Hello, Amanda. Thanks for writing in. Well, hopefully, the hearing loss is not as bad as you think. The treatment will depend on the what the cause is. First and foremost, get him to you vet for a full exam. They will look into the ears as well. It is possible that he just has an ear infection that has caused some damage to his ear drum and middle/inner ear cavity. While a middle/inner ear infection is more difficult to get rid of, it can be corrected. Most likely, your vet won't have a standard test to check for hearing. There is a test called BAER that can test hearing function, but the test is usually only available with a veterinary neurologist. There most likely is not a connection to neck and back problems, but they will look more into that. Degenerative diseases of the ear can cause decrease in hearing, but this is not expected in a 6 year old dog. It is possible, though. Lastly, there could be a growth in the outer, middle or inner ear canal. This could be something as simple as a polyp to a tumor. X-rays of the skull may need to be done to further evaluate the middle or inner ear canal. It is possible that further imaging modalities, such as MRI or CT Scan may be needed. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Hope this helps.
Dog Veterinarian
7 years of clinical veterinary medicine and 17 years experience caring for household pets.
Your welcome. Ask him if the ear drum was intact and if there is any possibility of a middle or inner ear infection as well. Outer ear infections by themselves, shouldn't cause deafness.