Can you hear me now? (I'm so confused!)

[Scarlette]

Riley has shown signs that she can hear certain things within the last few days. The other night, when she was outside for her potty break, she acted like she could hear crickets chirping in the grass. Yesterday she had her back to me and I said "Hello Riley Roo!" (I ALWAYS talk to her even though I know she's deaf) and she turned and looked at me. Today when she was outside in her kennel playing my mom went out and said something and Riley turned around and looked at her.....almost startled. Then, when she had her full attention on my mom, her back was to me, I whistled and she looked at me.

I'm sooooo confused! Everything that I've read about deaf dogs has never said anything about intermittent hearing. If they're born deaf, then they're deaf for life. There's no chance of hearing coming back spontaneously. Has anyone ever heard of anything like this?

I called the vet's office and she was out on farm calls so I talked to the vet tech. I said "I'm past the denial stage here. I've accepted the fact that Riley is deaf, so please don't laugh at me, BUT........" The vet tech has never heard of this and will pass it on to my vet, but I know my vet has very little to no experience with deaf dogs (with Riley being the exception) so I don't know what to do, or think!

[dappledoxie]

Hmmm that's pretty weird huh!? I have no idea though. You'll have to let us know what your vet says.

[Chinchilla_Girl]

Sounds like a story for Animal Miracles! Hmmm...I wonder if she had a clog or something and it's finally broken up? Wow! That's just crazy because it's not like she's reacting to vibrations on the ground like my Chow did when she went deaf in her old age...I would definetly get her into the vet and see about some kind of hearing test to find out if she is really hearing or some kind of coincidental fluke. It would be awsome for both of you if she really is hearing you! Please keep us updated on Riley's experiences.
I'll get on the bully forums and see if anyone else has experienced this sort of thing with their deaf bullies

[Scarlette]

She would have to have a BAER test to see if she has any hearing. My vet doesn't have that type of thing here so I would have to drive quite a distance for that. I've read that some dogs have to be knocked out to do the test. Riley is such a wiggle worm that she would be one of those dogs. It really doesn't matter to me one way or the other if she can hear or not, but it sure would be nice to know what the heck is happening here!

I had thought about her ears being clogged too, but what are the odds that BOTH ears were that clogged?

This afternoon I was making different noises and now she's back to not responding. Ugh!

Mandie, thanks for taking the time to find info for me! How many other people at that site have deaf dogs? Could I maybe have the website addy?

[Tilt]

I nearly lost my hearing to a bad ear infection. But I would imagine she would have been tested for all these things? I mean, I think if there'd been a clog, the vet would have seen when she examined her? Same with any signs of an ear infection...

This is really weird. I used to think there were certain moments that my friend's deaf CC, Simba, could hear, too. Maybe it's just wishful thinking? No, those incidents are too weird.

[Eli]

Quote: Originally Posted by Chinchilla_Girl Sounds like a story for Animal Miracles! Hmmm...I wonder if she had a clog or something and it's finally broken up? Wow! That's just crazy because it's not like she's reacting to vibrations on the ground like my Chow did when she went deaf in her old age...I would definetly get her into the vet and see about some kind of hearing test to find out if she is really hearing or some kind of coincidental fluke. It would be awsome for both of you if she really is hearing you! Please keep us updated on Riley's experiences. I'll get on the bully forums and see if anyone else has experienced this sort of thing with their deaf bullies

Dang I was gonna say the same thing about animal miracles. How long had/has she been deaf? That is so cool. What kindof dog?

[Scarlette]

She's a 4 month old Bull Terrier that was born that way. White Bull Terriers have a high percentage rate for deafness. I knew there was a chance for deafness in this breed, I just didn't realize that they rank right up there with Dalmations.

[Tilt]

Scarlette, I did not realize that either. That's really sad.

[Chinchilla_Girl]

One girl said her deaf bully acts like that sometimes too, but she knows he's actually deaf...Its a good forums for reponsible bully owners and most people are awsome...there is always a troll or two that slips through for a little while, but they are usually caught and banned. You can find it here: http://www.pitbullforum.com/index.php

[pihlaja]

I have a cousin who is completely deaf and has been since she was about two (her hearing was never good--the deafness was caused from my aunt having mumps or measles (I forget which) while my cousin was in the womb and her hearing started diminishing soon after she was born). Sometimes she says she can honestly HEAR higher pitched sounds even though she is supposed to be totally deaf. I sometimes question how much we really know about deafness and the body (regardless of species).

Perhaps Riley is like my cousin. Deaf, but every now and then, somehow miraculously hears.



It's a good thought, indeed.

[Scarlette]

Thanks for the link Mandie. I'll look into it later today.

I'm thinking that everything that happened was a coincidental fluke. She hasn't responded to sound since I started this thread. I even gave the dog whistle another try. No response. That's ok though, I still love her no matter what.

[capnsweets]

No answers here, but it sounds quite confusing. I wish you the best!