BMD Health
The Bernese Mountain Dog Club of America maintains health resource pages offering in depth coverage a variety of health conditions and challenges affecting Bernese Mountain Dogs. Many Bernese live long healthy lives. But, awareness of health issues by both breeders and owners is essential to enhance management and improve the quality of dog's lives. Genetics and health are interlocked in many cases so breeder understanding of health issues that exist in families of Bernese is essential if improvements in health and soundness are to be made over generations of breeding. Please visit the BMDCA Health pages for more information on Berner health issues. BernerGarde maintains an open data base of health and orthopedic information for the Bernese.
Lifespan
The Swiss have a saying about the lifespan of Bernese Mountain Dogs. They say, "three years a young dog, three years a good dog, three years an old dog,...all else, a gift from God". At this time, the average age of a BMD at death is about 7 years, though many books say the average lifespan is 10 to 12 years.
Orthopedics and Evaluations
Structural problems can afflict our dogs. Hip dysplasia (HD) is a progressive, degenerative disease involving malformation of the hip socket joint. HD ranges from very mild with no apparent effects, to severe requiring surgical correction or euthanasia. Hip dysplasia appears to have both genetic and environmental causes. The term 'hips clear' is often utilized to imply a dog is structurally sound. Hips aren't the only boney structure that can be unsound. Current data suggests that in BMDs, there may be more elbow dysplasia (ED) and OCD of the shoulders than there is HD. Soft tissue injuries to ligaments and muscles can result in lameness, as can Panosteitis, a developmental condition that causes pain in long bones during growth. Any persistent lameness requires examination by a veterinarian.
The oldest organization for evaluating joint status is the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA). Radiographs (X-rays) of a dog's hips or elbows are analyzed by radiologists to determine the presence or absence of orthopedic disease. Hips or elbows deemed free of dysplasia will get a numbered OFA certificate with a rating of Fair, Good, or Excellent. If there is evidence of dysplasia, no number is assigned. An OFA # on a parent does NOT necessarily mean the offspring will have good joints, but breeding from parents not affected by orthopedic disease is important to conscientious breeders. PennHIP also evaluates hip status. Breeders should provide evidence their dogs have been screened for orthopedic disease.
Bloat or Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus
Bernese Mountain Dogs have a body type which makes them susceptible to bloat, which can be a life threatening emergency medical situation. This can run in families.
Gastric dilatation-volvulus is an acute, life-threatening situation which requires immediate medical and surgical attention. Gastric dilatation means stomach distention or enlargement. This may or may not be accompanied by volvulus, or torsion, or twisting of the stomach on its long axis. Once the stomach twists, the stomach contents are trapped in place as the gas continues to build. As the stomach expands,it can press on major arteries and veins in the abdominal cavity, restricting blood flow and lowering blood pressure. Once this happens, the heart rate increases and the pulse becomes weak as the dog goes into shock. If the stomach swells enough, it can displace the spleen, cutting off circulation, and causing enlargement and even twisting of the spleen. With circulation for the stomach constricted, parts of the stomach wall can necrose, or die. All of this can happen over a period of hours, or even minutes. But once it starts, it needs immediate medical attention. Classic symptoms of bloat include pacing, difficulty walking, panting, discomfort, agitation, depression, drooling, foaming or frothing at the mouth, unproductive vomiting or retching, distention of the stomach. The swollen stomach may be grossly large, and hard (tympanic) to the touch. If the dog is going into shock, the gums will appear pale or grey, and when they are depressed with a finger, the color will be very slow to return; the heart rate will be fast, but the pulse will be weak.
[Try looking at your healthy dog right now. Look at the color of the gums. Now you know their normal color. Press on the gum with your finger for a second. When you remove your finger, you will see a white mark where all the blood was pushed out of the capillaries. The speed with which the color returns shows a good blood pressure as the capillaries refill. Anytime the blood flow is compromised, the capillaries are the first to shut down.]
Eye Disease
Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA) is a hereditary disease of the eye that has been identified in a few Bernese Mountain Dogs. The Canine Eye Registration Foundation (CERF) is an organization that collects data on dogs examined by members of the A.C.V.O. and registers those dogs that have been certified free of evidence of heritable eye disease CERF evaluates eyes for the presence of eye disease. Even though dogs have a CERF number (indicating that the parents are not affected (blind) nor have PRA) this does not totally guarantee that their offspring will be genetically clear of PRA. Cataracts are also found in some BMDs. There are many different types of cataracts. Some cataracts affect vision while others do not.
Health, the Big Picture
Individual dogs can be affected by a variety of ailments that affect longevity and quality of life. Among the most common problems are cancer, autoimmune disorders, hip and elbow dysplasia, allergies, thyroid disorders, bowel disorders, torsion and bloat, eye disorders including PRA, cataracts and entropion. It is always best to inquire with individual breeders as to what health problems may be more or less prevalent in the families of dogs from which their breeding stock come. No family of Bernese Mountain Dogs is free from health problems typically seen in the breed. Most breeders conduct genetic testing on dogs they are using for breeding purposes. Most breeders pay very close attention to selection of breeding pairs to minimize the occurrence of health problems. No breeder can offer you a 100% guarantee that the pup you get will not face health challenges.
*Some of this information contained in this section is borrowed from the BMDSEW, BMDCNV, and BMDCA Resource Guide.