Early Bilateral Deafness

You may notice your dog no longer responding to sounds like clapping, knocking, doorbells, or the vacuum. The dog may appear to become less obedient by no longer responding to verbal commands or their name. They may bark excessively or become difficult to wake.

Deafness is often noted beginning at four to five months of age. However, owners may observe hearing impairment beginning at a few weeks of age. It is uncertain if this form of hearing loss is early-onset or congenital.

Veterinarians can diagnose hearing disorders by using brainstem auditory-evoked response (BAER) testing to confirm unilateral or bilateral deafness.

There are no widespread treatments. Management is aimed at lifestyle changes, training, and reducing the risk of injury.

Talk to your vet about your dog’s deafness result so you can discuss any changes in hearing and plan care as needed.

Train your dog using visual cues or hand signals instead of verbal commands.

Avoid startling your dog by approaching gently and using vibration or light to get their attention.

Make sure your dog’s collar or leash has tags noting that they are deaf to help others interact safely and respectfully.

This variant was first identified in Rottweilers.

Penetrance: This variant has an autosomal recessive inheritance, meaning that dogs must have two copies of the variant in order to show clinical signs of Early Bilateral Deafness from it.

Gene

LOXHD1 Exon 38

Inheritance type

recessive

Clinical category

Other Systems

Citations

1. Hytonen et al 2021
2. Kawakami et al 2022
3. Strain 2015

• Rottweiler