Using Hearing Instruments in a with Pets at Home
Pets can be a wonderful addition to your family, but their curious nature may be detrimental for your hearing aids when they begin to use them as chew toys! Having a house full of pets can be a lot of fun, but it is important to take good care of your hearing aids to make sure they remain safe at all times.
Having hearing aids helps you hear well, but storing them properly is imperative, especially when you have pets in the house. Dogs or cats do not know the difference between an ordinary toy and a hearing aid. Dogs may accidentally chew or end up swallowing and choking on your hearing aid, which would be very dangerous. Cats may swat around hearing aids and cause permanent damage to the inner circuitry of these delicate devices.
Always store your hearing aids in an air tight container that is placed securely out of reach of your pets. If you find that you are missing parts of your hearing aid or find the wiring chewed on, call your pet’s veterinarian as soon as possible. Hearing aids use batteries that can be a serious hazard to your pet’s health if ingested. Batteries tend to have strong acid that can cause damage to your pet’s esophagus, stomach, or mouth. If ingested, these hearing aid batteries may result in internal bleeding or hemorrhage.
The unfortunate part about losing your hearing aids to your pet’s shenanigans is that your hearing aid warranty will most likely not cover any replacement or repair costs. In this case, the insurance policy for your hearing aids will consider any damage caused by pets to fall under “negligence.” This is why it is important to store your hearing aids properly and safely when they are not in use.
If you have sustained any damage to your hearing aids due to your pet, do not try to repair the damage yourself. Do not hesitate to contact your audiologist and go in for professional repairs. Even though this may be costly, it is better to have your hearing aids repaired by qualified professionals rather than trying to make do with homemade solutions that can further damage your hearing.
As is the case with many things, prevention is far better than the cure! Always ensure that your hearing aids are safely out of reach of pets when not in use, and stored securely. Keep your hearing aids clean so that you do not get any pet saliva or fur trapped in them, since this can damage your hearing aids.