My 13 Year Old Poodle Has Suddenly Gone Deaf.

I noticed yesterday that my little poodle didn't turn when I called him and still doesn't react when I speak. I wondered if anyone else has a dog that has suddenly gone deaf and can give me some advice?

Re: My 13 Year Old Poodle Has Suddenly Gone Deaf.

Aww bless all our oldies eventually went deaf, best just get it checked at the vet in case it's just wax or muck. But basically advice I would give is keep a long training line on him so you can get him back and spoil him rotten. We teach from young age hand signals if you don't already use them then try to teach some signals so you can still communicate.

Some of ours have had happier times deaf than when they could hear so don't worry about quality of life some really hardly notice it.

Re: My 13 Year Old Poodle Has Suddenly Gone Deaf.

Hi Artangel first I would get your little dog checked by the vet to rule out any ear conditions.

Is he deaf too all sounds, maybe he has just stopped hearing some sounds in the range or has a degree of CCD (Canine Cognative Dysfunction ) so no longer reacts to familiar sounds .

Deafness can be coped with quite easily. A couple of my dogs have had a loss of hearing but were able to detect some sounds and the vibration created by clapping hands and stamping feet.

Re: My 13 Year Old Poodle Has Suddenly Gone Deaf.

Thank You for that, Julie. I wonder if it could be wax as he has been scratching his ears lately. I don't think he has an ear infection as his ears don't smell or are oozing.
I will take him to the vets tomorrow......he's going to love that! Not!

Re: My 13 Year Old Poodle Has Suddenly Gone Deaf.

hi Art my old Sheltie was deaf for many years i think it bothered me more than him .
There was a good side to his deafness ... For many years he'd been terrified of firework noise and thunder that all ended when he became deaf.
We took him for a check up but there was nothing to be done .

Re: My 13 Year Old Poodle Has Suddenly Gone Deaf.

Thank You, Meg. It's as if he is totally deaf! I had noticed lately he didn't wake when I called him but just put it down to him being in a deep sleep. I also noticed, that he didn't like loud sounds when something was dropped on the kitchen floor. He would jump out of his skin and he'd never done that before!
I am hoping his deafness is due to wax but if not I have to accept he is getting on!! Otherwise, he is a very healthy, sprightly dog!

Re: My 13 Year Old Poodle Has Suddenly Gone Deaf.

Ripple, I think you are right there. I am more bothered than he is but then I read that dogs aren't aware that they are deaf, so that made me feel better! Luckily, both my dogs have never been bothered about fireworks.

Re: My 13 Year Old Poodle Has Suddenly Gone Deaf.

Art as dogs age their ability to hear sounds in a certain range can change or they just don't hear so well.

Many dogs get a degree of CCD (the equivalent of dementia in a human) and once familiar sounds can suddenly seem scary .

My dog before last Amy used not to hear some sounds as she aged.

She had been habituated to fireworks and thunder as a puppy and was fearless but suddenly became terrified of these noises among others. It was quite sad.

Re: My 13 Year Old Poodle Has Suddenly Gone Deaf.

Our old alsation went deaf (we don't know to what extent) and when Mum and I walked him along the path on the verge of the caravan site (or of course if Mum walked him alone) we noticed that though he was trotting along in front of us, every so often he'd look back, as if to check we were still with him.

Mum and Dad had bought the caravan so Mum could live him as he wasn't allowed in their park home (when they sold the family house that April). Unfortunately, or fortunately, whichever way you looked at it, his loss of hearing wasn't the only thing that failed him in that one year. His back legs started to collapse under him. At the age of 12, and with nowhere for him to live at the end of the caravan season, we made the heart breaking decision to let him go.

Slightly off topic, but we don't think his deafness bothered him.

Re: My 13 Year Old Poodle Has Suddenly Gone Deaf.

Meg, Oh No, not Dementia too! I sometimes think my 11 year old Labrador has a bit of Dementia when she sits in the driver's seat in the car and refuses to budge! Not even a dog treat will make her move!