DEAFNESS IN DOGS & CATS
	Information on Deafness Prevalence, Causes, & Management For Owners, Breeders, and Researchers George M. Strain Professor of Neuroscience Comparative Biomedical Sciences School of Veterinary Medicine Louisiana State University

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Topics on Deafness Dog breeds with congenital deafness Cat breeds with congenital deafness Prevalence of deafness in dog breeds Causes of sudden onset of deafness Hearing frequency ranges for dogs & other species What is the BAER test? What is the bone stimulation BAER? What about hearing aids? BAER testing sites

Coming to LSU for BAER testing? Directions to the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine: If coming from the east on I-10, exit at Acadian (Exit 157B) (Acadian becomes Stanford); stay to the left when it becomes a single lane and turn right onto Highland Road when it ends. After entering the camus gates, take the first left (Nicholson Extension) and turn right onto Nicholson Dr north. Turn left (west) on South Stadium Dr/Skip Bertman Dr at the football stadium. If coming from the west on I-10, exit at Highland/Nicholson (Exit 155A) at the end of the Mississippi River bridge, and follow Nicholson Dr to Skip Bertman Dr; turn right (west). Click here for map.

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NEWS

• The gene for white color - piebald - has been identified in the dog on chromosome 20 by Elinor Karlsson et al of the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, as the pigmentation gene MITF. Elinor K. Karlsson, I Baranowska, CM Wade, et al. Efficient mapping of mendelian traits in dogs through genome-wide association. Nature Genetics, November 2007, 39 (11): 1321-1328. Published on line. Neither this report, nor the one below, explain yet how the pigmentation genes result in deafness.
• The gene for merle in the dog has been identified and sequenced: Leigh Anne Clark, Jacquelyn M. Wahl, Christine A. Rees, and Keith E. Murphy. Retrotransposon insertion in SILV is responsible for merle patterning of the domestic dog. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 9 January 2006, 103(5):1376-81. Published on line. See also the commentary discussing the impact of this work by Richard Cordaux and Mark A. Batzer: Teaching an old dog new tricks: SINEs of canine genomic diversity. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 9 January 2006, 103(5):1157-8.
• DNA test for merle gene available: Based on the work (above) by Drs. Clark and Murphy, a test is now available to identify heterozygous (mM) or homozygous (MM) carriers of the dominant allele of the merle gene using cheek swabs. Deafness is especially associated with homozygous merles. The test is no longer available through GenMARK. The test is performed by a company called VITA-TECH but can only be accessed through IDEXX Laboratories. The request must come from a vet who has an account with IDEXX and costs $150. The sample should be 1 ml of blood in EDTA or two buccal swabs. On the IDEXX submittal form your vet should indicate "merle test to VITA-TECH". More information will be posted when available.
• The canine genome has been sequenced: K. Lindblad-Koh et al. Genome sequence, comparative analysis and haplotype structure of the domestic dog. Nature, 8 December 2005, doi:10.1038/nature04338. Copy available here.

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Publications and Presentations by George M. Strain

• "Prevalence of deafness in dogs heterozygous or homozygous for the merle allele." Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine 2009, 23:282-286. © 2009 ACVIM.
• "Deafness in blue-eyed white cats: The uphill road to solving polygenic disorders." The Veterinary Journal 2007, 173:471-472 (PDF format). © 2007 Elsevier Ltd.
• Congreso Internacional de Medicina, Cirugia y Zootechnia en Perros, Gatos y otras Mascotas, Acapulco, Mexico, May, 2006.
  Sordera Hereditaria en Perros y Gatos (Hereditary Deafness in Dogs and Cats) (PDF format, 1.9M)
  Pruebas de Electrodiagnóstico Neurológico (Neurologic Electrodiagnostic Testing) (PDF format, 9.8M)
• "Deafness prevalence and pigmentation and gender associations in dog breeds at risk," The Veterinary Jouranl 167(1):23-32, 2004 (PDF format). © 2003 Elsevier Ltd.
• "Heritability and segregation analysis of deafness in U.S. Dalmatians," by EJ Cargill, TR Famula, GM Strain & KE Murphy. Genetics 166:1385-1393, 2004 (PDF format). © 2004 Genetics Society of America.
• "Hereditary deafness in dogs and cats: Causes, prevalence, and current research," Tufts' Canine and Feline Breeding and Genetics Conference, Old Sturbridge, MA. October, 2003. Conference PowerPoint presentation.
• "Congenital deafness and its recognition," Veterinary Clinics of North America - Small Animal Practice 29:895-907, 1999. © 1999 W.B. Saunders.
• "Aetiology, prevalence and diagnosis of deafness in dogs and cats." British Veterinary Journal 152:17-36, 1996. © 1996 Baillière Tindall.
• Deafness data analysis from: Strain, G.M. and B.L. Tedford. 1996. Deafness prevalence and associated phenotypic markers in dog breeds with high risk. Proc. 14th Ann. Vet. Med. Forum, ACVIM 14:772. San Antonio, May, 1996.
• Presented talk : Updated version of a talk (PowerPoint format) presented to Dalmatian clubs in Vienna, Amsterdam, and London in October, 1997, and to other groups since then.

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Other Information

• Bibliography of research publications related to Deafness in Dogs
• Bibliography of research publications related to Deafness in Cats
• Discussion of genetics of deafness
• Editorial summarizing recently identified human & mouse genes related to deafness
• Hereditary Hearing Loss home page - genes for deafness identified to date

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• Book: Living With a Deaf Dog
• Book: Hear, Hear! A Guide to Training a Deaf Puppy
• Deaf Dog Training by Barry Eaton, author of Hear, Hear!
• Instructions on building a vibrating collar (originally posted on the Deaf Dog web page) or purchase one from bbishop@gulf.net or from Pet Warehouse. Notes on Training With a Vibrating Collar.
• Source of electronic (low level shock) obedience training collars: Tri-Tronics or Pet Warehouse.
• Source for a GPS-based tracking device for dogs: Garmin Astro
• Training a Deaf Dog
• Dalmatian Club of America position statement regarding reducing deafness in the Dalmatian
  

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• Curriculum Vitae for Dr. Strain
• Search PubMed for publications by Dr. Strain
• Links to related web sites

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  Gratitude is expressed to the following sources of research funding that have financially supported this research program:
• Dalmatian Club of America
• Chicagoland Dalmatian Club
• National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, National Institutes of Health, US Public Health Service
• American Kennel Club
• Canine Health Foundation
• Jack Russell Terrier Research Foundation
• Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine
• Individual donors
  

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  George M. Strain, PhD
  Professor of Neuroscience
  Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences
  School of Veterinary Medicine
  Louisiana State University
  Baton Rouge, LA 70803 USA
  Phone: 225-578-9758 Fax: 225-578-9895
  E-Mail: strain@lsu.edu

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