Why Is Important to Keep the Hearing Aids Away from the Pets

In the houses where one lives with a dog or a cat, the daily life becomes full of small routines, of habits that give comfort. But there exist some objects, very precious for the health of the person, that can become of great curiosity for the animals. The hearing aids are exactly this type of object: small, warm, with a smell that carries the trace of the skin. For the pet, they result as a toy to bite, to carry under the sofa, to destroy.

I write this after years in which I have seen many persons arrive in the ambulatory with the device broken between the fingers, and the face full of embarrassment. «Was the dog,» they say. Or: «The cat has taken it during the night.» It seems a small thing, a domestic episode that makes one smile. But in the reality, it is a problem that touches the wallet, the health, and also the wellbeing of the animal itself.

The Curiosity of the Animal: A Natural Instinct That Becomes a Danger

One must understand first of all why the pet is attracted by the hearing aid. It is not a dispetto, it is not a bad behaviour. It is the nature of the animal.

The hearing aid carries the smell of the owner, of the skin, of the ear. For the dog, this is an invitation to the contact, to the play. For the cat, the small dimension and the possibility of making it roll on the floor stimulate the instinct of the hunt. Also the small sounds that the device can produce, the feedback whistles, attract the attention of the animal in a way that we do not imagine.

The animals explore the world with the mouth. This is a thing that every person who lives with a pet knows very well. And the hearing aid, left on the night table or on the cushion of the sofa, is at the perfect height for the nose of a dog, for the paw of a cat.

What Can Do the Pet to the Device: The Concrete Damages

The damages are not only aesthetic. Let me make a list of what happens with more frequency, based on what I have observed in the practice of every day:

• The bite marks on the shell. The teeth of the dog, also of a small one, make pressure that cracks the plastic. Also if the device seems intact outside, inside the microphone can result displaced.
• The ingestion of the small parts. The cat plays, pushes, and sometimes swallows the wax guards or the small domes of silicone.
• The humidity of the saliva. The enzymes in the mouth of the animal corrode the electronic contacts. This damage is not visible immediately, but after some weeks the device begins to make strange noises.
• The complete destruction. I have seen devices reduced to fragments in a single afternoon, especially from puppies that are in the phase of the teething.

The cost of a repair, or of a substitution, is not indifferent. And in the wait time, the person remains without the amplification, without the possibility of hearing the doorbell, the voice of the grandchildren, the warnings of the street. This is not only an economic problem. It is a problem of autonomy, of safety.

The Risks Also for the Health of the Animal

Here is a point that many persons do not consider: the hearing aid is dangerous also for the pet.

The batteries, especially the small ones of zinc-air, contain substances that are toxic if swallowed. A cat that bites a battery can have burns in the mouth, in the oesophagus. A dog that swallows a small dome of silicone can have an intestinal occlusion that requires the surgery.

Also the electronic components, the wires of the receiver, can provoke lacerations in the digestive tract. It is not a rare occurrence. The veterinary urgencies for ingestion of foreign bodies are, unfortunately, a weekly reality in many clinics.

So, when we say «keep the hearing aid away from the pet,» we are protecting two lives: the hearing of the person and the physical integrity of the animal.

Practical Advices for the Protection in the House

After many years of conversations with the patients, with the owners of animals, I have collected a series of habits that make a real difference. They are simple things, but one must have the discipline to make them every day, without exceptions.

The case must be closed and elevated. Not on the night table at the level of the dog’s nose. Better in the drawer of the bathroom, or on a shelf that is high. The rigid case, the one that is given with the device, must be used always. Not «only for the travel.» Always.

The routine of the evening. One takes off the hearing aid, one cleans it, and one puts it immediately in the case. Not «I leave it here for five minutes and then I put it away.» In five minutes, the cat has already taken it.

The cleaning of the wax. The smell of the cerumen attracts the animal in a way very strong. A clean device is less interesting for the nose of the dog.

A dedicated space. If one has the possibility, it is good to have a small area of the house where the animal does not enter, where one can leave the hearing aid to dry in the dehumidifier during the night.

The supervision in the first period. When one brings home a new puppy or a new kitten, for the first months it is necessary to watch with more attention. The young animals explore everything, and the hearing aid is a perfect object for the exploration.

The Daily Habits That Make the Difference

Beyond the single gestures, what counts is the construction of an environment that is safe. I have prepared a small table that I give always to the patients who live with animals, because it helps to fix the attention on the moments of the day in which the risk is more high:

These are not rules of a prison. They are small adjustments that, after two weeks, become automatic. The hand goes to the drawer, not to the table. The case closes with a click. The animal learns that in that room, in that moment, there is nothing to bite.

Taking Care of the Hearing in Every Phase of the Life

The protection of the device is important, but it is only one part of the story. The hearing is a sense that one must cultivate with attention, with constancy, during all the years of the life.

I say always to the persons: the hearing aid is an instrument, but the ear is an organ that needs also of a support from the inside. The nutrition, the circulation of the blood in the small vessels of the inner ear, the protection from the oxidative stress — these are things that work every day, in silence, in the depth of the cochlea.

For who wishes to give a support also from this point of view, from the point of view of the nourishment, there exist specific integrators. I have seen many persons that, together to the use of the device, have chosen to accompany the daily routine with a supplement as Acuvit, that is formulated with the idea of sustaining the auditory function with vitamins and extracts of natural origin. It is not a substitute of the device, it is clear. But it is a way to take care of the hearing also when one is not wearing the aid, also when one is at home, in the silence of the evening.

For those who desire to inform themselves better on the composition and on the philosophy of this type of support, I have found that the site acuvit.health offers an explanation clear, without exaggerated promises, that respects the intelligence of the reader. And this, in a world full of loud advertising, is a thing that I appreciate very much.

The point is this: the hearing is not only a mechanical question of amplification. It is a question of care, of daily attention, of small choices. Protect the device from the teeth of the dog. But also protect the ear with the good habits, with the rest, with the nutrition, with the support that one considers adequate.

A Final Word, From the Heart

I do not want to finish this text with a tone of alarm. The animals are a source of joy, of company, of love. One must not live with the fear that the cat will steal the hearing aid. One must simply live with a little of organisation, with a little of foresight.

The person who uses the hearing aid has already made a step of great courage: the step of accepting the help, of saying «I hear less, and I wish to hear better.» This step deserves respect. And the respect passes also through the protection of the instrument, from the small dangers of the domestic life, from the innocent curiosity of a dog that sees a small object and thinks: «This is mine now.»

Close the case. Elevate the shelf. Clean the device. And then, give the care to the ear with the constancy that it deserves, in every season of the life. The hearing will thank you. And the pet, also, will be more safe.