Saint Bernard: elbow dysplasia is a separate screening from hips
When joints come up in a giant breed, everyone thinks "hips". In the Saint Bernard it is often the elbow that gives way first, and for a precise anatomical reason. Our piece on Saint Bernard health as a giant breed covers the whole profile; this one details a point too often skipped at purchase.
Hips and elbows are two different screens
This is the commonest confusion: a puppy "whose parents are radiographed" has not necessarily had both joints assessed. They are two views, two readings, two grades. The study by K. Engdahl, S. Malm Persson, L. Andersson and colleagues, published in 2026 in The Veterinary Record using Swedish Kennel Club data, shows how poorly the two overlap: 114,568 dogs from 72 breeds screened for hips and 78,504 dogs from 46 breeds for elbows between 2007 and 2016 (study on Google Scholar). Hip dysplasia prevalence peaks in the Dogue de Bordeaux (75.4%), Bullmastiff (65.1%) and American Staffordshire Terrier (64.2%); elbow dysplasia in the Chow Chow (65.2%), Dogue de Bordeaux (40.0%) and American Staffordshire Terrier (34.9%). The rankings do not line up — and giant breeds such as the Saint Bernard consistently sit within screening programmes for both joints.
The anconeal process, the Saint Bernard's particularity
The review by J. Michelsen, published in 2013 in The Veterinary Journal, sets out the anatomical detail behind the breed's predisposition: in the Saint Bernard, as in the German Shepherd, the anconeal process — the small bony projection that locks the elbow in extension — has a secondary ossification centre whose fusion should be complete by five to six months (study on Google Scholar). When fusion fails, the result is an ununited anconeal process: the fragment stays mobile, the joint becomes unstable, inflames and drifts towards osteoarthritis. The same review stresses that the main driver of elbow dysplasia is probably not osteochondrosis, as long believed, but various forms of joint incongruity — a few millimetres of mismatch between radius and ulna is enough.
Signs, and the right moment to radiograph
Forelimb lameness in a Saint Bernard puppy between five and ten months, often worse after rest or after intense play, with the elbow held slightly away from the body, is never trivial. It warrants a targeted elbow radiograph — not several months of waiting. Official screening of breeding stock, by contrast, is done from twelve months, with a 0 to 3 grade assigned by an approved reader.
What genuinely helps during growth
Only three levers have a demonstrated effect: keeping the puppy lean by portioning, using a large-breed growth food without adding calcium, and limiting stairs, jumps and running on slippery floors until growth is finished. The rest — joint supplements, "muscle-building" exercises — does not change how the elbow forms. The breed's benchmarks are on its profile and in our dog care and grooming section.
The real cost
Elbow arthroscopy, ulnar osteotomy or lifelong osteoarthritis management in a 70 kg dog weigh heavily, and dysplasia already diagnosed falls permanently outside any cover. Our benchmarks are on insuring a Saint Bernard.
Frequently asked questions
Do clear parents guarantee a clear puppy?
No — elbow dysplasia is polygenic and environment-sensitive. But two grade 0 parents markedly lower the odds, provided both elbows were actually read.
Can an ununited anconeal process be repaired?
Surgical options exist and work best when used early. Once osteoarthritis is established, only pain management remains.
Is surgery always needed?
No. The decision depends on the lesion type, the age and how much osteoarthritis is already present, and is taken with an orthopaedic surgeon after imaging.
This guide is part of Planète Pets’s Dogs universe. Our advice is general in nature: for any health concern, your veterinarian remains the only reference.