BAER Test - Mobile Testing Service

BAER MOBILE TESTING SERVICE | What's so unique about AVMD?

AVMD BAER MOBILE TESTING SERVICE provides on site (home or kennel) brain auditory evoked response testing for breeders and pet owners. Travelling hours and long distances with litters or a single pet for testing is no longer necessary - I travel to you - your dogs stay in their own environment and familiar surroundings. Evening and weekend testing appointments are available. Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) and American Kennel Club (AKC) certifiable test results are provided to you at time of testing. Testing is performed with Natus audiology equipment using air-conduction click stimulation at 90dB (bone stimulation if necessary for deaf result). Dogs must be at least 35 days of age at time of testing. All test results are confidential. No sedation is used and owners can hold their pet during testing. Testing is also available for cats. Currently mobile testing is being offered in the New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maryland, Maine and Arizona  only.  Contact Dr. Judy Pawlusiow at 516.457.2663 or email at [email protected] to inquire about your location. Hearing clinics in association with dog shows can be arranged - please contact Dr Pawlusiow directly.

BRAINSTEM AUDITORY EVOKED RESPONSE (BAER) | What is the BAER test?

The hearing test known as the brainstem auditory evoked response (BAER) or brainstem auditory evoked potential (BAEP) detects electrical activity in the cochlea and auditory pathways in the brain in much the same way that an antenna detects radio or TV signals or an EKG detects electrical activity of the heart. The response waveform consists of a series of peaks numbered with Roman numerals: peak I is produced by the cochlear nerve and later peaks are produced within the brain. The response from an ear that is deaf is an essentially flat line. In the sample recordings shown below, Puppy 1 heard in both ears, Puppy 2 was deaf in the left ear, Puppy 3 was deaf in the right ear, and Puppy 4 was deaf in both ears. Because the response amplitude is so small it is necessary to average the responses to multiple stimuli (clicks) to unmask them from the other unrelated electrical activity that is also present on the scalp (EEG, muscle activity, etc).   The response is collected with a special computer through extremely small electrodes placed under the skin of the scalp: one in front of each ear and one at the top of the head. It is rare for a dog to show any evidence of pain from the placement of the electrodes - if anything the dog objects to the gentle restraint and the irritation of wires hanging in front of its face. The stimulus click produced by the computer is directed into the ear with a foam insert earphone. Each ear is tested individually, and the test usually is complete in 10-15 minutes. Sedation or anesthesia are usually not necessary unless the dog becomes extremely agitated, which can usually be avoided with patient and gentle handling.  Unlike human hearing tests, BAER testing only determines whether an ear can hear or not.  It does not quantify how well a particular ear hears.

Discussion and BAER tracings used with permission from:              Dr George M Strain, Comparative Biomedical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803.