Living with a deaf Basenji is still a new thing for me, even if Ike has gotten used to it by now. Ike is my 13 year-old boy, who has lived with me since he was 4 months old. We've been friends for a long time. Besides Ike, I also have 7 year-old Abe and 6 year-old Tippy, both BRAT dogs.
Even though Ike and I have a long history together, it took me months to realize for sure that he can't hear anymore. I know he can still hear some, and the change came on gradually, making it hard to detect. Plus, he is a master at masking the fact that he can't hear.
I tested his hearing by using his trigger words - cookie, beach, doctor, Petsmart. In a quiet house I spoke these words softly at first, then gradually raised my voice until I got a reaction from him. Doing this test several times revealed that he can really only hear me when I shout.
One reason I was unable to recognize his hearing loss is due to his natural aloofness. I have grown very accustomed over the years to being ignored by Ike. A true Basenji, Ike only reacts to things that he feels will further enrich his charmed life. The phrase "Ike, leave it" will be ignored, while, "Ike, do you want a cookie?" will get his attention.
Another reason it was hard to detect his hearing loss is due to his quick reactions using his other senses. For example, the dogs might be relaxing in the house when they hear a dog barking outside, so they'll all jump up and run out to the backyard. All three do this as a pack. But if I watch carefully, I'll see that only two of my dogs actually heard the barking. Ike reacted a split second later, actually responding to the sudden movement of the other dogs, and not the sound of barking.
Ike is also skilled at using his other senses on our walks. I just did the math, and Ike and I have chalked up nearly 10,000 walks together. After that much time on leash, he no longer needs to hear me say "wait" or "let's go". He is totally in-tune with me, what I'm doing, the tension on the leash, and the other dogs. He's a smart little man.
I've only been sure about his hearing loss for about a week now, so over these last seven days I've been raising my voice enough so that he can hear me. What a change in Ike! He is giving me so much attention and eye contact again. He probably thinks I stopped talking to him a few months ago! That makes me a little sad, but he still gets a thousand kisses and cuddles a day, so he hasn't exactly been deprived of my attention.
As far as senior dog problems go, Ike's got this one handled. No sweat.
Even though Ike and I have a long history together, it took me months to realize for sure that he can't hear anymore. I know he can still hear some, and the change came on gradually, making it hard to detect. Plus, he is a master at masking the fact that he can't hear.
I tested his hearing by using his trigger words - cookie, beach, doctor, Petsmart. In a quiet house I spoke these words softly at first, then gradually raised my voice until I got a reaction from him. Doing this test several times revealed that he can really only hear me when I shout.
One reason I was unable to recognize his hearing loss is due to his natural aloofness. I have grown very accustomed over the years to being ignored by Ike. A true Basenji, Ike only reacts to things that he feels will further enrich his charmed life. The phrase "Ike, leave it" will be ignored, while, "Ike, do you want a cookie?" will get his attention.
Another reason it was hard to detect his hearing loss is due to his quick reactions using his other senses. For example, the dogs might be relaxing in the house when they hear a dog barking outside, so they'll all jump up and run out to the backyard. All three do this as a pack. But if I watch carefully, I'll see that only two of my dogs actually heard the barking. Ike reacted a split second later, actually responding to the sudden movement of the other dogs, and not the sound of barking.
Ike is also skilled at using his other senses on our walks. I just did the math, and Ike and I have chalked up nearly 10,000 walks together. After that much time on leash, he no longer needs to hear me say "wait" or "let's go". He is totally in-tune with me, what I'm doing, the tension on the leash, and the other dogs. He's a smart little man.
I've only been sure about his hearing loss for about a week now, so over these last seven days I've been raising my voice enough so that he can hear me. What a change in Ike! He is giving me so much attention and eye contact again. He probably thinks I stopped talking to him a few months ago! That makes me a little sad, but he still gets a thousand kisses and cuddles a day, so he hasn't exactly been deprived of my attention.
As far as senior dog problems go, Ike's got this one handled. No sweat.
My B-boy who will be 13 on Nov 15 (and looks alot like Ike) is going deaf as well. But it seems to be different tones. He can hear if I am opening the cheese wrapper but he cannot hear the doorbell or other dogs barking and he no longer reacts to thunderstorms at all. When we are looking at each other he acts like he can hear me but maybe he is lip-reading after all these years haha.
ReplyDeleteI am the mother of a hard of hearing human daughter (and a Labrador with no hearing loss). I was directed to this post from Staci's VeryPink site. IMHO it is entirely possible that your dog is "speech reading" (that's the PC term in the Deaf community these days) He's spent 13 years associating sound (mostly positive, no doubt) coming from seeing your lips move when you are up close. It only makes sense to me that he is going to respond in the same manner as he always has when he sees your lips move.
ReplyDeleteI'd be curious if Staci's dog does the same thing.
Awwww! We like Ike!
ReplyDeleteMy Mr. Calvin went deaf, at some point. Perhaps he even came to us from BRAT with some hearing loss. Ike's story reminds me so much of my grumpy old man.
You are so very observant! Sorry to hear about Ike's hearing loss, but he's lucky to have you looking out for him. It doesn't sound like his vision is going and since dogs are so very receptive to movement he'll do okay. You'll just have to stomp when you approach him so he can feel your vibrations and put your hand in front of his nose as the scent will wake him up. Thank goodness for such wonderful people like you.
ReplyDeleteMy Ellie is nearly 16 and does not hear well at all. However, I've discovered that she can still hear me at least a bit when she sits in my lap and I talk to her in a normal voice.
ReplyDeleteI found these posts when searching for Basenjis and deafness. We just recently discovered "Hoover" is deaf...it seemed rather sudden. He is around 11 y.o. Hoover is literally a "rescue" as I was driving on a country road about 10 years ago and saw a couple men stopped by the side of the road setting him out. I turned around and went back and got him and we ended up keeping him after being unsuccessful at finding any owners (i.e. in case he was stolen). He also was just today diagnosed as diabetic. Is deafness a common trait in older Basenjis?
ReplyDeleteAre you sure he has diabetes and not Fanconi syndrome which is a genetic kidney disease in Basenjis? The symptoms are similiar but in Fanconi Syndrome, the dog would have a normal blood glucose level but still have glucose in the urine. There is a protocol for dogs with Fanconi Syndrome by Dr. Steve Gonto and you can find it on the internet.
DeleteI would verify that he does not have an ear infection or something else causing the deafness. I have had Bs become hard of hearing but at an older age-13 years and older.
Jennifer, thanks for the reply. We have an excellent vet luckily, and we took him in. We were all aware of the possibilty of Fanconi syndrome, but his blood glucose was over 400 and after insulin is down to 250. I 'am' glad to know about th Dr. Gonto site in case we should ever need it. He was checked for ear infections and problems, but all was normal. He sometimes appears to have a little hearing if we are really loud. Again, thanks so much for responding!
DeleteOur 14 year old, Koa (who we lost last year) went deaf. Our older guy now (Bear, age unknown) is almost completely deaf now.
ReplyDeleteEarlier this year we lost our elderly basenji girl. She had been diabetic for a few years and had gone blind as a result. Next she went deaf, then senile. The blindness and senility were huge problems, but not the deafness. Our remaining basenji is almost 15 and going deaf too, but in some ways it is a blessing. He is a very calm dog now because he doesn't hear thunder or other noises that used to upset him. And if we have to go find him rather than calling him to us, it's no big deal. He can still smell food .
ReplyDeleteHope lived to age 16 and during the last couple of years she lost both her hearing and her sight, and became incontinent. I came home from work one day and found her standing with her nose in the corner of a room, lost and perhaps stuck there all day. When I finally helped her to the bridge, friends said I should have done it sooner - you never know. If they are still enjoying life, deafness is probably managable.
ReplyDeleteThanks to all of you for your responses. So far the deafness does not appear to be a problem and I don't think it will be. It's just always a help to know others have gone through the same thing.
ReplyDelete