In addition to its sweet
disposition, the Boxer is an easy dog to own. For
instance, the Boxer has short, smooth hair, sheds
little, is a loving, and gentle dog, and relatively
easy to train. If cared for properly, the Boxer can
live a long, healthy life but this breed does have
several health problems to consider. Therefore, we
wanted to address the few challenges that you might
face with this breed.
While you will find a number
of white Boxers, you need to understand that if the
white flashing on the body covers more than 25% of
the body, you could be setting yourself up for
problems. For instance, it is estimated that up to
18% of all dogs having more than 25% white on the
body are deaf in one or both ears. While a white
Boxer makes a great companion dog and is allowed to
compete in agility and obedience events, it is not
to be used for breeding or show.
Some of the more common
problems include a heart condition known as aortic
stenosis, hip dysplasia, bloat, hypothyroidism,
digestive problems, and both malignant and benign
cancerous tumors. The good news is that with aortic
Stenosis, the occurrences are rare. For hip
dysplasia, the ball and joint of the hip becomes
lose, which causes pain and inflammation. Your
veterinarian can prescribe a number of medications
that help.
Then for the thyroid disease, it can usually be
controlled quite well with proper medication. Bloat
however is another story. This life-threatening
disease is common among all deep-chest dogs such as
the Boxer. Typically, if you feed your dog high
quality dry food twice a day and avoid all table
food, you should not have much trouble. Bloat occurs
when the dog eats or drinks too quickly, which traps
gas. By feeding the dog twice a day, you avoid it
gulping down food. Additionally, you want to watch
drinking habits, making sure it always has plenty of
water and drinks slowly.
Although there are a few health risks associated
with the Boxer, most are manageable. When you weigh
the pros and cons of this particular breed, the good
comes out on top. Being such a trustworthy and
faithful dog, you cannot go wrong buying a Boxer.
Again, buy from a reputable breeder, never a pet
store or inexperienced “backyard breeder”.
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