Canine Hearing loss

Question
I saw your response to Jane regarding her 13 y.o. poodle with hearing loss and I have a similar situation.  I believe it's age related, but I was wondering if dogs can get wax build up that can add to the problem.  Also I know in humans age related hearing loss is most common in high frequencies and if I lower my pitch they can hear me better (I work with Srs.).  Do canines lose a particular pitch range more often with age that if I change my voice pitch may increase his ability to hear me?

Thanks,
Beth

Answer
That is an excellent question Beth but I doubt that I can answer it adequately. Most dogs like to hear sounds that are loud and high pitched, hence some dog trainers use very high-pitched voices in training.
Wax buildup would have to be utterly massive for it to affect their hearing. I have seen it happen, but we are talking about a buildup that was so thick it was oozing out of the ear and was a semi-solid mass. It affected the hearing but it wasn't until the cat started circling that the owners brought it in. It was affecting the middle ear and the equilibrium at that point.
So usually wax isn't the issue, but just a hardening of the arteries in and around the ears, just as in people.
Dogs hear frequencies much higher than we do so maybe by raising your voice your dog can hear you better.
Either way, while it's a bother to you, it usually doesn't bother the dog. They get by fine with their noses anyway. It does become a problem when a dog will bark because they can't hear themselves. That is usually coupled with senility and there is not much you can do.
Growing old sucks for all of us!