# Gone deaf?



## cory (Aug 23, 2010)

I think that my beloved Teddy has gone deaf. He will be turning 13 in March and yesterday we discovered that his hearing is definitely going. He is a chihuahua/pomeranian mix. He still eats great, plays every so often, climbs the stairs and jumps the 2 foot gap between the ottoman and our couch to cuddle with us. He is definitely slowing down. I noticed last week that he was coughing which made me nervous because he does have a heart murmur which he has had since a pup but that is gone now and yesterday when I called his name he just didn't respond. If we yell his name he responds but if he is sleeping we have to touch him to wake him.

Is there anything that I should do for him? Could he have had a cold that has made him stuffy or do you think age has just caught up to him? He isn't rubbing his ears or anything at all and not acting differently at all.


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## My Big Kahuna (Dec 14, 2011)

Well, my family had a pom that went deaf, blind, lost his hair.... He was pretty pathetic after a while but we never saw any discomfort etc from him so he lived a happy life with us... He probably started losing his sight/hearing around 13? He lived to 18... We made the choice to put him down  He would bark in corners for hours (slightly comical) but overall he was still spunky... I know this didn't help but I thought I'd share a deaf pom story... We still had a lot of good years out of Bobo (we didn't name him)


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (Oct 4, 2007)

Our 16 year old aussie mix is completely deaf ( came with age). The best thing you can do is start teaching him some hand signals. It's a learning curve for you both. Our Syd knows our signal for "come" and "food". Teach everyone in your family ( children? ) to gently touch him when he is unaware you're there so as to not startle him. The other thing I did was get a tag (from dogtagart.com) that says she's deaf... just in case she ever got lost.


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## Willow52 (Aug 14, 2009)

I agree with Penny & Maggie's Mom ^^

Maggie started losing her hearing around age 12. We had to watch my granddaughter when she was toddling around since many times Maggie didn't know she was there and if DGD fell on her she'd be startled and sometimes snap.


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## cory (Aug 23, 2010)

I'm very relieved to know that this seems to be a common problem for dogs around this age. I've mentioned to the kids to be cautious with him and they are very good with him and love him dearly. It is just breaking my heart because this is the first "real" sign that he is getting old.:no:


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## Aislinn (Nov 13, 2010)

It's hard when they get old and begin to lose their hearing. Young Man lost his sight and hearing. I would get home and he would be barking and wagging his tail, and his back was to me, looking at the wall. He could tell I was home, but I think what he could hear was what bounced off the wall, the sound of the door shutting.


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## GoldensInRI (Jan 25, 2012)

My 1st golden, Sybyl, was nearly 16 when I lost her and she was pretty much deaf the last few years. She could still mark a bird across a field. The hand signals I taught her when younger helped alot in later years. Funny how she could still "hear" an icecube hit the dogfood pan or popcorn popping though.


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