What Problems Do Bernedoodles Have?

Bernedoodle is known to be such a lovely pet to be taken care of. For anyone who is considering getting a Bernedoodle, it is a must for you to know about the health issues of this breed that may arise.

Do Bernedoodles have health issues? If the answer to the question is yes, what problems do they have? Contrary to the popular beliefs of designer breeds like Bernedoodle to be free from health issues and to be healthier compared to their purebred relatives, they do have health issues. The reason is because these designer breeds have a more diverse gene pool, making them less likely to inherit hereditary conditions.

Just like any other designer breeds, Bernedoodles also do have health issues. With two parents that have different health issues, it means there is a chance of the Bernedoodles to inherit the health issues from either the Bernese Mountain Dog or the Poodle. As the potential owner of them, it will be needed for you to be aware of these health issues.

Common Bernedoodles Health Issues

There are a number of health issues that can be inherited by Bernedoodles from their Bernese Mountain Dog parent, such as:

• Von Willebrand’s disease
• Elbow and hip dysplasia
• Patella
• Cancer
• Macrothrombocytopenia
• Epilepsy
• Sebaceous adenitis
• Heart diseases
• Progressive Retinal Atrophy or PRA

As for the diseases that this breed can inherit from their Poodle parent include:

• Skin and eye problems
• Sebaceous adenitis
• Tracheal collapse
• Bloat
• Hip dysplasia
• Immune system-related diseases
• Juvenile renal disease
• Thyroid issues

It is possible for the Bernedoodle to inherit these health issues if the parents have them and are not tested. Now, check out the list of the possible health issues that can be developed or inherited by Bernedoodles below:

• Hip dysplasia

Hip dysplasia is where the hip socket of the dog forms in an unusual way. It can result in Arthritis of the Joints if the condition is really extreme. If a dog is affected by this disease, it will suffer when moving due to severe pain. To treat this disease, the pet may have to get anti-inflammatory medications, physical therapy, joint fluid modifiers, or surgery.

• Elbow dysplasia

Elbow dysplasia is known to be way more painful compared to hip dysplasia. In order to get rid of this disease, a surgery or physiotherapy treatment can be given to the dog. Everything depends on the condition of the dog. Besides, there are some rehab stages to recover fully from this disease.

• Color dilution alopecia

Color dilution alopecia refers to a skin disease that may lead to permanent hair loss from different body parts. A Bernedoodle affected by this disease will suffer from severe itching, broken hair, or flaky skin. Unluckily, there is no cure for it so there is no way for this to be treated. However, the symptoms of this disease can be treated by using vitamin A, antibiotics, shampoos, and fatty acids.

• Sebaceous adenitis

The Bernedoodle with sebaceous adenitis develop matted fur clumps or silver and white scales on their skin. Besides, it may also suffer from some different kinds of bacterial infections and severe itching Alopecia. Fortunately, it can be treated by some oral medications and medicated shampoos.

• Hyperadrenocorticism

Hyperadrenocorticism is related to a hormone known as cortisol. For your information, this hormone is useful and can help the dog to get rid of its stress and in the modulation in its immune system. It is really dangerous if there is too much cortisol in the body of the dog and it can lead to neurologic abnormalities and infertility. In addition, the dog will suffer from increased hunger, thirst, urination, and extreme weakness. The dog with this disease can be treated with surgery. In case it is spread to the other parts of the body, then it has to live with the medications of a lifetime.

• Von Willebrand disease

Von Willebrand disease can affect the dog due to the lack of a plasma protein Von Willebrand Factor or vWF. For those who are not familiar with this plasma protein, it is important to help the blood to clot. If a dog is affected by this disease, it will get excessive bleeding from the different parts of its body, including nose, gums, and even small wounds. To be able to cure it, some medicine such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and penicillin should be given to the dog. In some extreme cases, blood transfusion may need to be done to the dog.

• Cataract

Cataract refers to the health disease where there is cloudiness in the eye lens of the dog and this kind of cloudiness disturbs the vision of the dog. This disease is usually due to old age or other diseases. While it will not hurt the dog, if a dog has cataract, it should be treated as soon as possible so that its activity will not be disturbed and it will not blind.

• Epilepsy

Epilepsy is the kind of disease that can be caused due to the likes of liver disease, head injuries, eating toxins, brain cancer, high or low blood sugar, and so on. If a dog is affected, it may collapse, drool, chew its tongue, or make paddling motions. While this disease cannot be cued completely, there are some ways to control it and the type of treatment can be decided depending on the results of the diagnosis.

• Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA)

Progressive Retinal Atrophy, which is also more known as PRA in short, is a common genetic disease in both dogs and cats. This disease is pretty extreme as it can cause vision loss. In some extreme cases, these pets can even be completely blind. If the dog has a bad night vision and the pupils are dilated, there is a high chance of it suffering from this disease. The sad news is that there is no treatment that can treat this disease. However, the scientists are currently working to reduce its chance by enabling the development of genetic tests.