Description
This article is from the Canine
Medical Information FAQ, by Cindy Tittle Moore with numerous
contributions by others.
12 Deafness
While some dogs certainly become deaf through illness, trauma, or old
age, most dogs are deaf through heredity. Some of the breeds most
affected by this problem include Dalmatians and English Setters. Many
of the pigmentation genes are connected with deafness. For example,
blue eyes and deafness are statistically associated to a high degree
of certainty. Lack of corneal pigment is also connected. Since a puppy
with only one unilaterally deaf parent is twice as likely to be deaf
as a puppy with both parents hearing in both ears, any dog that flunks
the BAER test should not be bred.
The definitive test for assessing a dog's deafness is the BAER test,
which can tell whether a dog is unilaterally (one ear) or bilaterally
(both ears) deaf. In breeds where deafness is a problem, you should
insist on a puppy that has been BAER-tested.o
There is a mailing list for owners of deaf dogs that can help you
answer many of your questions (mail
deafdogs-request@cybervision.kwic.net for information). In addition,
you should look at their informative web site,
http://www.cybervision.com/~cairo/deaf.html.
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