01 Mar Health Issues To Be Aware Of

The following are outline explanations of the health issues of relevance to Bernese, although most apply to many other breeds. None, of the following should be taken out of proportion and if you are especially worried over any particular aspect then please take further advice and do not dismiss Bernese from this information alone.

Hip Dysplasia (often simply referred to as “HD”)

This is a condition which is widespread in many breeds of dog. Essentially the condition is accepted as having an hereditary factor to its incidence and there is a hip assessment scheme, which in its present form, has been in place since around 1982 and you should not need to buy puppies from parents who have not been “hip scored”. You should therefore ask breeders about the hip scores of the puppy’s parents and even their parents and other relatives. The answers you get are not likely to be at the easily assessed extremes of scale so you may wish to take other opinions about them from other breeders.

Elbow Dysplasia (ED)

This term refers to conditions affecting the growing elbows, typically between 6-10 months of age. Sometimes a puppy may not have serious lameness but merely an occasional or minor limp on a front leg that can be managed but sometimes the condition is far more serious and surgery is the only option. This is not to say that all foreleg lameness in Bernese puppies is necessarily Elbow Dysplasia, growing dogs can obviously sustain normal sprains and strains). A survey by the BMDC of GB in the mid 1980’s established a definite but indistinct hereditary influence to the incidence of the disease. In the early 1990’s a scheme was initiated, via the Bernese Breed Council and the BVA, to screen BMD elbows for the secondary arthritis at the same time as their hips were x-rayed for the hip scoring scheme. In 1998 this scheme was superseded by a KC/BVA scheme using the general term Elbow Dysplasia. Bernese have the highest take up of this scheme and, possibly because of this, elbow problems seem to have reduced considerably in the last 10 years or so but there is no room for complacency and the more serious experiences of the disease are horrible for young puppies, and their owners, to endure. So, buyers and breeders have a part to play. As puppy buyers, in view of the known hereditary influence of ED and the existence of the elbow schemes you should ask any potential puppy supplier: a) if there is any history of ED in any form in the puppy’s parents and near relatives and/or b) if the parents have been elbow graded. Whilst problems in this area do not appear to be anything like as prevalent as they once were, buyers should do what they can to make sure they do not sleep walk in to a higher risk situation with their puppy.

In Bernese Mountain Dogs, you can easily look up all hip and elbow scores, undertaken with the BVA, on the Kennel Club web site. So, ask ab out your potential puppy’s parents, get their kennel names and look them up and check out their hip and elbow scores and their parent’s scores and their parent’s scores on the KC web site. If you start finding lots of higher scores then beware and take further advice. Ask the breeder what steps were taken to improve the puppies if you find a particularly high score and if there are lots of high scores, in the parents or grandparents particularly, then it is probably best to walk away.

You can read much more about Hips and Elbows in Bernese on this web site 

Hypomyelinogenesis (known as “Trembler”)

This is a condition exclusive to Bernese although there are many very similar conditions in many other breeds. It first appeared in the mid eighties, exclusively in British Bernese as far as we know, and due to strict, very responsible action taken at the time, has long since all but disappeared so does not need to be any consideration in any modern purchase of a Bernese Mountain Dog. Indeed, it cannot be anyway due to no information being around since the late eighties and is only mentioned here for completeness as it is occasionally mentioned in historical contexts.

Cancer including ‘Histio’

It appears true that a high percentage, (60-70%), of Bernese die of cancer and this is documented in breed surveys in most countries. However, all dogs, (and people) have to die of something so these figures have to be kept in perspective.  The relative position as compared to other breeds is not so clear because all breeds, and all species including humans, encounter increasing amounts of cancer but there is no consistent method of measuring this. We do have a particular problem documented with Systemic Histiocytosis, most commonly referred to as ‘Histio’ and around 25% of British Bernese have this as a cause of death, even though, due to its nature it is widely accepted by veterinary specialists to be under diagnosed. There are breed initiatives in many countries to investigate and tackle this problem and there is a genetic test to help improve matters..

Basically the test grades dogs as to how genetically likely they are to develop the disease into three categories, A (less likely), B (neutral) or C (more likely). As well as originally giving advice in its own right, don’t mate a C dog to a C dog for example, a database was later introduced to apply the test. Known as HSIMS the database enables two potential mates to be simulated together and gives a prediction as to the percentage of A, B and C puppies any litter would produce. Puppy buyers should ask breeders if they have ‘cancer or ‘Histio’ tested their puppy’s parents as a sign that they have taken this disease into account in their breeding. There can be no cast iron ideals to quote and no guarantees in this area and the researchers responsible for the test area always keen to stress that ‘C’ rated dogs should not be discarded from the gene pool. What the test is about is making a gradual improvement for the breed and gives breeders the chance to slowly improve this situation in their own puppies and therefore help the breed and puppy buyers.

You can read much more, and find many more links relating to Cancer and Histio in Bernese on this web site

Degenerative Myelopathy (DM)

This is a disease primarily of older dogs and originally well known in German Shepherds but many other breeds as well. Only identified in Bernese in the 2000s it is a spinal problem that causes the dog to gradually lose the use of its rear legs. The dog will eventually become incontinent and the paralysis will spread up its body. Very few Bernese actually die of this disease and it is entirely avoidable by use and application of a simple DNA test. As long as each breeding combination has at least one clear dog in it then the worst status of any puppy produced will be a carrier which means it will never be affected by the disease. Buyers should note that when asking breeders about this test Bernese need to be double clear as there are two DM variants in Bernese and to be a ‘full clear’ a dog needs to be clear in both referred to as Exon 1 and Exon 2 or SOD1AB and SOD1A.

You can read much more about DM in Bernese on this web site

Early Deaths

You may also be told that Bernese are not long lived and whilst at times this does seem to be true there are many Bernese who do live longer than the average age of around 8 years which again is the figure from the breed reported death survey. Longevity often seems to run in lines and it is a good sign for any puppy’s life prospects if its parents and grand parents and lots of other relatives reach good ages. Ask your potential puppy supplier about this and if they cannot answer then make your own assessment of this.

You can read more on the issue of longevity on this web site

Some Other Health Points

As a large and mainly black dog, Bernese can be prone to heat stroke if allowed to spend too much time in strong sunshine particularly if allowed to play too much. This can also make them more prone than most to the potentially fatal effects of being left in a car, even on mild but sunny day. As an owner it is important to be aware of the early symptoms and treatment of this quickly fatal condition

You can read more about Heatstroke within the First Aid section of this web site 

Another potentially fatal condition which can occur in all larger breeds is gastric torsion (bloat) and some owners, prefer to feed small meals to reduce the risk. If you do buy a Bernese,  or one of many other breeds, and are not aware of this condition then please, please look at the information in the health section of this web site. It is no exaggeration to say it could save your dog’s life and it will be too late to look it up if and when you come across it in your dog. Bloat kills in a just an hour or two so cannot be left to ‘tomorrow’ or to see how it goes.

You can read more about Bernese and Bloat on this web site 

Bernese are not prone to the serious canine eye problems found in some breeds, and generally have sound constitutions. Entropion and ectropion, conditions of the eyelid turning in or out and found in many breeds, can occur but good breeding practice in the past has minimised their presence and hopefully will continue to do so.

Overall Points for Buyers

Whilst the club recommends that potential buyers ask breeders about the health issues above, most of which are mentioned in the club’s Code of Ethics, it has to be understood that breeders cannot deal with every condition in every litter. A breeder’s lines may be good in one area so they can afford to concentrate on others or they may need to address one particular area of weakness in one mating having achieved a good level in others in previous matings. Just having tested is no guarantee that any results have been applied in any particular way and, even if they have, there can be no absolute guarantees so buyers have to be prepared to educate themselves and ask the right questions and be prepared to dig deeper and take further advice if the answers are evasive or vague. Whilst some health testing is about absolute guarantees and avoiding issues, some can only be considered as moving the odds of a trouble free puppy more in your favour. Obviously if this approach has been taken for more generations then the odds improve with each one.

You can read more about the Code of Ethics and what it really means for UK BMD health on this web site

Of course, when asked no breeder will ever say they do not breed for health and some very weak definitions of this claim which do not stand up to any scrutiny have been heard of, but it is just one of many areas breeders have to assess and consider and make balanced decisions when they choose a partner for their bitch. Every breeder will have different priorities and standards and each mating will have its own priorities to improve on or even correct. Responsible breeders should be happy to explain these aspects in relation to their puppies and say where the strengths and weaknesses are likely to be in a frank and honest way. This is not unique to Bernese and applies to responsible breeding in all breeds, the buyer should educate themselves as much as possible and take independent advice on any answers they get that they do not understand or have concerns about.

There is much more information about all Bernese Mountain Dog health issues within the health section of this web site.