Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Deafness rates in Bull Terriers and other dog breeds tested with BAER
By Płonek, Marta et al.·Published in Acta veterinaria Hungarica·2016·Department of Internal Diseases with a Clinic of Horses·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Evaluation of the occurrence of canine congenital sensorineural deafness in puppies of predisposed dog breeds using the brainstem auditory evoked response.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of puppies from breeds known to have a higher risk of congenital deafness, including Bull Terriers and Dogo Argentinos, were tested for hearing issues using a special test called the BAER (brainstem auditory evoked response). Out of 243 dogs tested, 156 had normal hearing, while 27 were found to be deaf in one ear and 12 were deaf in both ears. The results showed that certain breeds had higher rates of deafness, with 37.5% of Dogo Argentinos affected. The study suggests that regular hearing tests should be done for these breeds to help manage and reduce the occurrence of deafness.
People also search for: dog breeds deafness · Bull Terrier hearing test · congenital deafness in puppies · Dogo Argentino hearing problems · BAER test for dogs
Abstract
Canine congenital sensorineural deafness (CCSD) affects predisposed breeds of dogs and is primarily caused by an atrophy of the stria vascularis of the organ of Corti. The analysis of the brainstem auditory evoked response (BAER) is a reliable method for the evaluation of hearing in animals as it allows an accurate detection of unilateral or bilateral deafness. The occurrence of unilateral and bilateral deafness using the BAER was determined in a representative group of dogs in Poland, including Bull Terriers (n = 117), Australian Cattle Dogs (n = 62), English Setters (n = 32) and the Dogo Argentino (n = 32). Overall deafness, deafness in each dog breed and an association between deafness and phenotype were studied. Among the 243 dogs tested, 156 (81%) had a normal BAER, 27 (11%) were unilaterally deaf, and 12 (5%) were bilaterally deaf. The amplitudes and latencies of waves I, II, III, V, the V/I wave amplitude ratio, and wave I-V, I-III and III-V inter-peak intervals were recorded for each dog. Unilaterally and bilaterally deaf dogs were present in all the dog breeds studied. There were 17 (14.5%) deaf Bull Terriers, three (4.8%) deaf Australian Cattle Dogs, seven (21.9%) deaf English Setters, and 12 (37.5%) deaf Dogos Argentinos. Preventive BAER screening should be routinely performed in these four breeds to prevent the spread of genes responsible for deafness.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27993097/