Tips To Care For Your Boxer Dog
Similar to any other personal pet friend, there are many steps involved in the process of talking care of your boxer dog. I hope the following sheds light on some of the points I personally applied while taking care of my pet.
#1 Feed Your Boxer
Give your Boxer a raw, natural diet. The Biologically Appropriate Raw Food or "BARF" diet is actually quite easy to prepare. You are basically feeding him "bones and raw food", adding in or taking out supplement as needed.
Watch out for Boxers food allergies however. Recently, concerns over Boxers eating large amounts of grapes or raisins can be toxic, leading to acute kidney failures.
#2 Keep it Healthy
Of course the chief element here is to feed him a balanced diet.
Moreover, other owners also advise consulting the vet about giving Boxers calcium tablets as they could have some problems later on in life!
Note that Boxers are shorthaired and sensitive to extreme elements of the weather. Therefore, they must be kept as housedogs.
Exercise, Exercise, Exercise is a keyword in the Boxer's health status. For instance, walk them three times a day and play with them.
I'll tell you a secret a Boxer-lover told me several years ago, keep in touch with the breeder who sold you the Boxer. The breeder can advise you about care and health matters that are unique to the breed.
#3 Watch out for Worms
Worms are like a terrible nightmare to both the owner and the dog itself. The most common types if worms that infect dogs include tapeworm, roundworm, ringworm and heartworm.
A worm entracted Boxer would lose weight and become weak, suffer from upset stomach, poor growth, listlessness or even lung trouble.
Worms are parasitic and hence eat up the dog's nutrients. Hence, they may impede your puppy's growth and cause him to have a potbelly, be thin and have a shoddy-looking coat.
Roundworms are highly dangerous, as infected dogs can pass them on to children!
A quick and easy solution to the worm problem is to de-worm your Boxer puppy every month and your grown Boxer, every 6 months.
#4 Take Care of Your Sick Boxer
Just like almost any other living organism, Boxers are prone to several potential health problems like: skin allergies, food allergies, cancer, hip dysphasia, bloat, heart ailments, hypothyroidism, fleas, and worms.
Try to get acquainted with the most common diseases that affect Boxer dogs in your region. Books and sources may be found on the Internet or in local bookshops.
Once you get to know them, you'll be able to better monitor your pet's health. And, in case of an illness, you'll know how to assist your veterinarian to administer the correct diagnosis and treatment.
To help you in your search, I'll list the most common diseases that Boxer dogs are prone to:
Bloat, Cancerous and benign tumors, Cryptorchidism, Eye ulcers, Dermodicosis, Atopy, Acne, Urinary incontinence, Deafness, Epilepsy/seizure disorder, -Bradycardia, -Dialated cardiomyopathy, Hip dysplasia, Hyperadrenocorticism, Hypothyroidism, Intervertebral disk disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Kidney problem, Progressive axonopathy.
Well, I hope that helped! Once you're settled down and used to the dog, enjoy his unmatched company and friendship. Take good care of your dog, and your dog will take good care of you, too!