Pomeranian pilot study finds no BAER hearing gap with CM
Bottom line
Pomeranian pilot study finds no BAER hearing differences with Chiari-like malformation
A new pilot study accepted by Frontiers in Veterinary Science reports that Pomeranians with Chiari-like malformation did not show significant abnormalities on brainstem auditory evoked response, or BAER, wave latency testing compared with controls. The study, led by Marta Płonek and colleagues, has been accepted in the journal’s Veterinary Neurology and Neurosurgery section as of June 8, 2026. Available background from Utrecht University indicates the work was first presented as a poster at the 36th ESVN-ECVN Congress in Porto in September 2024, where it was described as a pilot study on BAER wave latencies in Pomeranians with and without Chiari-like malformation. (frontiersin.org)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the finding suggests mild Chiari-like malformation in Pomeranians may not produce measurable changes on routine BAER latency assessment, even though Chiari-like malformation and syringomyelia are recognized concerns in the breed. That matters because clinicians may need to be cautious about using normal BAER results to rule in or rule out clinically relevant craniocervical disease. Prior Pomeranian research from the same Utrecht-linked group found Chiari-like malformation in 54.9% of 796 screened dogs and syringomyelia in 23.9%, while a later longitudinal study suggested syrinx measurements and owner-reported clinical signs can change over time. (frontiersin.org)
What to watch: Watch for the full Frontiers publication, including methods, sample size, and disease-severity breakdowns, which will determine how broadly the negative BAER finding can be applied in practice. (frontiersin.org)
Key facts
- Study type
- Pilot study
- Species
- Pomeranian dogs
- Question studied
- BAER wave latencies in dogs with and without Chiari-like malformation
- Main finding
- No significant differences in BAER wave latencies between affected and control dogs
- Interpretation
- Mild Chiari-like malformation appeared to have no measurable impact on BAER parameters
- Journal
- Frontiers in Veterinary Science
- Accepted date
- June 8, 2026
- Lead author
- Marta Płonek
A pilot study on hearing assessment in Pomeranians with and without Chiari-like malformation is moving toward the literature, with Frontiers in Veterinary Science listing the article as accepted on June 8, 2026, in its Veterinary Neurology and Neurosurgery section. Based on the source abstract and related records, the study found no significant differences in BAER wave latencies between affected and control dogs, suggesting that Chiari-like malformation, at least in the dogs studied, was not associated with measurable hearing pathway abnormalities on this test. (frontiersin.org)
That question sits within a larger and growing body of work on Chiari-like malformation, or CM, and syringomyelia, or SM, in Pomeranians. In 2023, investigators reported what they described as the first large study of CM and SM in the breed, analyzing 796 dogs from 22 countries. In that cohort, CM was identified in 54.9% of dogs and SM in 23.9%, with several owner-reported signs, including phantom scratching, vocalization, head shaking, spontaneous pain signs, and air licking, associated with SM. The authors also cautioned that MRI remains necessary to establish CM or SM status accurately. (frontiersin.org)
More recent follow-up work has reinforced that this is not a static condition. A 2024 longitudinal study of 19 Pomeranians found dogs were more likely to have owner-reported clinical signs at the second MRI timepoint than the first, and several quantitative syrinx measurements increased over time, even though CM/SM classification itself did not significantly differ between scans. Separate 2024 and 2025 publications from the same research network have also examined craniocervical morphometry, volumetry, and medical management in affected Pomeranians, underscoring how quickly the evidence base around this breed is developing. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
Against that backdrop, the new BAER study appears aimed at a narrower clinical question: whether CM in Pomeranians is linked to detectable dysfunction in auditory brainstem conduction. The Utrecht University research portal lists the work as a 2024 congress poster by Marta Płonek and Paul Mandigers, and the Frontiers section page now shows a longer author list for the accepted journal article, suggesting the project progressed from conference presentation to peer-reviewed publication. The source abstract’s takeaway is straightforward: despite prior associations reported in other breeds, this pilot study did not identify significant hearing differences between CM-affected and control Pomeranians, and mild CM appeared to have no measurable impact on BAER parameters. (research-portal.uu.nl)
Direct outside commentary on this specific paper was limited at the time of reporting, and no standalone press release was readily available in the sources reviewed. Still, the broader literature helps frame the result. Frontiers published a 2024 paper showing that modified auditory brainstem response protocols can support practical hearing-threshold assessment in dogs, and that hearing thresholds can be useful in routine diagnostic work-ups. At the same time, BAER and auditory brainstem response findings in other canine or human Chiari-related contexts have not always mapped cleanly to disease severity, which supports a cautious interpretation of a negative electrophysiologic study. (frontiersin.org)
Why it matters: For veterinarians, especially neurologists and referral clinicians seeing toy breeds, the study is a reminder that normal BAER latency findings should not be overinterpreted in Pomeranians with suspected CM. If the eventual full paper confirms the result in a small or mildly affected cohort, the practical message may be that BAER is not a surrogate for MRI when evaluating CM-related disease burden, pain, or progression risk. That distinction matters in conversations with pet parents, because auditory testing and structural neuroimaging answer different questions. (frontiersin.org)
The study may also help refine expectations around screening. In a breed where CM appears common and SM may evolve over time, a finding of no measurable BAER difference could narrow the role of electrophysiology to targeted hearing assessment rather than broader CM screening. For general practitioners, that could mean continuing to prioritize history, neurologic examination, pain and scratching patterns, and referral imaging when CM or SM is on the differential. (frontiersin.org)
What to watch: The next key step is the full Frontiers publication, which should clarify sample size, CM severity, inclusion criteria, anesthetic or sedation protocol, and whether any dogs had concurrent syringomyelia or middle ear disease, all of which will shape how useful this pilot finding is in day-to-day clinical decision-making. (frontiersin.org)