"Hereditary deafness" refers to a condition where a person is born deaf or loses their ability to hear due to genetic factors passed down from their parents or ancestors.
Full definition
BAER testing for hearing defects is another diagnostic procedure that is strongly recommended because of the high incidence
of hereditary deafness in the breed.
Congenital
hereditary deafness in most dog breeds is associated with 1 of 2 classical pigmentation genes responsible for white or light skin and fur coloration: piebald and merle.1 The pigment locus S has 3 recessive alleles: Irish spotting, piebald, and extreme piebald; dogs with the dominant allele have solid color.
A different form of
congenital hereditary deafness is seen in the Doberman, which is also accompanied by vestibular (balance) disturbance; this deafness results from a different mechanism where hair cell death is not the result of degeneration of the stria but is instead the primary pathology.
Hudspeth's team plans to look for genes similar to the bristle gene that might be mutated in people
with hereditary deafness.
Deafness may also occur later in life in dogs from other causes such as toxicities, infections, injuries, or due to aging (presbycusis); most of these forms of deafness do not have a genetic cause in animals and thus do not present a concern in breeding decisions, but a newly - identified form of adult -
onset hereditary deafness is now recognized in Border Collies and Rhodesian Ridgebacks.
Scientists are also working on projects to determine genetic predisposition to bloat in several breeds; to different cancers in Flat - Coated Retrievers and Skye Terriers; to cataracts in Alaskan Malamutes, Samoyeds, Siberian Huskies, and Bichon Frisé;
hereditary deafness in Dalmatians, Australian Cattle Dogs, and Bull Terriers; and various diseases in Whippets, Poodles, Doberman Pinschers, Boxers, Salukis, Weimaraners, German Shepherds, Soft - Coated Wheaten Terriers, and others.
His laboratory also identified and characterized several human disease genes, including those implicated in certain forms of
hereditary deafness, vascular disease, and inherited peripheral neuropathy.
Dogs with piebald or merle markings are often prone to
hereditary deafness.
Because of the original attention to breeding the dogs who had white fur,
hereditary deafness, heart disease, kidney failure and skin allergies may occur.
BAER testing should be conducted at the minimum age of two and a half years (as MVD and MRI screening), and at the low decibel intensity threshold of 30 dB, to ensure that
hereditary deafness is not passed on to offspring.
The bull terrier is one of several piebald dog breeds that exhibits varying degrees of
hereditary deafness.
Australian Cattle Dogs can have
hereditary deafness and occasional eye problems such as Progressive Retinal Atrophy, or PRA.