The Boxer can be afflicted with many health problems. These are not necessarily in any one breedline (or family), but are in the breed as a whole. Professional, hobby, and pet breeders MUST take the responsibility of testing their breeding dogs, and trying as hard as possible to prevent these problems in future puppies.

Responsible breeders always strive to improve the breed, and their ultimate goal is to create a perfect Boxer. We must act carefully to preserve this wonderful breed.

BREEDING YOUR BOXER

Complacency over health issues, especially when in pursuit of show wins, equates to irresponsibility. Responsible breeders must recognize health issues where they exist, educate themselves on the issues, and incorporate health issues into their breeding selection criteria with a specific goal of reducing inherited disease. It is estimated that 60% of THE BREED in whole is affected by cardiomyopathy. To spay/neuter them all would reduce the breeding pool significantly, so care must be taken to try to weed this out of future puppies by careful research of the bloodlines and not doubling up on any health conditions. Even those not affected could be carriers. These are just a few considerations that need to be researched prior to any breeding.

KABOOM BOXERS IS DOING JUST THIS - and expects that potential puppy-buyers educate themselves about the serious health conditions in the Boxer prior to purchasing one. If you don't care about health testing, you will not be considered for puppy-ownership.

COMMON DISEASES & DISORDERS - Research done by Joanne through Veterinary Journals, Dogs In Canada articles, Internet research, and discussions with Medical Doctors & Veterinarians. Please do your own research regarding vaccination, as studies have been done that show a connection between numerous diseases & conditions, and vaccines.

Atopy            Bloat            Mast Cell Tumour            Hip Dysplasia        Eye Disorders

Heart Conditions        Diseases Associated With Colour        Dermoid Cyst        Hypothyroidism

Fibroma             Hemangioma             Histiocytoma             Follicular Dysplasia  

Degenerative Myelopathy             Brain Tumours            Spondylosis

Boxers are also affected by various forms of cancer (including brain tumours); therefore I am taking steps to feed my dogs a healthy, more natural diet. With natural mother's milk as well as vitamin C drops from birth, the pups in past litters have been started on Eukanuba Weaning Diet at 4 weeks, then graduated to appropriate Eukanuba Puppy and Adult formulas (containing Omega-3 fatty acids and natural preservatives). I also used supplements such as Missing Link, flax seed meal, and Greens Plus.

HOW OFTEN SHOULD BREEDING DOGS BE TESTED?

THINKING ABOUT BREEDING YOUR BOXER?

One of the top killers of this breed is the AUTOMOBILE. Boxers are very social, active, and playful. These traits are what makes this breed a "gem"... however, they are easily distracted (while playing or chasing a ball, squirrel, etc) and so many of them have been injured or killed in traffic.

NEVER let your Boxer walk freely on busy streets - off lead in securely fenced dog-friendly parks only! Always ensure your property's fencing is in good repair and is solid. Boxers will test the fencing to find a weak spot, and be gone out of your yard before you even realize it. Thorough training in a city environment can be helpful, teaching your Boxer to sit at the side of the street before crossing, teaching him your property lines that should not be crossed unless in the car or on a leash, etc. If your Boxer becomes an experienced escape artist, or discovers it is fun to chase cars, you MUST stop this behaviour - consult a professional trainer skilled in dealing with difficult behaviour.

With Cara's litter (July 2004) I raised these pups naturally (mother's milk only, no supplementation or bottle feeding) and weaned them onto a raw lamb meat diet from 4 weeks onward. They continued nursing on Cara a few times during the day, but less and less as they got older and as I fed them bigger meals. By 7 weeks, they were off her milk (except for the odd quick slurp as she walked by), and on raw chicken and raw green tripe, still continuing with vitamin C. What a difference from previous litters as far as size and strength. They have huge bone substance (this also comes from their sire's UK bloodlines), lots of spunk, gorgeous glossy soft coats, and they never leave behind any food. I also de-wormed them 3 times and didn't see worms even once! Kibble feeding makes for picky eaters, and scrawny puppies until around age 18 months, some even longer. The 3 girls from this litter have never been vaccinated. The 3 boys (as requested by their new owners) did receive their vaccinations.

I feed human-grade RAW chicken; RAW green tripe; RAW liver, RAW kidney & RAW beef hearts ground up into "hamburger" every few days mixed in with either the chicken or the tripe; a can of sardines once every week or two, fruit/veggies only on occasion (they get their needed greens from the tripe), and vitamin C on a daily basis. Kibble is only given to adolescent dogs who are starting their show training/conditioning. Kibble is only highest quality and incorporated into a raw diet.

Dogs have an acidic stomach (pH level of >1) - not bacteria-friendly. Salmonella bacteria need a pH level of at least 4 (or higher) to grow, with the most growth of bacteria occuring at a pH level of  6.5-7.5. Also, the length of a dog’s digestive tract is 3-4m (much shorter than our 8-9m digestive tracts) which allows a shorter timeframe between mealtime and bowel movement. The shorter the time spent in the system, the less likely it is that Salmonella can break through the gastrointestinal wall and make the dog ill. Not to say the dogs don't have Salmonella bacteria in their systems, but it does not affect them the same way it affects people.

And a little bit about carbs and digestion: We humans have an enzyme in our saliva which starts digesting carbohydrates as soon as we start chewing (and we love our carbs!). Dogs, however, do not have this enzyme, and don't start to digest carbohydrates until they reach the stomach, with most of the digestive functions taking place in the small intestine after passing through the stomach. The high percentage of carbohydrate in most dry dog food kibble leads to situations where the food stays in the system longer (8-12 hours) - and I've been witness to a Great Dane barfing up her kibble 12 hours after eating it - mostly whole and undigested! This tells me the kibble sits in there way too long, which is one of the reasons you should not feed raw meat mixed into kibble. Some are finding they can do a kibble meal in the morning and a raw meal in the evening, but if the kibble is still in the stomach when the raw meal is devoured, you may end up with an ill canine, or a large splat on your carpet! (and by the way, some advice from a friend of mine - a green tripe stain is VERY difficult to remove!)

VACCINATING AT KABOOM

  *BOXER GENETIC HEALTH LINKS*
ABC's Health Conditions in the Boxer
Genetic Diseases in the Boxer
BUY 4 HEALTH SEMINAR VIDEOS FROM American Boxer Club -$25