Pet owners must be aware of eight boxer dog health problems that commonly occur. The best prevention occurs by taking your boxer for yearly check ups.
Breed Susceptibility and Preventative Measures
The average lifespan for a boxer is nine years. Preventative care helps prolong a boxer’s life. In terms of frequent boxer dog health issues, owners should be aware of the symptoms for the eight boxer dog health ailments.
By understanding the symptoms, you can stop many ailments before they occur.
- Cancer - Pay close attention to your boxer while brushing him/her. If you notice any bump that doesn’t go away after a few days, contact your vet.
- Deafness -The majority of deaf boxers have the atypical white coloring.
- Eye ulcers - If you catch eye ulcers when they first develop, your veterinary costs are low and the dog will not suffer from much discomfort.
- Gastric Torsion - Boxers’ deep chests make them susceptible to Gastric Torsion. Prevent this painful, costly condition by feeding your dog smaller meals throughout the day.
- Heart disease - Heart disease is prevalent in the boxer breed. Bradycardia, Cardiomyopathy and Cardiac Conduction Disease are the three most common.
- Hip Dysplasia - With Hip Dysplasia, a genetic condition, the boxer’s femur doesn’t fit properly into the hip socket.
- Rashes - Allergic rashes occur frequently in boxers. Other rashes to watch for include Dermodicosis, a non-contagious form of mange.
- Seizures - Epilepsy appears between the ages of two and five years. Record the duration of the seizure, activity during the seizure, and your dog's activity before the seizure and contact your vet.