 03:31:07 · answer #2 · answered by Susan S 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I think your vet will just tell you that at 13, the dog is going to be losing some hearing. It will get worse as she ages. It is something we deal with in older pets, just as we do in humans.
2007-11-07 03:35:40 · answer #3 · answered by ARE YOUR NEWFS GELLIN'? 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Go to the veterinarian right away.
2007-11-07 04:15:14 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋