Katie is a three year old that has gone entirely deaf and she has bad knee problems too. Is there any thing I can do to help her hearing come back. She's too young to be deaf. Also, does the Maltese breed have a history of knee trouble; what can be done to remedy this?
Chris

• I cannot comment on your deafness problem as I have NEVER had a Maltese with this affliction - of course the oldest Maltese I've had is only ten and she may yet experience deafness. The other problem, however, is a problem that does persist in Maltese (as well as in almost all of the other toy breeds - particularly those with fine bones). This condition is commonly known as "luxating patellas" or "slipping stifles". The condition exists primarily in dogs with "bowed" or "cowhocked" rears and in dogs that are too fine-boned to adequately support the dog's weight - a prime reason to NOT allow your pet to get obese. The tendon that runs through a groove across the knee joint (similar to a rope through a pulley), is connected to muscle tissue on each side. When the muscles flex to "bend" the knee this tendon is streched tight across this groove. In a cowhocked dog the tendon isn't running straight across the groove, but is pulled against the inside portion of that groove and, over time, wears down the groove itself and literally "slips" off of the joint. This is incredibly painful for the dog and can be repaired in some instances by surgury - although the improper rear-end configuration of the dog that caused the original problem will usually cause the condition, over time, to repeat. Similarly, in a dog whose legs are entirely too fine to properly support their weight, either from obesity or from an "imbalanced" bone structure, this joint fails through "wear and tear" over time. Usually dogs with a propensity for this affliction do not stand on their rear legs, jump onto or off of anything, etc. Also, dogs can simply experience this condition simply through accidental injury and, though painful, an experienced breeder or vet can often restore the joint into its proper position without serious long-term consequences. Good luck. Sorry to have been no more help than this.
  Larry Stanberry - Divine Maltese

• Deafness is a problem very common with dalmations. I saw a special on which a woman had two totally deaf dalmations, and she taught them sign-language/hand signals. So, while unless you maybe check with your vet is there are any types of operations, which probably depends on what caused the deafness, I doubt strongly that you can help her hearing to come back. But I do think you can help improve things with devising special hand signals. Also, have you done any testing with higher pitched things such as whistles.

  Unlike Larry, I do have a 16 year old Maltese that is directionally deaf. This occurs more as they get older. While Amanda can her me, she cannot tell from which direction the sound is coming. It is quite obvious from the way she looks arounds for the sound. So, those that have a maltese that is getting older just be prepared, as to the possibility of that.

  I agree with Larry on the knees, my Amanda has had knee surgery on both hind legs and my little 4# Yorkie mix that is only about 4 and 1/2 has had one knee surgery. It is very common to most small breeds. So good luck on helping you dog compensate for the deafness.
  RAKSAB

• My sister's dog is deaf. He has been since birth. He is 12 years old now, and they have worked through all of the hearing problems. When she wants him, she stamps her foot on the floor, and he comes. He understands signs very well. He is a happy healthy dog, and she loves him dearly. She took him to several specialist and because of the type of problem he has, it could not be fixed.
  Marsha Ardoin