Dogs deaf from birth know no different

Total deafness from birth is an inherited condition that occasionally arises in dogs. What is interesting about deafness is that it is not obvious at the litter stage. A deaf puppy can even slip through a vet check, to be confidentally presented to a new owner as their healthy new family member.

The reasons a breeder might not detect deafness in a young puppy are many. Puppies are deaf and blind for the first 11 to 14 days of life anyway, until the eyes and ear canals open. A deaf puppy grows to look perfectly healthy and presents no differently to his litter mates. He plays just the same, wags his tail, eats and so on.

Deaf puppy can achieve this normal development because he is part of a unit, his litter, and derives visual cues from his litter mates. When a visitor arrives, for example, all pups rush to greet and he is a part of that.

Sight is a powerful sense and puppy can detect activity about him through changing shadows. Vibration will be another cue, perhaps feeling the footsteps of an approaching person.

Accordingly it is not unusual that puppy’s deafness does not become apparent until he is removed from this communal living environment. Namely, when he reaches his forever-home. [Read more...]