$1 Can Save Many Shelter Dogs!
Senior Dogs

How to Diagnose Dog Deafness or Blindness

“This post contains affiliate links, and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.”

Ailments in our dogs can be quite hard to diagnose, so here are some tips on how to diagnose dog deafness or blindness.

Hearing and eyesight are two of the most crucial senses of any living being. While it is relatively easy to diagnose humans because they can speak up and communicate, it is especially hard to know how to diagnose dog deafness or blindness, as they have no means of concrete communication with us. Dogs will not usually raise their paws or bark when you ask them if they hear a beep sound, or a certain tone from a hearing test device. And who has ever heard of dog eye tests and charts?

How to Diagnose Dog Deafness or Blindness

The most common way of identifying that our dog is still able to see and hear is by looking at him from the outside and making judgment based on what we sense in him. Even if it is not scientific and is only theory-based, it is usually the best way since the pet owners themselves are more attuned to their dogs than anyone else.

Another good tip to watch for is this: when you have two or more dogs, and you suspect your aged dog has some hearing loss or blindness, you may notice the other dog or dogs will sometimes help him or her out. For example,  when you call them to dinner, to go outside, or anything else. This is due to the fact that dogs understand each other better than we do.

However, not everyone can afford a second dog, because not everyone has the same budget and expenses. But for families who can buy one, then it is a good solution, as it can help out your old buddy in living out the last few years of his life. These fellow dogs will act as their hearing companion, or even their seeing guide, for the aged dogs with hearing loss or poor eyesight.

Here are some tips when you have an aged dog that is losing his hearing. First, do not startle the dog, especially when it is sleeping.

Additionally, dogs with some hearing loss can be trained to respond to certain sounds, such as the clapping of hands, a dog whistle, and many other noise makers. Even door chimes can work to get your dog’s attention when he is having a hard time hearing.

There are more than 30 breeds that are more susceptible to deafness than others. According to an article on PetMD.com, the following are the most common:

…Australian shepherd, Boston terrier, cocker spaniel, Dalmatian, German shepherd, Jack Russell terrier, Maltese, toy and miniature poodle, and West Highland white terrier. Typically, it is more common in senior dogs….

There are also problems when trying to correct and cure sensory ailments. For example, it can be hard to keep a dog’s hearing aid in place when a dog is rather hyperactive or moves around a lot.

Also, dog cataracts do not necessarily require surgery, because dogs usually can still see reasonably well with age-related cataracts. Surgery is a judgment that should be made by your surgeon, and with your input being critical to the decision.

One final point: aging is a normal process in any living being, and of course in animals as well. As dogs age, so does their hearing and eyesight. This is why it is important to help keep your dog’s senses healthy by giving him the right vitamins and minerals while he is young, in order to minimize (or hopefully eliminate) the period of time in which he may go blind or deaf.

Have you found these tips on how to diagnose dog deafness or blindness to be informative and helpful? Please feel free to share your thoughts below.

Image 100572046 13348155
7 Comments

7 Comments

  1. Avatar Of Anton Anton says:

    Everything is very open with a precise explanation of the challenges.
    It was truly informative. Your site is very useful.

    Thanks for sharing!

    Feel free to surf too my weblog :: gufawoy.jimdo.com (Anton)

  2. Transformers: War for Cybertron for the PC and the Play – Station 3 are both pretty decent video
    games and a welcome addition to the Transformers universe.
    The most important part of a cigar cutter to look at is the blade.
    It is easy for colors to bleed together in the dark, which makes spotting enemies much harder.

    Look into my page; Clash Of Clans free Gems Hack

  3. Avatar Of German German says:

    Hi there, I discovered your site by way of Google while searching
    for a similar topic, your web site got here up, it
    seems to be great. I have bookmarked it in my google bookmarks.

    Hello there, just turned into alert to your weblog thru Google,
    and found that it’s truly informative. I’m going to watch out for brussels.
    I’ll appreciate if you happen to proceed this
    in future. Lots of other folks shall be benefited from your writing.

    Cheers!

  4. Avatar Of Theodore Theodore says:

    Greetings! I’ve been reading your web site for some time now and finally got the
    bravery to go ahead and give you a shout out from Humble Tx!
    Just wanted to mention keep up the excellent work!

    Review my homepage – best way to build muscle (Theodore)

  5. I read this piece of writing completely regarding the resemblance of hottest and
    earlier technologies, it’s awesome article.

  6. Avatar Of Homepage Homepage says:

    Thank you so much for sharing this great web-site.

  7. Avatar Of Sharon A.

    Sharon A.

    says:

    I adopted a homozygous merle Border Collie adolescent. I have had her a year and she is herding for me. She learned her commands in ASL as quickly as if she were a hearing dog. The only problem we have run into is that when her adrenaline is up and she is in the instinctive part of herding or when she is working stock at a distance, she does not look at me to take a command. We are developing a vibrator collar which will work at a range of 5 miles as long as she is line of sight. I should be able to send commands using long and short bursts of vibration. With a little accommodation a deaf dog can accomplish amazing things.

Leave a Reply

Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

To Top

Like Us for Wonderful Dog Stories and Cute Photos!