5 Surprising Ways To Save Your Dog’s Hearing

 

May 31 is Save Your Hearing Day. Let’s also make it Save Your Dog’s Hearing Day. It’s extremely common for senior dogs to gradually lose their hearing, often until it’s completely diminished. However, there are many small changes we can make to our environment to help prevent their hearing loss.

Sounds are measured in decibels (dB), and each 10 dB increase represents a tenfold increase in sound energy. 90 dB is ten times noisier than 80 dB, 100 dB is ten times noisier than 90, and so on. Sound researcher Joshua Leeds, co-author of Through a Dog’s Ear, the first book to examine the powerful effect of the human soundscape on dogs, states, “Above 85 dB, you start playing with auditory fire. Inside the inner ear, irreparable cilia cell damage worsens with length of exposure and higher decibel levels. Your dog’s inner ear works in exactly the same way yours does and has an even wider range of frequency.”

Decibels of Common Household and Street Sounds

• Whisper: 30
• Normal conversation: 40
• Dishwasher, microwave, furnace: 60
• Blow dryer: 70
• City traffic: 70
• Garbage disposal, vacuum cleaner: 80

Danger Zone

• Lawn mower: 90
• Screaming child: 90
• Power drill: 110
• Ambulance: 130
• Gunshot: 130
• Fire engine siren: 140
• Boom cars: 145

Steps You Can Take to Save Your Dog’s Hearing:

1. Take a sonic inventory.

Sound is like air. We rarely notice these two common elements unless the air suddenly becomes polluted or the sound becomes chaotic. The sonic inventory is one way of becoming aware of the noise in your pet’s environment.

2. Don’t expose them to loud bands or loud street fairs.

Humans hear sounds between 20-20,000 Hz. Dogs hear at least twice as high, sometimes all the way up to 55,000 Hz. While I think it’s great that more events and public places are dog friendly, so often those environments are created for humans. A fundraising party for dogs and their people that benefits your local shelter, doesn’t benefit your dog when a loud band is playing. Please be careful of your dog’s sound environment.

See also: What Do Dogs Hear?

3. Provide simple sounds at home that calm the canine nervous system.

Minimize intricate auditory information found in most music. The clinically tested music of Through a Dog’s Ear is intentionally selected, arranged and recorded to provide easeful auditory assimilation. Three primary processes are used to accomplish this effect:

• Auditory Pattern Identification
• Orchestral Density
• Resonance & Entrainment

4. Be aware of your dog’s unresolved sensory input.

When it comes to sound, dogs don’t always understand cause and effect. You know when people are in your home yelling at the TV during a sports game that it’s all in good fun. But, it may not be much fun for your dog, who is still trying to orient whether all of those crazy sounds are safe. Put Fido in a back quiet room, listening to music especially designed for dogs. This can not only safeguard his hearing, but also his behavior.

5. Don’t play two sound sources simultaneously.

Remember that your dog’s hearing is so much finer than yours. One family member may be in the living room blasting the TV, while another is in the kitchen listening to the radio. Your dog is caught in the middle, absorbing both sounds and getting stressed. Try and only have one sound source at a time, playing at a gentle volume.

My senior dog, Sanchez, just turned 11 years old. I have been more cautious about his sound environment than any previous dog. I even play the grand piano with the lid down, as he loves to lay underneath it. I am happy to say that he has shown no signs of any hearing loss. Have your senior or other age dogs lost hearing? Have you learned how to help diminish that hearing loss? Thanks for sharing your experiences in a comment below.

Delivering Calm, Four Paws at a Time!

Receive a FREE DOWNLOAD from the Calm your Canine Companion music series when you sign up for the Through a Dog’s Ear newsletter and/or Lisa’s Blog. Simply click here, enter your email address and a link to the free download will be delivered to your inbox for you and your canine household to enjoy!  (  Ava, Leesa’s creme’ chow, has the CD collection!  Both of them enjoy listening to the music!)

By Lisa Spector

 

Lisa Spector is a concert pianist, Juilliard graduate, and canine music expert. She is co-founder of Through a Dog’s Ear, the first music clinically demonstrated to calm the canine nervous system. Their new high-tech pet gadget, iCalmDog, is the portable solution to canine anxiety. Lisa shares her home and her heart with her two “career change” Labrador Retrievers from Guide Dogs for the Blind, Sanchez and Gina. Follow Lisa’s blog here.

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Excellent Health is found along your journey and not just at your destination. Would it make sense for us to spend several minutes together to discuss your Health Issues or Problems and how HealthyHighway can help YOU Live YOUR Optimum Life? Please complete the information on our Contact Us page to schedule your consultation today! I look forward to helping YOU Live YOUR Optimum Life!

Live Well!

Leesa A. Wheeler

Healthy Lifestyle Coach, Artisan, Author

ring ~ 770-393-1284

write ~ info@healthyhighway.org

visit ~ www.HealthyHighway.org

consult ~ www.healthyhighway.org/contact.html

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What’s on your Pet’s Bucket List?

 

My Labrador, Sanchez, is 10 years old and I’m frequently reminded that he is in his  golden years and they won’t last forever. I am very aware that every day of life  for Sanchez is a gift, and little things remind me not to take it for granted.  Just as I have my own bucket list for myself, I started contemplating what would  be on his bucket list if her were to make his own. This is what I think he would  say:

• A day of eating everything I want (preferably more than one day, but Lisa  would never allow it)
• Take my time sniffing everything I desire during a long, leisurely walk
• Hump a Golden Retriever (just can’t resist them)
• A full day alone with Lisa when she’s not working (missing my days being an  only dog)
• Daily morning naps under the piano while Lisa plays it
• Work as a therapy dog (note to Lisa: You’ve been saying you’d get me  certified ever since I passed my Canine Good Citizen test earlier this  year.)

Even though Gina is only four year old, it’s never too soon to start a  bucket list. Here’s what I think hers would look like:

• Hike Squaw Valley
• Attend another agility camp
• Swim in a river, lake, and the ocean all in the same day (hint: time to go  back to Florence, Oregon)
• Sleep in Lisa’s bed with her
• Earn an agility MACH title (This would make Lisa SO happy!)

What is on your pet’s bucket list? Thanks for sharing in  a comment below.

Delivering Calm, four paws at a time…

Receive a FREE DOWNLOAD from the Calm your Canine Companion music series   when you sign up for the Through a Dog’s Ear newsletter and/or Lisa’s Blog. Simply click here, enter your email address and a link to the free  download will be  delivered to your inbox for you and your canine  household to enjoy!

(Leesa’s creme chow, Ava, received the entire CD set for Christmas 2012!  She enjoys them in the car and at home! On Ava’s bucket list would be a big back yard with a pool just for her! )

By Lisa Spector

Lisa Spector is a  concert pianist, Juilliard graduate, and canine music  expert. She is Co-founder of Through  a Dog’s Ear,    the first music clinically demonstrated to calm the  canine nervous system. Their new Canine  Noise Phobia series is  a breakthrough treatment and prevention program for  canine noise  sensitivities. Lisa shares her home and her heart with her two  “career  change” Labrador Retrievers from Guide Dogs for the Blind, Sanchez and   Gina. Follow Lisa’s  blog here.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Excellent Health is found along your journey and not just at your destination. Would it make sense for us to spend several minutes together to discuss your Health Issues or Problems and how HealthyHighway can help YOU Live YOUR Optimum Life? Please complete the information on our Contact Us page to schedule your consultation today!   I look forward to helping YOU Live YOUR Optimum Life!

Live Well!

Leesa A. Wheeler

Healthy Lifestyle Coach, Artisan, Author

 

ring ~ 770-393-1284

write ~ info@healthyhighway.org

visit ~ www.HealthyHighway.org

consult ~  www.healthyhighway.org/contact.html

chews ~ www.Chews4Health.com/Leesa

enjoy ~ www.Chewcolat.com

follow ~ www.twitter.com/HealthyHighway

learn ~ www.healthyhighway.wordpress.com

like ~ www.tinyurl.com/Facebook-HealthyHighway

join ~  www.tinyurl.com/googleplusHealthyHighway

link ~ www.linkedin.com/in/leesawheeler

 

Describe Your Pet in One Word…

Sanchez

If you could describe your pet in one word, what would it be?

I was recently asked to describe both of my dogs in one word. “Determined” is  the word I used for Sanchez (pictured above).  I’ve actually never known a  dog who could focus so intently on something of desire and not forget about it  no matter how many distractions are present. When he was a puppy in training for Guide Dogs for the Blind, many people observed that he would  monitor a room for hours, find a missing loop hole where he could do something  forbidden, and then perform that behavior in the most creative of ways. His “down” is admirable. However, while in a “down”, he has been known to crawl  across an entire room to get a crumb on the floor. You can see the look of  determination on his face. It’s honestly quite entertaining, especially as he  looks at me as if he’s thinking, “Well, I’m still in a down.”

Gina’s word is “playful”. She is ready to play at any hour of the day or night.  Unlike Sanchez, it doesn’t occur to her that there are loop holes, because  everything is just good all the time. OK, it was really a toss-up between the  words “playful” and “happy”. She never complains about anything, and is much  more a typical Lab than Sanchez. Everything is just good all the time.

My belief is that pets are brought into our life to teach us many life lessons. It’s different for everyone and  even changes at various times in our lives. I don’t find it accidental that  Sanchez was brought into my life at the same time I was on the verge of creating  music that calms dogs. He was actually the  inspiration for it, as he was a very high energy, rambunctious puppy and was  calmed easily by the right prescription of music. His determination that he  carried in his own personality was something that I learned from and still apply  to my life today. Now that I devote my full time career to helping improve the  lives of dogs with music, his reminder to be patient, determined, and never lose  sight of my dream of helping relieve anxiety issues in millions of dogs through  sound therapy is something I carry with me daily.

Gina, on the other paw, was brought into my life at  a time when I was working way too much and needed persistent reminders to “play”. She is a constant reminder that you don’t need a reason to be happy and  it’s always a good time to play. Even during the most stressful or depressing  life events, she can have me laughing and playing with a tail wag.

I love and still need my continuing reminders from Sanchez and Gina. What is  your word for your pets? Have they helped you apply that word to your own life?

Have you tried Sound Therapy for your dogs? Through a Dog’s  Ear is the  first music clinically demonstrated to calm the canine  nervous system.

Receive a FREE DOWNLOAD from the Through a Dog’s Ear

Calm your Canine Companion Music  Series

Simply click here, enter your email address and a link to the free  download will be  delivered to your inbox for you and  your canine household  to enjoy!

By Lisa Spector

Lisa Spector is a  concert pianist, Juilliard graduate, and canine music  expert. She is Co-founder of Through  a Dog’s Ear,    the first music clinically demonstrated to calm the  canine nervous system. Their new Canine  Noise Phobia series is  a breakthrough treatment and prevention program for  canine noise  sensitivities. Lisa shares her home and her heart with her two  “career  change” Labrador Retrievers from Guide Dogs for the Blind, Sanchez and   Gina. Follow Lisa’s  blog here.

Main Photo Credit of Sanchez: Gracie Slegers

Do Animals Remember Us?

Do Animals Remember Us?

There are dogs and cats, and then there are Sam Phinneys. You animal lovers know what I mean. When you look into their eyes, something special looks back at you. Yes, all animals are special, and I believe they all have souls. But Sam Phinneys have old souls. Perhaps they have more wisdom or intelligence, or maybe they are even our pet soul mates. I don’t know which, if any, it is, but I’d like to tell you about my Sam Phinney.

Sam was a Chow Chow. Chows are often misunderstood, because some are temperamental. But I’ve always liked them–especially Sam. Sam’s guardian, Mike, did business next door to my veterinary office. Mike would go do his errands, and Sam would stand outside our glass front door with his joyful tail-wagging, until someone would notice him and let him in. Sam loved everyone, and I mean everyone. He would visit with all of us — clients, other patients, staff, docs — until Mike was finished and ready to leave. He was the hit of the office.

I sold that practice to go back to school for advanced training. A couple of years went by, and I was having a typical neurology resident kind of day — crazy busy. As I was walking through the treatment room at my normal fast pace, out of the corner of my eye I noticed a Chow on a gurney. I heard someone say he had been hit by a car. He had a doc and plenty of caring students all around him, so there was no need for an extra pair of hands. I kept walking until I spotted a small tail wag. I about tripped over myself when I stopped dead in my tracks. Sam? Is that you? The tail went nuts. Sam had recognized me. And what’s more amazing is that even in his pain, Sam showed us what animals are really about. Love. They express it unconditionally, in bad and good times. Perhaps there’s a lesson there.

Oh, by the way, Sam made a complete recovery. No car was going to rain on his parade.

Dr. Susan Wagner is a board certified veterinary neurologist whose pioneering work acknowledges the bioenergetic interaction between people and animals. She is an advocate for change in the area of interpersonal violence and animal cruelty, and works toward a greater understanding surrounding the health implications of the human-animal bond.

(Leesa couldn’t agree more!  Her own creme chow chow, Bella, is featured on Leesa’s website with Bella’s Five Paws Up List!  Enjoy!  www.healthyhighway.org/BellasBest.html)

New Year’s Resolutions Your Dog Wishes You’d Make

New Year’s Resolutions Your Dog Wishes You’d Make

In 2005, Veterinary Economics reported that 40 percent of U.S. dogs are overweight. And according to a report from the National Academies’ National Research Council, 25 percent of pets in Western societies are obese. Our advice? Keep your dog moving.

Forget going to the gym or learning Italian. 2009 is the year to let your dog make your resolutions for you. After all, your pup’s life-long endeavor is to be your loving pet and loyal companion—the least you can do this year is bring an extra wag or two to his world. Besides, his resolutions will have you both feeling great, and the best part is, none involve spandex, spinning classes, or low-fat butter.

I resolve to take quality walks.
Chances are, your pup never says no to a walk, even if it’s the same old stroll up the block and back. But know that your dog craves new scents and sounds as much as you enjoy new scenery. So mix up your weekday walks with new routes, unfamiliar trails, and uncharted side streets and explore new neighborhoods and parks on the weekends. Better yet, research dog-friendly hiking spots in your area and venture somewhere new once a month.

I resolve to give fewer hugs, play more.
Maybe you’ve noticed that squirmy, help-let-me-out wriggle your dog does during what you consider to be a loving embrace. Unlike us primates, dogs don’t feel all reassured and gooey inside after a nice long hug. In fact, most likely they feel trapped—it’s just a canine thing. A hearty round of tug however, played appropriately, can be a huge stress reliever and a nice bit of exercise as well. Note: If you intend to make tug a permanent activity in your repertoire, “drop it” is an important command to know.

I resolve to regularly introduce “new” toys into the mix.
Remember, they don’t have to be store-bought new, just new to your pup—that is, something he hasn’t seen before (or at least in a very long time). So swap toys with your dog-owning friends and neighbors so that every few weeks there’s something new for Fido to chase, charge, or chew on.

I resolve to throw a party.
We’re not (necessarily) talking about a fancy birthday fete or a bark mitzvah—though those are fun, too. A rendezvous with a couple of his favorite people—or at least people who adore him—will do. Play a few of his preferred games or simply ask invitees to practice a couple basic commands with him. It’s a chance for your dog to get praised, treated, and rewarded by someone else—great for socialization and a real boon to his confidence.
I resolve to bond outside the home.
Agility classes may just be the perfect combination of mental stimulation, physical activity, and most important, team building between you and your best friend. Dogs and humans both have a ball. But if weave poles and tire hoops seem too daunting, consider a Canine Good Citizen class, a program designed by the AKC (and offered in cities across the country) to promote responsible ownership and well-mannered dogs. You’ll brush up on your training techniques and your dog gets a refresher course in good behavior.

I resolve to keep my dog physically fit.
And truly, this is the only one that requires any willpower—we know that pleading puppy eyes are harder to resist than any French pastry or sloppy cheeseburger, especially when there’s a stash of treats at hand. But even though it seems like your dog is harnessing the world’s entire supply of Cute Power to get you to surrender that big hunk of cheese, know that he really means this: Please do everything you can to ensure that I’m healthy, mobile, and comfortable for a long, long time.

Grated carrots and a game of fetch, here we come.

By DogTime, DivineCaroline

At DivineCaroline.com, women come together to learn from experts in the fields, of health, sustainability, and culture; to reflect on shared experiences; and to express themselves by writing and publishing stories about anything that matters to them. Here, real women publish like real pros. Together, with our staff writers, they’re discussing all facets of women’s lives from relationships and careers, to travel and healthy living. So come discover, read, learn, laugh and connect at DivineCaroline.com.