Canine Hearing Management

Abstract

The United States military employs multipurpose canines as force multipliers. A newly developed baseline audiology program applicable to noise effects on the hearing threshold for these dogs has just been developed by the University of Cincinnati FETCHLAB using brainstem auditory evoked potentials to detect estimated threshold shifts in this population. Dogs that are routinely deployed are subject to consistent exposure to noise in the field. Few investigations have focused on the effects of transport noise on the auditory system in multipurpose dogs. The consequence of these dogs having a significant hearing threshold shift is a failure of the dog to properly respond to voice commands and to miss critical acoustic cues while on target. This chapter specifically discusses the baseline protocol for audiological testing of special operations’ multipurpose canines related to helicopter transport.

Rapid hearing threshold assessment with modified auditory brainstem response protocols in dogs

“…Higher stimulation rates could immensely reduce the required test time for ABR hearing threshold assessment. In the past, some authors already applied higher stimulation rates in dogs ( 7 , 9 , 11 ). In 2011, Wilson et al ( 7 ) reported that the quality of click ABR waveforms could be maintained in sedated dogs when the stimulus rate was increased from 11 Hz to 33 Hz or even to 91 Hz.…”

“…However, these examiners recorded one ABR waveform for both ears, and thus failed to obtain independent recordings for the left and right ear. In the past and especially nowadays, more authors are using higher stimulus rates in animals ( 7 , 9 , 11 , 27 ). This approach can also shorten test times while maintaining the test quality ( 7 ).…”

“…Furthermore, ABR can independently assess hearing for each ear. Until today, ABR is the gold standard for objective and quantitative hearing screening in newborn humans (8) and dogs (9). Examples of ABR use in veterinary practice include hearing testing in puppies for unilateral or bilateral congenital sensorineural deafness (3,6,(10)(11)(12), in elderly dogs for age-related hearing loss (13)(14)(15), or in dogs with otitis (16)(17)(18)(19).…”