Is your Pomeranian going Deaf? It’s funny but every Pomeranian I rescue has some sort of need for “extra love”. That love may come in form of medication, physical therapy or special attention. Today’s story you will read about Sophia and how I discovered my Pomeranian going deaf… and her amazing talent for being able to “Read Lips”
When I first rescued little Sophia I thought she was the cutest thing! Sophia’s foster mom had named her Tinkerbell, and I didn’t think it went with her personality, so I changed her name as soon as I got her and started calling her Sophia. I noticed that she didn’t pick up on her name as quickly as the other Pomeranians in the Pommy Mommy household. I kept calling her by name thinking if I said it enough she’d eventually pick up on it!
A few days went by and I noticed that she didn’t respond to my voice. I was concerned and decided to see if I could do some “homemade” tests to see if Sophia… was a Pomeranian going deaf. I stood behind her and snapped my finger to see if her ears would perk up… Hmmm, nothing. I turned my iPod on to see if she tilted her head or to see if her ears moved… nope, nothing.
Sophia
I took her to the vet and asked if they could tell me if she was even able to hear at all. I was told that the only way you can test a dogs hearing is to do a test called BAER.
The only way to know for sure if your Pomeranian going deaf or is going partially deaf can be understood by submitting him/her to Brainstem Auditory Evoked Response (BAER) test. This test uses a computer to record the electrical activity of the brain in response to sound. According to The Deaf Dog Education Action Fund, BAER “does not measure the full range of canine hearing, but it will tell you if your dog has hearing within the normal human range.” … that still didn’t give me any answer that I wanted.
Sophia
My vet did not offer this service and I decided not to look into having this test performed because I could tell myself that she could not hear an inside voice, and was definitely a Pomeranian going deaf. It was quite strange because when there were loud noises her ears did “perk” up.
I wanted to be able to communicate with my little Pomeranian so I decided to teach her hand signals. She knows how to do a little dance by a hand command as well as sit and lay down. Pomeranians are so smart! Even at 12 years old this little girl can learn “new tricks!”
Sophia waiting to play
A Pomeranian going Deaf knows how to read lips… yes you read that right, read lips! This is how it goes down:
Sophia wanders on over to me when I’m at my desk and decides it would be a blast to sit at my feet and bark at me. She only barks one bark at a time (this is because she’s waiting for me to respond) I open and close my mouth (no sound comes out) Because she can’t hear, she thinks I’m barking back at her, so she responds with another single bark. I “bark back” opening and closing my mouth. This goes on for about 7-10 “barks” then she lays down and does a little dance and convinces me to come down on her level and play with her… This just happened as I was in the middle of writing this. She’s such a little princess!
Can you hear me Mr. Tortoise?
If your Pomeranian is not responding to your voice, make sure his/her ears are not full of wax! This is the first thing to understand to know if you have a Pomeranian going deaf or just an ear full of wax.
If you do have a deaf Pomeranian… tell them that you love them by getting them a Pommy Box.
17 comments
hold up! Sophia’s 12?? awww. bless!
Yep! Miss Sophia is around 12 years old. Because she is a rescue we don’t know exactly how old she is. However the vets best guess was 11-12 years of age.
Our Miss Rose appears to have recently lost her hearing. We adopted her about 4 years ago and she is around 11-12-years old.
We have noticed her barking for apparently no reason or because she sees our other rescue Pom barking.
My pom Pebbles aka Poomie is 11 and deaf. I guess it’s good to know that this is fairly common. She barks at things no one else sees (lol) or when she feels my Great Dane bark (the house shakes). She does seem to hear hand clapping. Out of nowhere she understands that I want her to come. She’s the love of my life, so smart! Pommy Mommy to the end!
What about eye sight? Colby just turned 6 but seems to be running I to or almost running into things. Plus his anxiety is becoming extreme 🙁 and I don’t know what to do.
I get so much pleasure from all your post and pictures. I have a Pommy she is six and her name is Pippin and she and my Rat Terrier are my Loves.
Dear Toby is an older Pomeranian (13ish)A pound puppy, so exact age uncertain. He is lately slow to respond and reclusive. We have another, younger dog that may be helping him cope with auditory and vision issues. I appreciate you for sharing. Knowledge is power!
I “had” a little Pom, who owned my heart. Ms. Penny from Heaven, went to heaven last year. She was 17. I could tell that her hearing wasn’t very good, nor her eye sight. But she could love like nobodies business! I miss her so. Sophie looks so much like her… Please, love your little furry babies, with all you are, because that is how they love you… give ’em an extra kiss on the head from me…
We have a 14 yr. old Pom, Kalli. Has congestive heart disease and now seems to be deaf. She is the light of our life. Most loving dog. Her 12 yr. old sister Abby is fine. Love them both so much.
I too have a pom who is 13 years old. She is blind in one eye but still has her hearing.. She is just a wonderful little thing. I adopted her from the people that mistreated her. She is just a great little girl. She is very protective of me.
I too have a pom. I rescued her from horrible people. She is blind in one eye but she can hear. She is so loving and very protective of me.. We go everywhere together,outside in the garden,hanging clothes on the line,planting flowers or just for a walk.. She loves to ride but does not like it when you turn the car off. She barks like crazy
She is just too much! Just love her to death!
I have a one male pom. So cute I wamt appt dog deaf I am deaf too
Bless her heart she has had so much in her life but she is still an absolute sweetie
Bless her heart she has had so much in her life but she is still an absolute sweetie
I have a pom is a male , he look female he very lovable personal And dog is a deaf I want adopt please let me know my email address is mrtricha@aol.com
Christina, you need to have your Pom checked for Addison’s disease, or if it has gnoe blind. When our little Pom had seizures, she lost her eyesight, and would run the edge of the room without stopping.