St. Bernard — questions to ask before paying a deposit
A responsible breeder will have these readily available. Deflection is a red flag.
Hip and elbow dysplasiacan shorten life or cause chronic pain
Malformation of the hip and/or elbow joints causing pain, lameness and early arthritis; common in giant breeds and can appear anywhere from puppyhood to middle age.
Ask to see: OFA hip evaluation (or PennHIP) and OFA elbow evaluation, on both parents, from 24 months old, under the Saint Bernard Club of America's CHIC programme
Saint Bernard Club of America — Breeder Referral (https://saintbernardclubofamerica.club/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Breeder_Referral_09January2026_Final_Reformatted.pdf) · OFA / CHIC Programs (https://ofa.org/chic-programs/)
Degenerative myelopathycan shorten life or cause chronic pain
A progressive, incurable disease of the spinal cord that causes hind-limb weakness and eventual paralysis, usually from around eight years old onward.
Ask to see: Degenerative myelopathy (SOD1) DNA test from an approved laboratory, on both parents — required for the breed's own CHIC certification
Saint Bernard Club of America — Breeder Referral (https://saintbernardclubofamerica.club/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Breeder_Referral_09January2026_Final_Reformatted.pdf)
Entropion
The heavy, loose facial skin the breed standard calls for predisposes some dogs to eyelids that roll inward and rub the cornea, which is painful and sometimes needs surgical correction.
Ask to see: No DNA test. Ask whether a vet has examined both parents' eyelids — AKC show rules already bar a St. Bernard that has had corrective entropion surgery from competing, a partial but not complete proxy.
FCI Breed Specific Instructions (Nordic Kennel Union) (https://www.fci.be/nomenclature/docs/JUG-BSI-en.pdf) · Saint Bernard Club of America — Breeder Referral (https://saintbernardclubofamerica.club/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Breeder_Referral_09January2026_Final_Reformatted.pdf)
Cardiac diseasecan shorten life or cause chronic pain
Structural or muscle disease of the heart, including dilated cardiomyopathy, is one of the hereditary defects the breed's own club asks breeders to screen for; early disease usually shows no outward signs.
Ask to see: Cardiac evaluation (congenital, advanced or basic) by a board-certified cardiologist, on both parents, from 24 months old
Saint Bernard Club of America — Breeder Referral (https://saintbernardclubofamerica.club/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Breeder_Referral_09January2026_Final_Reformatted.pdf)
Epilepsycan shorten life or cause chronic pain
Recurring seizures with no other identifiable cause are common enough in the breed that its own club lists epilepsy among the hereditary defects to watch for.
Ask to see: No test exists. Ask for documented seizure history across the line, not only the two parents.
Saint Bernard Club of America — Breeder Referral (https://saintbernardclubofamerica.club/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Breeder_Referral_09January2026_Final_Reformatted.pdf)
Gastric dilatation-volvulus (bloat)can shorten life or cause chronic pain
A gas-filled, twisted stomach that is fatal within hours without emergency surgery. A large prospective study found Saint Bernards over four times more likely to develop it than the average breed studied; the risk tracks deep chest and body size rather than a single gene.
Ask to see: No test exists. Ask whether the breeder discusses prophylactic gastropexy and feeding management (several small meals, rest around meals) rather than expecting a document.
Glickman et al. — incidence and breed-related risk factors for GDV (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10638316/)
Osteosarcomacan shorten life or cause chronic pain
An aggressive bone cancer typically treated with amputation and chemotherapy, with a guarded prognosis even then. Saint Bernard is named among the giant breeds at consistently elevated risk.
Ask to see: No test exists. Ask about bone cancer in the line, particularly in dogs that died before ten years old.
UFAW Genetic Welfare Problems of Companion Animals (https://www.ufaw.org.uk/dogs/scottish-deerhound-osteosarcoma)
Shortened lifespan and orthopaedic strain tied to giant body sizecan shorten life or cause chronic pain
A 2026 study of UK veterinary records found Saint Bernards among the heaviest of 29 giant breeds studied, and giant breeds as a group had a median age at death under nine years, alongside elevated joint and heart disease — a pattern tied to the size the standard itself calls for, not to a single fault a breeder can screen out.
Ask to see: No document changes this. Ask how the breeder manages growth rate in puppyhood and what age dogs in their own lines have actually lived to.
RVC VetCompass — giant dog breeds in the UK (https://www.rvc.ac.uk/vetcompass/news/living-it-large-new-rvc-research-reveals-health-and-lifespan-challenges-in-giant-breed-dogs)