[taxtell]

I think that what I have been afraid of is true, that my little cav Jack is going deaf. He is only 4 years old.

This is what I suspect, and I imagine we'll have to find a place that does a BAER test, since my clinic doesn't have that technolgy.http://www.cavalierhealth.org/deafness.htm

I took him into the clinic today for a dental (and a bath, exam, etc) and Doc agrees that he seems to be losing his hearing. I am pretty upset about it, but what can we do? I have been crying off and on all day, I know deafness isn't a big deal, in fact my very first dog was stone deaf from birth...but it doesn't make it any easier.

Here's a pic of him with me at work today.

 

[*tina*]

I'm sorry. He is very cute. Cavaliers are my second favorite dogs, and it's a real shame how many illnesses they have, which precluded us from getting one.

 

[taxtell]

Tina: Thank you

He was a special case from day one, to be honest. His mother had to have a c-section (emergency) because Jack was stuck in the birth canal. He was born pretty damn close to dead, but we managed to revive him (the whole litter made it). The bitch's owner gave the doctor and I each a puppy in exchange for the surgery. Of course I had to take the 'problem child'.

The breeder is very reputable though, she does her research, all the required testing and all of her pups are very healthy. I think Jack might be a fluke, but I am definitely going to keep her appraised of what is going on.

 

[FUZBUTZ]

So sorry to hear about Jack. He sure is a cutie.

 

[Cdnjennga]

Sorry to hear that Taxtell...

 

[bigredpoodle]

PMG I am so sorry ! He is so cute ! thank god he has you !

 

[Fur Elite]

That is a shame, but it isn't terrible. Remember, there are much worse things for a cavalier to have happen (I have two of them!). Your dog probably won't even realize anything is going on, it will just adapt. I met a deaf show dog last week. Seemed as normal as could be. One of my cavs has had a murmur since he was 6 months old from mitral valve prolapse (he is 7 yrs old now and it has not progressed). Poor things are plaqued with that insidious disease, but their loving personalities are so worth it.

 

[debjen]

Jack is a handsome boy..I just love my Cavs (although I wasn't really happy at whichever one peed on my bed last night)..but they can be prone to problems..Robbie has one eye that doesn't produce tears but is managed with drops and oinments..we think it was a birth defect as he has had it since he was a pup..he has also had 2 bouts of pancreatitis..none of which stops him from doing anything..he is competing in agility and some obedience...Cedar had such a severe colitis attack that the vets thought at first he had been poisoned otherwise so far knock on wood he has been healthy..*G*

 

[taxtell]

Thank you all for the kind words.
I know I shouldn't get so emotional about it, and I know deaf dogs are fine, our first dog (a mutt) was born deaf, and she was a lovely dog.

I am debating on what I want to do from this point on.
I suspect it's a congenital defect, especially because he was a premie and a c-section, but if there is a chance it is 'glue ear' that can be fixed through surgery.

My boss thinks I'd be wasting my money on an MRI and that it's congenital, but what if there is a chance it's not??
Ugh.

 

[WonderPup]

(((hugs))) to you. I can understand why you're upset. I don't have any opinions on what your next step may be. In your position I would probably follow whatever the vet suggests but I don't know that much about deafness and it's various causes. I only know about training and living with deaf dogs.

 

[spoospirit]

I am so sorry to hear about your little one. I hope there is something they can do for him and I am sure that you will be there to get him through this.

My daughter rescued a cav some months back. He was an unaltered stray that she took in and no one claimed him. She got him his shots and had him altered. He was good at first but then started to have all sorts of problems. That is when I read up on them and watched a documentary on the breed. I had no idea the number of health issues these poor little ones can have. He was probably from a bad breeding and we heard talk around town that the owner lives here somewhere and wouldn't come forward to claim him so he had a bad home on top of that.

Being a single mom, she just wasn't able to afford the cost of caring for him so she had to give him up to a shelter to be re-homed.

You obviously love this fellow and will do whatever you can to help him out. And I am sure he loves you too.

 

[taxtell]

Thank you again for all the sweet words.

I did some digging and spoke to Jack's breeder...apparently his littermate (a female) went deaf almost two years ago now, and his full grandmother was completely deaf at age 5,

They thought the grandmother was deaf due to chronic ear infections, but it was probably the same issue Jack and his sister have.
When she found out about Jack's sister she spayed the mother and informed the stud owner, and he was neutered.

 

[bigredpoodle]

That was very responsible of that breeder Kudos to them Thanks for sharing that .. I am sorry about your baby tho