Hearing loss in dogs

Since early December our Border Terrier, Blue, has been having issues with his ears. He had started scratching intermittently and at the same time whining. At first I thought maybe he had an ear infection, but when I smelled his ears I couldn't detect any smell that may indicate such. I tried swabbing his ears with a mixture of alcohol and hydrogen peroxide. But this concoction didn't seem to remedy the problem.

His annual exam was just two weeks ago. I asked both the vet and the groomer if they noticed anything in particular about Blue's ears after the exam and grooming session. Both told me there was nothing out of the ordinary, no signs of infection, etc.

This morning I carried Blue to Highlands Animal Hospital here in Augusta. After swabbing his ears, the vet confirmed an infection in one ear and severe build up in the other with some swelling. Whether this is the real cause of Blue's hearing loss will not be known until we finish his regimen of ear washing and antibiotics. The vet also gave him a shot of steroids to reduce the swelling. Let's hope the medication will at least restore partial hearing to Blue.

But there are a number of reasons for hearing loss in dogs. See the Hearing Loss in Dogs  article on PetMD.com for information on causes, symptoms and more>