The University of Cincinnati (UC) offers the opportunity to specialize and train in a unique area through the Animal Audiology certificate program. The program is the only one of its kind and is designed for Audiology students as well as working audiologists.
Currently 80 breeds of dogs experience genetically related deafness with more experiencing deafness due to age and noise exposure. The American Kennel Club advises breeders to have puppies tested by means of a BAER test and registered with the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals. Owners are now routinely asking for hearing testing for older dogs as per their attending veterinarians. This applies to pets, working dogs and military working dogs. Some veterinary neurologists are capable of performing the Brainstem Auditory Evoked Response (BAER) test, which is used for testing the hearing of animals, but are not specifically trained in advanced detailed diagnostic tests to make diagnostic judgments regarding audiological issues. This is the specific expertise of audiologists.
The following articles show the sudden upsurge in interest and need for professional animal audiologists:
- Breed specific deafness prevalence in dogs
- BAER Testing sites
- Dalmatian Club of America: A Primer for BEAR Hearing Testing
- K9 Web: Healthcare
UC FETCHLAB
There are a number of practicing audiologists who will run BAER tests for screening the hearing of animals, but the University of Cincinnati's FETCH-LAB is the only university lab in the nation that has the capability to teach animal audiology to its AuD students or to practicing audiologists and to run advanced diagnostic audiology tests.