Deafness

Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2018 9:23 am

Our lovely Mollie has just turned twelve and this year her hearing has noticeably dropped. I have to say everything three times getting louder each time. Her ears look healthy and she is sharp enough although a little slower now. Anyone else got experiences of this?

Friend for Life Joined: 07 Jul 2010 Posts: 6729

Aww bless her xxx
Our Megan's hearing deteriorated from about the age of 12 to. But she was quick as a flash when the cheese came out of the fridge still. See must have smelt it instead of hearing it though. The only good thing about it was she didn't react to fireworks or thunder.
Hers ears were still healthy and clean to.
It's unfortunately just an Age thing Sad

Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2018 10:17 am

Yes got this with two of the spaniels, one is 15 and really quite deaf now the other is 13 and not far behind. I have always used hand signals as well as voice commands so that comes in useful now, you could always teach her hand signals if you haven't done that. I find when out on walks that even the 15 year old can hear the whistle, so if she wanders off I can usually get her back, although she does seem to have issues with direction.

Senior Friend Joined: 07 Aug 2010 Posts: 138

Gerrie, have you had Mollie’s thyroid tested recently for Hypothyroidism? Maybe even have a full blood test to check everything is still okay? Twelve is still young for a Beardie so any noticeable decline, slowing down etc. without an obvious cause might be worth investigating. If it is her thyroid wearing out then once she is on medication there should be quite an improvement.

Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2018 12:08 pm

I always taught a hand signal with vocals so that is useful to me too. I take the whistle out now to get her attention when I need too. They are due a vet check soon so I shall bring it up there regarding the thyroid.

I think the sound of cheese must be on a special level of the sound range as she will still come from a deep sleep up the other end of the house Laughing

Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2018 1:55 pm

I fell in love with an elderly border collie at Animal Rescue a few years ago. He was deaf although could hear me whistle at a very high pitch. I taught him hand signals and he was so quick to pick up on these. The deafness wasn't a problem as he was constantly checking on me, looking back while he was on and off lead.

Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2018 5:37 pm

Yes collies will do that.
It’s like living with a vacant deaf old lady ... but enough of what Mollie says Laughing

Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2018 7:12 am

Gerrie

Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2018 7:41 am

Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2018 9:09 am

I remember when my Labrador x Dachshund ( yes, really, dont ask, we dont know how, either Very Happy

) began to go deaf - all of a sudden I had lost my four-legged doorbell. It was very odd....

Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2018 10:24 am

judy g wrote:

I remember when my Labrador x Dachshund ( yes, really, dont ask, we dont know how, either Very Happy

) began to go deaf - all of a sudden I had lost my four-legged doorbell. It was very odd....

We had just that cross lived in our village some years ago now Judy. Very Happy

Looked a bit like a black dachshund, little short legs Laughing

sadly he got run over as their garden fencing wasn't secure Sad

Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2018 11:08 am

Tommie looked like a perfectly formed miniature black Lab - everything was in proportion...he loved digging round holes like a Dachsund, and had the super jolliness and sense of humour of a Lab. He was A Gent Smile

Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2018 11:40 am

judy g wrote:

I remember when my Labrador x Dachshund ( yes, really, dont ask, we dont know how, either Very Happy

) began to go deaf - all of a sudden I had lost my four-legged doorbell. It was very odd....

Small carry round steps.? It’s amazing what they can reach when they really want it. I often find chip paper has been reached even when I have put it well back on the counter Confused

Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2018 12:22 pm

doorbell in the sense of barking when people came to the door...not because he couldnt reach it Laughing

Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2018 1:23 pm

I was referring to the Labrador dachshund incident Shocked

Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2018 1:31 pm

Ahhhhhhhhhh, so you were.....duh.....anyhow, we never did find out. Sneaky little Dachshunds, I would bet all my teeth that the D was the father.... Laughing

Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2018 2:57 pm

judy g wrote:

Ahhhhhhhhhh, so you were.....duh.....anyhow, we never did find out. Sneaky little Dachshunds, I would bet all my teeth that the D was the father.... Laughing

Clever Chaps these Dachshunds ... where there's a will, there's a way. Shocked

Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2018 3:12 pm

Hupla!!

Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2018 3:13 pm

Or, as Zebedee would say, " Boing! "

Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2018 3:22 pm

.. good ole Will. Laughing

Friend for Life Joined: 09 Jan 2009 Posts: 19306

Mark you make me laugh Laughing

Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2018 4:43 pm

Mark you are incorrigible Rolling Eyes

Friend for Life Joined: 07 Jul 2010 Posts: 6729

judy g wrote:

doorbell in the sense of barking when people came to the door...not because he couldnt reach it Laughing

OMG I'm crying and my sides ache LOL

Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2018 10:13 pm

An interesting fact.
One of my previous Beardies had been taking Incurin for many years and as she got older, deafness set in.
Although it was sad to see it was not as bad as it could have been as I had always given visual signals alongside the verbal ones - a habit formed from teaching PE to deaf children! She only had a half tablet daily, eventually reducing it to a quarter, just enough to control her 'leak' of urine. Then, after many years, my vet suggested I tried her without medication, so I did. For a couple of weeks, all went well but then I noticed that she began to be troubled (again!) by loud sounds, usually those coming from a TV programme. Her hearing seemed to have returned, not a lot, but it was certainly there. After a couple of months she sadly started to leak urine again so I restarted the quarter tablet. The urine leak stopped BUT the hearing she had regained disappeared! She seemed to be much happier without the hearing.
Eventually, age took its toll and her eye sight deteriorated to the point that she was happier to stay on her extending lead when out for her walks although at home she could run free and play in the garden, (known territory) with confidence. She remained a happy dog up to a sudden seizure and she died just two months short of her 18th birthday.
My vet found this effect of Incurin or lack of it, astounding and had never before had this reported to him. It could have been a co-incidence but it was certainly there.

Friend for Life Joined: 07 Jul 2010 Posts: 6729

Shirley, this is interesting as Megan was also on medication for this, she was on the syrup though, think it was called Propalin.