Are dogs scared when they lose hearing?
Maryse McDermott
2025-06-08 04:20:11
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It was a sudden, silent shock. I withdrew into myself and away from the world. I was left alone with my thoughts, and it was scary how dark they became. I ended up with really severe mental health problems – isolation, depression and paranoia. Life was basically pills and visits to healthcare professionals, who became my only contact with the outside world. I never left the house because I was scared of communicating. Before Hettie, I couldn’t go out as I was fearful of people talking to me, fearful of not being understood or of being misunderstood. Simply put, I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for my hearing dogs. Life scared me more than death did.
Tessie Prohaska
2025-06-08 03:28:52
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Dogs rely on their sense of hearing every day. If your dog experiences hearing loss, their auditory-centric lifestyle will drastically change. Some dogs will also bark excessively or show other symptoms of anxiety, this is particularly common in dogs who were born with hearing but lost it over time. Dogs who have been able to hear their entire lives but lose their hearing suddenly due to an infection or injury may have a harder time adjusting than a dog who was born deaf. Deaf dogs may also sleep more than usual and won’t wake up if you call them—you may need to touch them to get their attention. If you touch them without being in their line of sight, they may appear startled.
Dogs with hearing loss in only one ear may also become disoriented or startled more easily by moving sources of noise. Your dog might not even notice the changes over time, older dogs who lose their hearing may also have an easier time adjusting, since the hearing loss is typically gradual. You’ll want to be mindful of your dog’s adjustment to their hearing loss and seek help if they appear to be suffering from anxiety or having trouble adjusting.
Michele Witting
2025-06-08 02:14:59
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Dogs can develop hearing loss just as humans do, particularly in their senior years. It’s usually a gradual process, and one that you might not be able to see right away. Dogs that are losing their hearing may seem confused by their surroundings, even if it’s somewhere they’re familiar with. If your dog seems disoriented or uneasy around the house, it could be due to a handful of causes, one of which is hearing loss. Dogs who are starting to lose hearing may shake or tilt their head in unusual ways to compensate for their inability to hear properly. This is less common in dogs who are fully deaf, but it can be a sign of your dog’s hearing starting to go, or of hearing loss in just one ear. Dogs that are experiencing hearing loss may bark more constantly than dogs with full hearing, in some cases, this might be caused by anxiety and frustration from not being able to hear.
Jaiden Lowe
2025-06-08 01:08:00
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Dogs who become deaf, especially later in life, typically do not experience any anxiety over their loss of hearing and seem to have very little trouble adapting to their condition. Living with deafness may take some time to get used to—usually for the human more than the dog. Some deaf dogs may become anxious if they find their owner is suddenly gone. Many deaf dogs are easily startled, especially when sleeping. Dogs with significant hearing loss may appear unresponsive to everyday sounds, such as the doorbell or vacuum, appear unresponsive to his/her name, fail to respond to familiar verbal commands, be difficult to rouse from sleep, be less active, bark excessively, shake or tilt his/her head.
Alex Wolf
2025-06-08 00:06:10
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While many pets cope well with the change, others can experience fear, anxiety, and stress, particularly if the loss occurs acutely. Preventing FAS Like Caterpillar, pets with impaired hearing may be easily startled when don’t see or hear people approaching. Pets who have lived together in relative harmony for years may develop a change in their dynamic if one pet loses hearing and becomes startled by another pet. These inter-pet conflicts can be further exacerbated by other changes often seen in aging pets such as decreased vision and cognitive dysfunction syndrome, which can lead to confusion and irritability. Some pets may even snap if they’re awakened roughly, so make sure all humans in the home understand that in general, we should let sleeping pets lie. Hearing loss can be an adjustment for both the pet and the pet parent.
Maurice Hettinger
2025-06-07 22:50:19
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Dogs who become deaf, especially later in life, typically do not experience any anxiety over their loss of hearing and seem to have very little trouble adapting to their condition. However, some modifications will need to be made to accommodate the deaf dog’s lifestyle. Many deaf dogs are easily startled, especially when sleeping. Wake a deaf dog without startling him/her by placing your hand in front of his/her nose and allowing him/her to smell you. Some deaf dogs may become anxious if they find their owner is suddenly gone. Monitor your dog’s activity to avoid injury, as a deaf dog cannot hear traffic or other dangers around him/her. Never let a deaf dog outside on his/her own, instead, keep your dog on a leash or in a fenced yard when outdoors.
Dena Bartoletti
2025-06-07 22:49:29
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Dogs can adapt to hearing loss better than humans. It often comes on gradually, so they have time to adapt their other senses to compensate. Although it's difficult to know how dogs feel about hearing loss, behavioral changes have been associated with sudden hearing loss in dogs. This may be indicative of anxiety. Dogs who never had hearing in the first place do not suffer from this anxiety, as they have no reference to know what they are lacking. But in acquired hearing loss, there is now a disconnect in how they perceive things both in their environment and what we want from them, and this can definitely lead to some level of anxiety. Senior dogs may undergo a period of transition where they must learn to adapt to hearing loss and where feelings of anxiety might be more pronounced. During this time, your dog can benefit from support and reassurance.
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