Important Boxer Dog Information

By: Jason Rusch
Submitted: 2008-07-24 23:23:44
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When you are considering purchasing a boxer, it is important for you to know about as much boxer dog information as possible.  You need to do a lot of research to make sure that you understand everything there is to know about boxers before actually taking the steps to purchase one.  This is because the best decisions are those that are the most well-informed.

If the boxer breed is the one which you are contemplating, chances are you have already learned a bit about boxers.  Maybe you are thinking about a boxer because you like something about the breed’s temperament or some of the breed’s characteristics.  However, it is also important to learn the not-so-good parts of boxer dog information.  Every breed has undesirable aspects, including possible health issues or predispositions.  You need to know about these aspects so that you will make a fully informed decision.

Possible Health Issues

Like a large number of other dog breeds, boxers have a predisposition to having certain health problems.  There are actually three disorders that can be relatively common in boxer dogs.  You should be informed about the disorders that can affect a boxer’s health, so here is some boxer dog information about the three disorders:

1. Aortic Stenosis:  With this disorder, there is a blockage from the left ventricle of the heart through the aorta that carries the blood to the rest of the body.

Dogs with mild stenosis may show no symptoms and may have a normal life expectancy.  Moderate to severe stenosis forces the dog’s heart to pump harder.  The dog may have difficulty breathing or exerting himself.

2. Cardiomyopathy:  This is a disease of the heart muscle that causes the ventricles to lose their ability to contract normally.  It is more common in males than in females.

In boxers, there are three stages of cardiomyopathy:

a. An irregular heart rhythm is diagnosed.

b. Dogs may collapse or have extreme weakness once in awhile.

c. Signs of heart failure are seen in the dogs.  These include weakness, loss of appetite, weight loss, and fainting.

3. Corneal Dystrophy:  This is an abnormality that causes painful ulcerations and erosions in the cornea.  Medication can help, but the ulcerations often reoccur and they are quite painful.

Other boxer dog information about which you should be aware may include the incidence of deafness in white boxer dogs.  Fawn and brindle boxers have about a 2% chance of becoming deaf (completely or partially), whereas white boxer dogs have about a 20% chance.  For this reason, many people prefer not to purchase white boxer dogs—after all, deaf dogs require drastically different training approaches.

Breeders and Health

You should also be aware of this boxer dog information.  Reputable breeders screen both male and female boxers before breeding for all of the above health issues (and more, in some cases).  By purchasing your boxer through an honest and trustworthy breeder, you have a much greater chance of buying a boxer that is not genetically likely to get any of the above conditions.  Backyard breeders typically do not pay the hundreds of dollars for health screenings.

Article source: Expert Articles