Boxer Health and Tips:
Boxers are amazing dogs! Unfortunately, they also suffer, from not only life threatening conditions, but uncomfortable and sometimes painful conditions, as well. Being an over protective mom, I have done alot of research and asked alot of questions to veternarians and the cardiologist. I have also spent alot of money to discover the things I am going to cover on this page. This information is not a substitute for qualified veternarian care and should not be used in that manner.
Boxer Allergies: Allergies are very common in Boxers. An allergic reaction is usually characterized by hives or swelling and itching. There are many contributors to allergies and it is difficult to determine the allergen, but with a little investigating and trial and error, it can usually be done.
Although an allergic reaction can look very scary, your main concern is not with the hives or swelling, rather whether your Boxer is breathing OK or not. If your Boxer's breathing is normal, a 25mg Benedryl will stop the swelling and eliminate the risk of the throat closing up. The hives/swelling are not life threatening. The Benedrly should be given immediately, as soon as you notice the swelling. The hives or swelling that are already present will not disappear immediately, but they will gradually. If your Boxer is not breathing normally seek immediate veternary care.
Discovering the allergen is difficult. Ask your self a few questions: Did you change their food? Did you buy a new pet bed? Did you try a different cleaner? etc... If the answer is Yes, start with eliminating the change.
Look for spider bites, bee stings etc...
Take your Boxer to the babysitters for a day or two. If the allergy goes away it's something in your home, if not change their food (Slowly, as to not upset their tummy)
Be creative. Trial and error.
Boxer Puppy's Itching: This is an extremely frustrating situation. When Sissy and Archer first arrived home, Sissy began itching profusely and then Archer. They went to the vet for skin scraping's and I was told they were negative. The vet I had at the time kept saying, "Puppies just itch" She's not my vet anymore:)
The itching got worse and worse and the babies were suffering. They couldn't even play because they had to stop and itch and Sissy's feet were getting raw. I returned to the vet and she did another scraping that was negative. "Puppies just itch!" I knew it wasn't likely an allergy since they both had it, so I researched and researched. Many others had the same frustration, but no answers. I took the kids to another vet and they did another skin scraping that was negative. I asked the vet if the treatment for mites was safe and she said yes, so I said, "Then treat them anyhow" 24 hrs later, the babies were normal and the itching was gone. The moral of the story is: Skin scrapings are not reliable, a drop of Revolution for mites etc... is safe. Make you vet treat them or get another vet. I read alot of sad stories about people who trusted their vet and lost their puppies due to weakened immune systems, which is truely a tragedy.
Boxer Heart Murmurs: A mention of a heart murmur strikes fear into the hearts of Boxer lovers. Don't fear, there is good news. According to my Cardiologist, who did extensive studies in Boxer health, almost all Boxers have heart murmurs and almost all heart murmurs are harmless. If your vet detects a heart murmur, it is essential that you schedule an appointment with the Cardiologist for an Echo Doppler, but it is not essential that you "sweat bullets" the whole way to the appointment because you're scared your Boxer is going to drop over and die. The odds are with you that the murmur is harmless. Most vets do not even detect the murmur and it is only detected by the Cardiologist. Only an Echo Doppler can detect whether you have cause for concern. New puppy owners who have a health guarentee should invest in an Echo Doppler within their first year. If the Cardiologist did detect Arterial Stenosis, which there is no effective treatment for, you would want to know this before your guarentee expires. As sad as that sounds, you would end up finding out one way or another.
More Cardiology News: At Sissy appointment recently I quizzed my Cardiologist more and he loves to talk about his work, so we get along great, and he gave me the following information about Heart certifications: The OFA is nationallly recognized by everyone as the foundation to obtain health certifications from. However, to my surprize, he informed me that an OFA application for heart certification can be submitted by any general practitioner, specialist or Cardiologist. If you look on the application there are three boxes below the signature line to check. Personally, I am not comfortable with a general practitioner certifying for Cardiology. The OFA started out with Hip Dysplasia only; however, it became a good buisiness and they branched out to all these other areas of health.
There is a new foundation that has just been established called "The Arch" The Arch was founded by a board of Cardiologist for Heart certification. So, what's the difference between the OFA and the Arch? The Arc will only certify dogs that have been cleared by a Cardiologist. Also, The OFA is a for profit organization and the ARC dedicates all the proceeds to research. Because of this information, Sissy, Archer and Kaleigh will be certified by the Arch.
To certify through the Arc, ask your Cardiologist or contact them at:
Care Foundation
4920 Firestone Dr.
College Station, TX 77845
(979) 690-2876
Echo Dopplers: According to my Cardiologist an Echo Doppler is not necessary to perform every year. A Holter Monitor should be performed every year. If the Holter Monitor results come back abnormal, then another Echo Doppler should be performed. Anything else is just a waste of time and money. Apparently it has become a trend to Echo Doppler every year, but a totally unecessary one.
UTI's: Urinary Tract Infections are the most common illness in dogs in general (not just Boxers). I recently looked into UTI's and discovered the following: UTI's require the attention of your vet. They are treated with an antibiotic. Left untreated that can cause serious health issues.
Preventing UTI's: A glass of fruit juice a day (No grape juice). The acidity in the fruit juice helps cleanse the urinary tract and is good maintainence if your dog is prone to UTI's. Always keep plenty of fresh water available at all times. Having to hold their potty for too long can bring on UTI's. More potty breaks for the dog prone to UTI's. Do not leave food laying around for long periods of time. Food collects bacteria, it should be changed out daily. A change in diet can be helpful for the dog prone to UTI's.
Making your dog more comfortable when they have a UTI: Baths help relieve the discomfort of a UTI, as well as, more potty breaks.
Kennel Cough: Kennel cough is characterized by a dry, harsh cough. It is very contagious and can be contracted easily (trip to the vet, the pet store, dog park, anywhere there are other dogs) It has an incubation period of 7 to 10 days; therefore it is very easy to accidentally expose your dog to kennel cough. Don't be too hard on the person who's dog infected yours. They probably didn't know either:) Kennel cough is self limiting, which means it will clear itself up once it's run it's course; however, a trip to the vet is still needed, as kennel cough can cause secondary infection such as pnuemonia. The vet will prescribe an anti biotic, but the cough will not subside due to the anti biotic. It has to run it's course. The anti biotic is to prevent secondary infection. Signs of secondary infection are: Loss of appetite, lethargy, depression and a low grade fever. If your dog is eating well and acting normally, despite the cough, it will clear up eventually.
Though reading material will tell you it usually clears up within 7 to 10 days, this can be misleading. Kennel cough has many strains similiar to our flus and colds. And as any of us know, who have had the flu or a cold, the duration of illness changes from year to year. One strain may last a week and the other a month.
Dogs with kennel cough should be given a warm, dry place to stay to prevent more severe conditions.
Educate yourself: Educating yourself is the best preventitive to avert tragedies as well as prevent unneeded vet bills. Keep a vetrenarian guide in your home and use it often.
Boxer Cardiomyopathy Break through!!!!!!!!
Follow this link to read about the discovery of the gene that carries Boxer Cardiomyopathy and the future ability of breeders to screen for it:)
