Can a pug regain her hearing?

Now I'm confused. Last week, the smoke alarm went off, and Penny didn't budge an eyelid. Kept snoring. I opened the front door and fanned it to get the smoke out, and she kept snoring. Today, I'm roasting a butternut squash for soup and caramelizing an onion, and the smoke alarm went off. Dratted thing has a hair trigger. Penny comes bolt upright out of a sound sleep, starts barking like a madwoman, and dashes out the door to go for help. I yelled "Penny, get your little black butt back in here!", she turned around and looked at me, and trotted back in, still barking for help. A bit later, and after her dinner, and she is pushing her food dishes around, playing starving puggie, and I just said "Penny, now knock it off." She looked at me and stopped. WTF? She's been deaf as a post for about 4 months, and now she can hear? The only difference is that she's been on amoxicillin for 2 days for her mildly infected bum. Is it possible that she regained her hearing? How in the name of everything can that happen? Not that I'm complaining, you understand, but I'm confused.

color me confused too!

Nancy,

Pugsly went deaf when he was about 2 yrs old. For over a year, he did not hear one thing at all. I would turn my head and say very loudly...... do you want a treat, and there was no response. He would have turned a flip hearing the word treat before he lost his hearing. He was placed on antibiotics and given a steroid shot for something (can't remember exactly), but within a couple of days, he was hearing. It was kind of funny too because the slightest noise would make him jump then run away. I guess living in a silent world for about a year made him really sensitive. There is a chance that she had inflammation in her inner ear canal that was causing the hearing loss. It was probably an infection which could have gotten better with the antibiotics. Pugsly had some allergy related problems during the next years that would often result in hearing loss again then his regaining it. Any time he had to be placed on steroids, he would begin hearing so I figured it helped with the inflammation.

I'll keep my fingers crossed that Miss Penny keeps her hearing!

How odd!

I remember, though, that when my daughter was young and would get ear infections, her hearing would be compromised until the infection cleared. Could Penny have had a long-term ear infection with fluid build-up behind her ear drum? (Mind you, I have no idea of the anatomy of a dog's ear except to clean the outer ear as necessary).

Whatever the cause of the improvement, I hope it continues!

Imon wrote:Could Penny have had a long-term ear infection with fluid build-up behind her ear drum?
Whatever the cause of the improvement, I hope it continues!

Absolutely!

Well, whatever the reason--Yippee! Maybe there's hope for Theo!

My personal theory is that Penny has just taken the whole "Pug messing with owner's mind" to a new level.

Bella, our now 11 yr old rescue, went deaf last Jan. Since she was already blind, she was so miserable, she would just stand there and howl!
Took her to the vet, and she culdn't find anything, but said sometimes steroids would help. 4 days of prednisone and she could hear perfectly, and still can..................course she is now diabetic!!!!!!!!!! Steroids can have some miserable side effects.

northernwitch wrote:Well, whatever the reason--Yippee! Maybe there's hope for Theo!

My personal theory is that Penny has just taken the whole "Pug messing with owner's mind" to a new level.

Somehow, this would not surprise me. My little black diva has to keep me on my toes. Nevertheless, I'm a bit relieved that her newly regained hearing is possible and I'm not losing my mind. Much.

wow! how awesome and interesting! glad your doggie's hearing ok again! sounds like he had an ear infection that went undetected until you gave him antibiotics for the bum issue. that's really great that he can hear again! i hope it stays that way!

Maybe the amoxicillin is getting to an ear infection you didn't know she had and with it clearing up, some of her hearing is coming back??

Miss Penny Lane, keep 'em confused!

Maryjo wrote:Maybe the amoxicillin is getting to an ear infection you didn't know she had and with it clearing up, some of her hearing is coming back??

Miss Penny Lane, keep 'em confused!

That's all I can think of. And she is doing a first-rate job of keeping me confused.