Hypothyroidism in Bernese Mountain Dogs

Hair growth is metabolically expensive, so the body is quick to deprioritise it when thyroid hormone runs low. In most breeds that produces obvious thinning. In a Bernese it produces something subtler and easier to miss, because there is so much coat to start with.

The classic pattern is symmetrical loss on the flanks, the tail and the backs of the thighs, without itching. That last detail is the useful one. Allergic hair loss comes with scratching, chewing and inflamed skin. Thyroid-related loss is quiet: the hair simply stops being replaced, and the areas that rub against surfaces thin out first.

Coat texture changes too. The undercoat can become dry and brittle, the outer coat loses its shine, and the seasonal shed that this breed does heavily and predictably can go strange, either failing to happen or happening constantly. Owners often describe it as the coat looking dull and the dog smelling different.

Skin changes follow. Thickened, darker skin in the groin and armpits, recurring ear infections that do not respond as they should, and skin infections that keep returning after treatment are all reasons to have thyroid function checked rather than treating the surface problem again.

Because a Berner is heavily coated, run your hands over the flanks and tail base rather than relying on what you can see. Thinning is felt before it is visible.

More dogs are misdiagnosed with hypothyroidism than are missed, largely because one low number gets treated as an answer. Getting the testing right at the start avoids years of unnecessary medication.

If you think your Bernese has hypothyroidism, the plan is three steps: write down what you have seen and when it started, book a veterinary appointment rather than waiting for the next flare, and take video of the behaviour or symptom before you go — the thing you are worried about rarely happens in the consulting room. Screening in the parents covers hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, bloat (gdv).

What the vet visit should produce is a diagnosis and a written plan, not just reassurance: what is being ruled out, what the monitoring interval is, and which signs mean you come back sooner. Ask what the treatment costs across a year rather than per visit, because that is the number that decides whether you are managing this condition or reacting to it.

Between appointments, keep a short log — dates, what you saw, what changed. It is the single most useful thing an owner brings to a follow-up, and for hypothyroidism it is often what separates a clear pattern from a guess.