Why Boxer dog's die young

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Hey Mike,
Found some pictures of Bullit. Best Pal ever!
Martin

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Thanks for the picture Mike! That warms my heart. :)

All these boxers here are fine looking dogs! Makes me want one....
 
Last year when we got Jake I did a lot of reading as far as dog food goes. We fed our last Sheltie cooked hamburger with peas, carrots and cauliflower mixed in but the wife was sick of the weekly batch cooking (2 lbs. hamburger/week) so had to do some research on dried dog food. Oh yea, we actually had to take Canadian bought ground beef with us to Idaho for holidays cuss Sam wouldn't eat the American bought ground beef. I suspect it was because of the use of corn as feed in the US whereas up here (western Can) most of the feed is barley. Anyway after much reading I was left with the knowledge that most dog food manufactorers are selling "crap", ya you heard me right "CRAP" to feed our dogs. I'm sure that they sweep up the floors and throw it in the big bin to be ground up the next shift. There are very few regulations that pet food manufactorers have to adhere to so be very careful in your choice. Some of the main things to look out for is the word "byproduct" like chicken byproduct. That could mean anything including feathers and claws (at least whatever feathers are left after McDonalds buys its share:-D) whereas the word meal, chicken meal is good. Most of the manufactorers use tons of corn and wheat and gluton as fill, dogs cannot digest corn and gluton is just nasty and can cause alergic reactions like dry skin. We all know how large the corn lobby is in all of north america I just wish they'd keep their crap out of our pet food.
This is what I use and is sold all over north america and doesn't contain any of the aformentioned "crap", it is also high in protein (29-33%) which may be to high for some dogs so cut it with vegetables. It's also manufactored in Saskatchewan so it's got to be good eh and Jake seems to like it. http://www.championpetfoods.com/acana/products.php

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demon seed said:
Jeez Joe, this breed ain't supposed to get over 26#. Actually weighed him yesterday and he's 20.5# but thanks for asking and pretty soon you're going to owe me that money. 8)
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Not fair if you're feeding him tofu. :-D I'm thinking he's 20.5 Kilos.
 
Hey Mike I'll pitch in my .02 now.

From experience with my German Shepard I know that pork and chicken BONES are a no no. They shatter when the dog bites them and can get lodged in the throat.

As for grapes,well maybe the same reason you dont give whole grapes to a baby? Choking hazard once again,just the right size to get stuck in th throat if it's not chewed.

There are many dog foods which contain rice,not wheat.I found my shep liked the rice food better anyways.
 
To get back to the original topic of "why boxers die young", the boxer breed has the highest rate of cancer of any breed. I lost my first boxer, Plato, to lymphoma. Boxers are also prone to intestinal issues which lead to colitis. If you've ever had a boxer with severe colitis, which is an inflammation of the large intestine, you'd know how terrible it can be to try to clean up after a dog with constant projectile diarrhea. Colitis can be caused by bacteria, stress, allergies, parasites and colon cancer. I lost my fourth boxer to heart failure triggered by severe colitis.

While only 3% of allergies in dogs are food related (most are topical from pollen or flea bites), a boxer's sensitive stomach is a good reason to avoid foods with corn, soy or wheat, or prepackaged dog food with too many ingredients. Garlic is small doses can actually work as a natural flea repellant. Since it would require intake of over 5 cloves of garlic daily to cause negative reactions in a 60 lb. dog, 1/2 teaspoon a couple of times a week can actually be beneficial.

My fifth and current boxer, Hemi, is 10 years old and still going strong...
 
As some may recall, one of my GSD's has seizures. They seemed to be connected to his food, we thought, so we checked out the ingredients closely.

He seemed to be allergic to chicken and it's byproducts. So we switched to a Lamb and Rice food. The one we were buying, NutroMax, if I recall correctly, was good for a while but then they changed their formula.

So now we buy Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance. It is a limited ingredient formula "made specifically for dogs and puppies prone to allergies based on our unique blend of a one premium protein and one highly digestible carbohydrate[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]. "[/FONT]


While it hasn't stopped his seizures, he loves the food and has had no further gastro-intestinal problems. And the canned food that we supplement the dry food with also has very limited ingredients. Basically, lamb, rice and veg. No fillers or crap.

And yes, it is that Dick Van Patten.
 
Here was my boxer Memike. Me and my wife got him when we first started dating and he passed away the year that our son was born. His name was Harley, a great dog . A complete ball of energy. He was 6 years old when we had him put ot sleep. He got where he could not eat or drink so we took him to the vet and he told us that he had throat cancer and it had got to the point he could not swollow. So we had to have him put ot sleep. Boxers are great dogs indeed. Had one before harley when I was in high school , but some prick stole him. R.I.P Harley
Matt

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My 1st died from a hernia at the age of 10 and I have heard of the heart troubles causing premature death. My current has the blood documented on his papers for his heart. There was someone not too long ago that was offering free heart testing through the Vet I go to for Boxer owners. I never took mine as he is from a tested blood line and shows no symptoms. My understanding is they were bred from the bulldog and mastiff and were brought back from war by the gi`s. They were bred as a foxhole dog.
 
I like boxers. I have a 15+ year old lab that has eaten Beneful his whole life. I'm sure it's not as good as the home made stuff mentioned on this thread, but it must not be too bad for him to have lived this long. He's not doing so hot lately, don't know how much time he has left with us :-(
 
No expert, but I know they get a lot of cancers. My Boxer, Cookie died around 10 years old when I was 15. You have to get a GOOD BREEDER! When they are inbred too much it is a problem. Food and excercise are important, but good stock is the most important. Do your homework on getting the dog from good parents. But I do agree, BEST DOGS EVER!
 
Well here is a test on a dog food that was recommended to use and thought I would bite the bullet and start him on it, He love's it and I only need to feed him 3 cups a day.
1 1/2 in the morning and 1 1/2 at evening feeding.
He slobbered the bowl clean and wanted more and his stool is god and solid
and less of it to :happy10: He has been on it 3 day's know.
I wanted to make this change for now until I get a supply of food to make him a home made and treat him to it two times a week along with this food maybe 8) It's grain -Free :cheers:

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Hyper_pak said:
No expert, but I know they get a lot of cancers. My Boxer, Cookie died around 10 years old when I was 15. You have to get a GOOD BREEDER! When they are inbred too much it is a problem. Food and excercise are important, but good stock is the most important. Do your homework on getting the dog from good parents. But I do agree, BEST DOGS EVER!
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That is what I have learned Hyper_pak, But this pup I picked out of a litter that was needing a home for free :happy10:and I picked him out of three boys, And took him strait to the vet for all his shot's and he has been a great friend He was the shy one and I liked his markings on each foot and black face just like my last Boxer Her name was Storm, I have caught myself calling Buddy Buck and I need to quit doing that or just start using it.

I want to give everyone a big thank you for all the good information yall have posted here Thank You Very Much !!
 
memike said:
Well here is a test on a dog food that was recommended to use and thought I would bite the bullet and start him on it, He love's it and I only need to feed him 3 cups a day.
1 1/2 in the morning and 1 1/2 at evening feeding.
He slobbered the bowl clean and wanted more and his stool is god and solid
and less of it to :happy10: He has been on it 3 day's know.
I wanted to make this change for now until I get a supply of food to make him a home made and treat him to it two times a week along with this food maybe 8) It's grain -Free :cheers:
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This is good stuff Mike! No grains but all the good stuff like venison and buffalo. Just what a wolf would eat. :read2:
 
Mike great thread. We lost our boxer, Zoe, to Lymphoma on December 5, 2009. Unfortunately, 1 in 4 boxers get Lymphoma. There is less then a 5% chance the chemo will cure. Our regular Vet said she would not put her dog through Chemo. When we took Zoe to the Oncologist after the consultation we felt we were not going to do it either. All it did was prolong the inevitable. We chose a course of Steriods and up to her last 2 days she only had 1 or 2 other bad days. I think we did the right thing.

Sorry to be a downer but just stating the facts.

I look back and even though we miss her we had a lot of fun with her. She still makes me laugh looking at some of the pictures of the stuff she did! She was the biggest 70lbs lap dog ever.

I know we will get another one but not yet. Enjoy him and dont' worry about how long Boxers "typically" live.

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ramcharger said:
This is good stuff Mike! No grains but all the good stuff like venison and buffalo. Just what a wolf would eat. :read2:
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So far it seems to be worth the cost Joe, He is doing his duty on a regular bases two times a day and a perfect looking stool :happy10:
Boogy"my little Malteez loves it and know she turns her noise up to her little bites for an older small dog that I have been feeding her, But I only give her a hand full a day :-D soaking wet she is about 6lb's :toothy10:

scuba0331 said:
Mike great thread. We lost our boxer, Zoe, to Lymphoma on December 5, 2009. Unfortunately, 1 in 4 boxers get Lymphoma. There is less then a 5% chance the chemo will cure. Our regular Vet said she would not put her dog through Chemo. When we took Zoe to the Oncologist after the consultation we felt we were not going to do it either. All it did was prolong the inevitable. We chose a course of Steriods and up to her last 2 days she only had 1 or 2 other bad days. I think we did the right thing.

Sorry to be a downer but just stating the facts.

I look back and even though we miss her we had a lot of fun with her. She still makes me laugh looking at some of the pictures of the stuff she did! She was the biggest 70lbs lap dog ever.

I know we will get another one but not yet. Enjoy him and dont' worry about how long Boxers "typically" live.
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No worries scuba :happy10: and thank you, Your old friend has the same hair color I do :-D Gray :happy10: How old was Zoe, and thank you for the information :read2:
 
She was only 6. The white hair was the rough life she lived.:-D Laying on the couch having her own queen bed. Having to grown adults, my wife and myself, taking care of her every need!

She had a lot of allergies. We had her tested last year and found out she was allergic to everything. If we get another dog who has allergies we will get them tested earlier then later. It will be better in the long run.
 
Sorry to hear she had such a short life scuba, Yall sure was good to her and gave her the best 6 years she could have had for a 48 year old in dog years.
Thank you for sharing this with us
 
Keep an eye on the crude fat levels.
Crude fat or any fat is bad for dogs and will lead to pancreatitis.
Lean meat mixed with rice and vegetables is the best diet for your dog, try and stay away from dog food.
You'll be surprised at how cheap it is to feed your dog decent food.
 
scrappydoo said:
Keep an eye on the crude fat levels.
Crude fat or any fat is bad for dogs and will lead to pancreatitis.
Lean meat mixed with rice and vegetables is the best diet for your dog, try and stay away from dog food.
You'll be surprised at how cheap it is to feed your dog decent food.
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That is what I am going to do scrappydoo, Start making my own dog food when I get all my ducks in a row :happy10:
 
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