Brainstem auditory evoked potential findings in a French bulldog with bilaterally congenital sensorineural deafness

A 3-month-old, intact male French bulldog was suspected of deafness. The dog was irresponsive to environmental noises generated out of sight, but normal responses were noted for visual stimuli. No abnormalities were observed on the neurological, otoscopic, radiographic, and blood examinations. To diagnose the apparent deafness, brainstem auditory evoked potential (BAEP) was recorded in the presented dog together with a normal dog. While the BAEP from the control dog showed a normal wave consisting of 5 peaks, absence of all peaks was noted in the suspected deaf dog. Therefore the dog was definitively diagnosed as bilaterally congenital sensorineural deafness.