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What's the real situation about deafness with the dogo

alejandro

Well-Known Member
What´s the real situation about deafness with the dogo

I been wondering how bad is the situation about deafness with the dogo argentino, I've read that most of them are born deaf or lose their hearing eventually as a consequence of their color,and would like to ear from some one with experience about it, its that true, what is the test available to know if a dog is def, can you tell by observation, how does it affect the dog´s performance, etc. I´ll appreciate any info you can share.
 

fila4me

Well-Known Member
Re: What´s the real situation about defness whit the dogo

you can have a deaf or unilateral in a litter or both. chances are about 10%, some lines are more prone to deafness. none of mine have lost their hearing as they aged, no more than any of my other breeds have. Dogos should be BAER tested as pups to have an accurate hearing result. in my friends current litter, we feel certain one of the females is deaf in her right ear. they go for their BAER testing this coming week, so we will know for certain.

as for affecting them, really makes no change in them(IMO). they just cannot hear, they still can do normal stuff just like any other breed that is deaf. it is not recommended to breed them.
 

alejandro

Well-Known Member
Re: What´s the real situation about defness whit the dogo

It´s this BAER test something you can make easy before you get the pup, or is there and age for it, is it a like a lab test or something fisical like an agility test to make sure the dog can ear.
 

fila4me

Well-Known Member
Re: What´s the real situation about defness whit the dogo

the testing is done at 6 wks or later. most breeders will do it at 6 wks. it uses computers to record the electrical activity of the brain in response to sound stimulation.
 

Duetsche_Doggen

Well-Known Member
Re: What´s the real situation about defness whit the dogo

I saw my second DA today in person the other day, the lady said she was deaf. Kind of interesting. She was a cutie. I just didn't care for the lady saying that the breed was known as a "gentle giant" *sigh*
 

Asfad

Well-Known Member
Re: What´s the real situation about deafness with the dogo

Almost 10 Percent of all dogos are deaf.but now breeders are eliminating these issues by breeding healthy dogs.
 

fila4me

Well-Known Member
Re: What´s the real situation about deafness with the dogo

healthy Dogos can produce deaf pups. when you have breeds in the genetic gene pool that are prone to deafness, it is going to pop up.
 
I found this forum when searching on deafness in Mastiffs. I am a leading expert on deafness in dogs and cats and on the use of the BAER test for hearing (see my Deafness in Dogs and Cats web page http://www.lsu.edu/deafness/deaf.htm or my overpriced book with the same title.)

I have tested hearing in 204 Dogos. Of these, 53 (26%) were deaf in one ear and 17 (8.3%) were deaf in both ears for a total of affected dogs of 34.3%, which is higher than the prevalence in the Dalmatian. The percentage may increase as more dogs are tested. Overall, I've tested hearing in more than 12,000 dogs.

The deafness is hereditary and is linked to the gene responsible for white in the skin and hair - piebald. Normally present pigment cells in the blood supply of the cochlea are suppressed when the piebald gene acts strongly, resulting in death of the hair cells and deafness. Typically an ear is totally deaf or normal, with no partial hearing in an ear. This happens at 3-4 weeks of age. If a dog's ears hear when BAER tested as a puppy, they should not develop any hereditary deafness later in life (although there are non0-hereditary causes of deafness too). Deaf and unilaterally deaf dogs should not be bred because the condition is hereditary. Bilaterally deaf dogs are a serious potential liability, because if they are startled they can reflexly bite and thereby do significant damage. Breeders are advised to put down bilaterally deaf puppies, but unilaterally deaf puppies make great pets - sell with a spay/neuter contract.

You can contact me if you have questions (strain@lsu.edu) or check out my web page. I won't be following this forum in the future.

George M Strain, PhD
Professor of Neuroscience
LSU School of Veterinary Medicine
Baton Rouge, LA
 

fixitlouie

Well-Known Member
Re: What´s the real situation about deafness with the dogo

I know its a issue. My pup and all breeders SHOULD do the baer test. Dont think it will develop later as pups get older..