Dog's hearing loss
I have an 8 year old blind silky terrier that seems to have all but lost his hearing after last night. I took him out last night and a neighbor unexpectedly set off fireworks. The display lasted for about five minutes and he didn't seem scared. I moved him away, but not completely away.
Since this morning he's been unresponsive to calls and sounds. He hasn't been wagging his tail much, has been bumping into the things in the apartment, and wasn't interested in his leash.
I've got a vet appointment for tomorrow morning. Is there anything I can do to help? Is this a common occurrence? He's my first dog and he just seems so lost
Update (copied from a comment):
His hearing has been improving tremendously. The carprofen the vet prescribed helped a lot, IMO. He's able to hear about 80% as well as he could before, though it takes him a little bit to understand. At least until he takes his medicine, then he can hear a bit better.
However, yesterday morning on his walk his front left paw started twitching and spasming uncontrollably. Poor guy was hopping around, could barely stand or even sit. He didn't seem hurt and there weren't any signs of injury (bee sting, bug bite, cuts, etc.). Took him to the emergency room immediately and they prescribed him some gabapentin. Fortunately the spasms went away and he's running and jumping around again
Especially for a sudden change like that, a vet is the only good option. Otherwise I would just keep him close by so you can keep him from getting hurt, and so he's more comfortable since it's definitely anxiety-induxing for him to have his world seem suddenly different.
Yep, I've had to help him around a few times now. Poor guy tried to find me but didn't realize I was just a couple feet away
I hope the deafness isn't permanent or total, and the vet can help with it! If it is indeed true deafness though, I remember reading something years ago about tips for blind dogs, and one was to have distinct scents in each room to help navigate. It was something like scented candle or air fresheners. Dogs have a strong sense of smell, so thankfully your dog won't be totally lost.
I hope so too. The deafness isn't total--he can hear me within a foot if I bend down halfway. His nose was already super sharp, but it's doing triple work now. The poor guy is still unsettled about being outside--he tries to turn around multiple times. Exploring the world was his favorite thing (other than eating)
Our 13 year old dog started losing her hearing last year, and it's now gone completely. It makes me sad, but she seems to be dealing with it ok. She can sleep for hours now, whereas before she would wake up really easily, so there's a slight silver lining. I hope yours gets some good news at the vet.
Dogs are so adaptable, it's incredible. They just need time to get accustomed and they bounce right back. While some of my dog's hearing has come back, I started seeing that recovery within a few days
My dog's hearing loss was very sudden too. Possibly from an ear infection that we found too late.
Try to teach him hand commands, it becomes invaluable.
The dog is also blind :(
The vet confirmed there wasn't an infection, but one of his ear's in extreme pain (he screamed so much when the vet slightly inserted a qtip) and the other ones in mild pain. Got another appointment next week so he can be sedated and examined.
But, like the other poster said, he's already blind so can't learn any hand commands
If it isn't too exhausting on your end, please keep us appraised and post back when you learn more. My heart goes out to you.
His hearing has been improving tremendously. The carprofen the vet prescribed helped a lot, IMO. He's able to hear about 80% as well as he could before, though it takes him a little bit to understand. At least until he takes his medicine, then he can hear a bit better.
However, yesterday morning on his walk his front left paw started twitching and spasming uncontrollably. Poor guy was hopping around, could barely stand or even sit. He didn't seem hurt and there weren't any signs of injury (bee sting, bug bite, cuts, etc.). Took him to the emergency room immediately and they prescribed him some gabapentin. Fortunately the spasms went away and he's running and jumping around again
Looking forward to the ear exam tomorrow morning, though it's considered surgery and he'll have to be dropped off early in the morning. Thanks for asking :)