What do you do when your dog eats or chews on your hearing aid?

Dogs love the taste and smell of earwax so they cannot help themselves if you leave a hearing aid lying around where they can get a hold of it. They usually chew up the hearing aid or the mold. Sometimes they may swallow the entire aid. I had a patient retrieve his hearing aid from his dogs pooh. He wiped it off and brought it into the office where I thoroughly cleaned and sanitized it. Remarkably it still worked. This gentleman was lucky. Usually when a dog chews a hearing aid it is destroyed and will need to be replaced. If the aid or mold just has some chew marks we can repair the aid and order a new mold. When a patient calls me with the news that the dog chewed up their hearing aid I tell them to bring it in and let me take a look at it. Sometimes it is salvageable and repairable sometimes we have to do a damage claim if it is under warranty.

If the aid just needs repaired and it is in warranty there is no charge. If the aid is out of warranty it may cost up to $150 to $200 to have it remade. If the aid is non-repairable but still covered under loss and damage warranty there is most likely a fee to replace it.

Tip: Keep your hearing aids in a hard case or dehumidifier where your dog cannot get a hold of them. Cats like to bat hearing aids around and hide them under the chairs or couch. Keep your hearing aids in a safe place and they should serve you well.

Dr. Tia Flynn is a certified audiologist and has been in business for over 10 years. Every Tuesday morning from 9 a.m. to noon, Dr. Flynn provides free hearing screenings at 1601 3rd St. in Coeur d'Alene. (208) 664-2767. Visit www.affordablehearinginc.com for a free copy of the consumers guide to hearing aids and watch helpful videos.