Epilepsy/seizure disorder

When your Boxer is between 2 to 5 years old, he may develop seizure disorder.

When he has an epilepsy attack, he’d be unconscious and may look like he is not breathing but he is. He is not suffering.

The information that would be important to your veterinarian regarding such episodes includes:

> Duration of the attack

> The type of muscular activity your Boxer exhibits during seizure

> Any abnormal behavior during the attack

> Frequency of the seizure

What you do in such instances is not panic and time the attack by actually looking at a watch or clock.

It may only take place for 30 seconds but may seem forever to you. You need a veterinarian if it lasts more than 5 minutes.

Emergency treatment is definitely called for if your Boxer goes into seizure for 10 minutes or longer, twice in the span of 24 hours, or if he has a second attack before he could completely recover from the first seizure attack.

Remain by your Boxer’s side; be there when he comes out of the seizure to calm him. Stroke and comfort him.

To keep your Boxer from hurting himself during the seizure, move away furniture from the immediate area and protect him from water, the stairs and any sharp objects. If you can, place a pillow under his head to protect him from head trauma.

Unlike seizure attacks in human, animals do not swallow their tongue. So you don’t have to put your hand or spoon or any other object into your Boxer’s mouth when he has an attack. You might get bitten.

Also, keep children and other pets away from your sick Boxer.

Coming out of the seizure, your Boxer will be groggy, confused and feel like he has done something wrong. He may make unusual sounds and stumble around.

Do not allow him on the stairs until he has fully recovered. In the mean time, sooth him by talking to him softly, offer him some water, stroke and comfort him.

And if he doesn’t recover fully after 30 minutes, consult your veterinarian or any emergency vet facility.

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Flea-infected Boxers

Flea-infected Boxers can develop skin diseases especially those allergic to fleas.

Black specs in the fur and bite marks on the skin tell if your Boxer has them. To check further, spread some newspapers and place your Boxer on top. Brush him and look for the black specs falling off.

Fleas live up to 6 weeks, feeding on blood and during that time would have laid hundreds of eggs that mostly land on your Boxer’s bedding, carpets and other favorable nests around your home.

The eggs hatch into larvae that seek nice, dark places while feeding on flea’s droppings, dust, human shed skin, dandruff and other such tasty morsels.

The larvae turn into hardy pupae that could survive for months before changing into adult fleas.

Fleas are host to tapeworms. Both problems are likely to occur together in your Boxer and, therefore, the treatments are also usually given together by the vet.

A bit of garlic a day may keep the fleas away from your Boxer.

Heart ailments

-Bradycardia or slow heart rate may be a symptom of thyroid disorder in Boxers.

-Dialated cardiomyopathy constitutes a serious, emergency case.

Your dog may collapse from it or the back legs have sudden pain and paralysis.

It is a serious heart condition whereby the heart muscle is enlarged and thin walled. Your Boxer will experience shortness of breath, coughing and can’t take to exercise.

Another serious heart condition is called cardiac conduction disease that is affecting Boxer’s longevity. It was previously known as Boxer cardiomyopathy but the new term is used to differentiate it from dilative cardiomyopathy.

Cardiac conduction is difficult to deal with due to 3 factors.

-One is many Boxers will not show any symptom (asymptotic) but will just drop dead suddenly from it.

-The Boxers develop this disease later in life, often after they have been bred.

-There was no good screening method for it until the one recently developed by Ohio State University researchers, called the 24-hour Holter monitor test.

However, there is still no assurance that Boxers “cleared” now from cardiac conduction disease by the Holter test will remain so in the future.

Many breeders and Boxer experts are now working to refine the test procedures, expand the database and come up with a guideline to select only, for breeding purposes, those Boxers with high probability of being free of the disease.

There are also concerns elimination of too many dogs from the gene pool would be bad for the breed diversity and could cause more problems in the future. Some opinions hold that extensive culling should only get done after more studies on genetic diversity in Boxers.

Hip dysplasia

This is a bone disorder whereby there is an improper fit of the large femur bone with the hip socket, causing lots of pain and lameness.

It occurs more in male

Cryptorchidism is peculiar to male dogs and a condition present at birth.

The testicle/s, which developed in the abdomen, fail to descend into the scrotum. The usually underdeveloped and non-functional testicle/s should be removed, as it could turn cancerous later in life.

If the condition remains after the puppy is more than 2 months old, then the chances are it will remain so permanently.

Eye ulcers, if caught early, are easy to treat. Late treatment can be expensive for you as well as painful for your Boxer.

Dermodicosis or non-contagious mange first appears as numerous patches anywhere on the Boxer’s skin. The hair will fall off, leaving bald patches in large areas, and the bald skin starts to break down, turning into crusty sores.

Atopy is itchy (pruritic) skin disease caused by allergy to something the Boxer breathes in or touch.

It cannot be cured and is the number two common allergic skin condition in dogs, after flea allergy dermatitis. Having fleas would make it worse for your Boxer.

A Boxer suffering from atopy would have itchiness particularly on the hands and feet.

He’d be chewing his paws, scratching his ears, shaking its head, scratching the muzzle or rubbing it on the ground. These same symptoms can also be brought about by food allergy.

Acne in young dogs shows as red bumps (papules) and blackheads (comedones) on the chin and lips.

Shorthaired dogs like Boxers are more likely to get them. And like in human, they start getting acne around puberty, but the problem would usually go away after one year old or so.

However, you may have to help with some topical gel medication similar to the one used by teenagers. Such lesions may become infected and develop pus, which becomes itchy for your Boxer and he starts rubbing his face in the carpet or against furniture.

Urinary incontinence in dogs can be due to a neurological lesion – something not normal with the parts of the nervous system that deal with urine regulation.

A Boxer with incontinence will dribble urine and if a neurologic lesion is the cause, then this has to be removed.

There are also other reasons not related to the nervous system like congenital defect and bacterial urinary tract infection, also known as bacterial cystitis or bladder stone.

If your Boxer leaves wet spots where he has slept and he has skin irritation from contact with the urine, then he may have incontinence.

However, wet spots around the house alone may simply mean that he drinks a lot more and needs to relieve himself often but you are not allowing him outside frequently enough. Straining while urinating and blood in the urine are two signs of bladder stone.

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Deafness

Boxer is among the more than 35 breeds of dogs on record to have hereditary sensorineural deafness.

The condition cannot be reversed with medications, surgery or hearing aids. Dogs also could become deaf from old age, toxicosis or infection.

How do you tell if your Boxer is deaf?

He doesn’t respond to spoken commands and only responds to you when he sees you.

He keeps shaking his head and pawing his ears or turns in the wrong direction when you call him.

He sleeps more than normal and would not wake up till you physically touch him.

But not to worry, you can still have a wonderful companion in your deaf Boxer through sign language.

Dogs have been known to learn as many as 65 command words in sign language. These include signs for, among others, “stop”, “potty”, “drop it”, “stay”, “lay down”, “sit”, “come” and “cookie”.

As extra measures, you want to keep the deaf Boxer in a safe environment as he cannot hear approaching dangers like an approaching car. So keep him on a leash and close to you when in traffic or out for walks.

On his nametag, add the word “deaf” so he will not be misunderstood if he ever gets lost. Some suggest putting a bell as well so you know where to find him if he gets lost.

And finally, if your Boxer tested positive for inherited deafness in one or both ears, do not breed him or her.

- Skin allergy
- Food allergy
- Cancer
- Hip dysphasia
- Bloat
- Heart ailments
- Hypothyroidism
- Fleas
- Worms

Knowing what they are will help you to better monitor your pet’s health and to gather the pertinent information, in case of an illness, that would assist your veterinarian to administer the correct diagnosis and treatment. Below are some common afflictions of Boxers.

Alapechia (Lost of hair on the trunk)

Seems to be more common in male Boxers.

One, which died at the age of 12 years and 4 months, was diagnosed with seasonal alopecia. “He used to go bald once a year but the hair always grew back on,” said its owner.

Bloat

Gastric torsion or GDV or bloat in your Boxer can be life threatening so bring him to the veterinarian immediately.

The stomach gets filled with air and twisting and this can happen suddenly. The symptoms include restlessness, drooling and nausea and the stomach is bloated (distended abdomen). Your Boxer may vomit and continue to retch but nothing would come out.

Cancerous and benign tumors

Boxers are highly prone to cancer.

So any time you see a bump on your Boxer, you should check it out. About 20 out of 100 cases are cancerous.

Watch out for both external and internal lumps, eye ulcers or cherry eye as they called it, as well as dermodicosis or skin sores.

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Mast cell tumors are malignant and they do not occur very often but can form either in the skin or within the body.

The related disorders reported along such tumors are round raised masses in the skin of your Boxer, lack of appetite, vomiting and abdominal pain. Check for tarry stools due to bleeding in the upper intestinal tract.

Boxers of any age can develop mast cell tumor but older ones, above 8 years, are more prone to it.

Never take tumors in your Boxers lightly, even a small one! The veterinarian would usually have them removed immediately because of their high susceptibility to cancer.

One owner noticed her Boxer had a bump the size of a mosquito bite that did not go away even after 10 days. The vet diagnosed it a malignant tumor and removed it the very next day. The owner felt so relieved that the tumor was removed before the cancer had a chance to spread.

Another owner found both his Boxer girls had lumps and had it checked out immediately. The vet removed the lumps due to their breed and the Boxers were all fine now!

Yet another owner was not so lucky.

“I have had the pleasure of raising two great Boxers but both passed away much too young of cancer. The last one, Nick, died one week after being diagnosed with anal cancer. It spread rapidly and he was only 7 years old!”

Original source: http://www.boxertopia.com/dog-health.php

PROTECT YOUR DOG FROM THE HEAT

Don’t leave your dog outside in the heat without proper water and shelter. It can cause heat exhaustion, stoke and even death. Dogs don’t have sweat glands, so they have to pant to cool themselves down, and more than 200 pants per minute is a warning sign.

Never leave your dog in a parked car. The temperature inside a parked car with the window cracked can quickly soar to 120 degrees, long before you can return.

KNOW WHAT TO DO FOR HEAT EXHAUSTION

Submerge or soak your dog in cool water as soon as you can. If you grab the hose to do this, make sure it’s running cool. Then wrap your dog in cool, wet towels as you get him or her to the vet as quickly as possible. Do this regardless of how you think your pet is doing. Heat stroke can be serious.

HEAT AND MOSQUITOES DON’T MIX

Dogs get heartworm from mosquitoes. Get your dog tested for heartworm, and administer the prevention. SNAP (Spay/Neuter Assistance Program) can test your dog for $10 and dispense the necessary preventative.

In the case of heartworm, never has it been more true that the cure can be worse than the disease, and that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Take action now. The treatment is very hard on the dog, and there are no guarantees.

LEARN TO MAKE YOUR DOG SMILE

There’s a great book out called “97 Ways to Make Your Dog Smile.” Author, Jenny Langbehn, a veterinary nurse, has some great ideas to get that back leg shaking. For instance? No. 1 is blowing bubbles for them to chase. No. 60 is hiding treats for them to find, like a shell game. Ear noogies? Why of course! Cute book.

MORE THAN 85% OF ADULT DOGS DEVELOP PERIODONTAL DISEASE

This is the most common disease affecting older dogs, and it usually is there by the age of 3, so start early. Buildup of tartar and plaque over the years can cause serious health problems. Dog biscuits aren’t enough; learn how to brush your dog’s teeth.

About the Author: Susan Dunn may be contacted at http://www.susandunn.cc or sdunn@susandunn.cc. Susan Dunn, MA, Clinical Psychology, certified Emotional Intelligence Coach, The EQ Coach™ . Coaching around EQ for relationships, career, resilience, transitions, personal and professional development. I train and certify EQ Coaches, therapists and managers. Susan is the author of numerous ebooks, including “How to Live Your Life with Emotional Intelligence,” “Depression,” and “How to Develop Your Child’s EQ.” she is widely published on the Internet, a syndicated columnist for WebProNews and Family-Content, and a regular speaker for cruise lines. (See “How to Get to Present on a Cruise.”) She offers home study programs through her distance learning school.

The trusty old dog license is quickly being replaced as the primary method of identifying lost dogs by microchips and tattooing. These new identification procedures have experienced a huge rise in popularity over the past couple of years, but there are some very serious downsides to these methods that pet owners may not have considered.

Remember, your dog is not a car that should automatically be LoJacked because it has value. Your pet is a living thing that is affected by what you do or have done to it. Think before you act, don’t do it because it’s trendy and consider the old tried and true method of a Dog License as a means of identification.

About the Author: Bill Knell may be contacted at http://billknell.tripod.com/life/life.html or billknell@cox.net. A native New Yorker now living in Arizona, Bill Knell is a forty-something guy with a wealth of knowledge and experience. He’s written hundreds of articles on a wide variety of subjects. A popular speaker, Bill Knell presents seminars on a number of topics that entertain, train and teach. A popular radio and television show guest, you’ve heard Bill on thousands of top-rated shows in all formats and seen him on local, national and international television programs. Visit Cat’s Chihuahua Puppies for an outstanding selection of quality dogs for discerning pet owners. http://tiny.azpuppies.com

Myself, I’m definitely a dog person, but that’s mostly because I’m so allergic to cats. If they didn’t make me sneeze and wheeze, I might actually own 1 or 2. Anyway, the author on this page offers the perspective that cats and dogs CAN live together harmoniously, despite what the cartoons tell us.

Can cats and dogs live together without constantly being at war? It seems that they very often can. We often hear people claim to be a “cat person” or a “dog person”, but browsing through the various pet forums it appears that there are many of us that equally like both cats and dogs.

My son has a beautiful Border Collie who was the only pet of the house until she was five years old. Then three part Burmese kittens were brought into the family. Mollie the Collie and the kittens were introduced to each other slowly, and Mollie was taught that the kittens were not to be harassed. Naturally she was given extra doses of attention and affection, just to show her that the kittens were an addition to the family, and not a replacement for her.

As the kittens grew they soon learned to dominate the dog, after all they are felines and a canine must know its place; besides, there are three of them. Often when Mollie is snoozing, or just chilling out, one of the cats will just walk right over her, foregoing the niceties of walking around the dog. Mollie gives the impression that this behavior does not bother her, but sometimes a little sigh of exasperation is heard. Rarely do the cats take any interest in what is in the dog bowl, Mollie on the other hand, will quite often take a sniff of the cats lunch, and if one of the cats is close by it will give a warning hiss.

I don’t think that it can be said that the cats and Mollie are great friends, they never appear to play together. They live together in a state of tolerance, rather than friendship, but the relationship works OK. My son’s house is free of cat and dog fights.

From reading the posts on the pet forums, many people report that their cat and dog are the best of buddies.

A lady writes that her Boxer and tabby curl up together on the sofa. Another post from an elderly gentleman reports that his Persian often hitches a ride on the back of his Labrador cross. There are many posts about cats and dogs being taken for walks together, stories of felines and canines being absolutely inseparable, even accounts of dogs pining for cats that have passed away.

All this does not imply that any old cat and dog can be thrown together and get on like a house on fire. Some dog breeds are unlikely to put up with sharing their home with a cat. Hounds and hunting dogs, for example may not be a wise choice. Also not all breeds of cat are sociable enough to live with another species of animal.

When introducing cats and dogs to each other do it slowly and make sure that you are in control. Never leave your pets without supervision while they are learning to get along with each other. Feeding your cat and dog in separate places, and at separate times is probably best until they are used to one another.

Remember that two or more dogs are likely to have a pack instinct, and could see a new kitten as prey. If yours is a multi-dog household and you are adding a cat to your pet family, make the introduction one dog at a time. Remember also that it is not only dogs that can hurt cats, frightened cats can inflict nasty scratches to inquisitive puppies and dogs, and a scratch on the puppy’s eyes could be serious.

So can cats and dogs live together as friends? Yes, they can; it may take patience and perseverance on your part, but the result will be worth it.

About the Author: Larry Chamberlain may be contacted at http://www.best-cat-art.com Larry@best-cat-art.com. Click here to view more of his articles. Larry Chamberlain is the webmaster of www.best-cat-art.com and a lifelong cat lover. He lives in London England. Want to find that perfect Cat Lover Gift?

The following article is written from the perspective of the dog itself… (:-))

Dear Dog-Owner,

I wanted to write this to dispel a couple of misconceptions about crate training. But why should you listen to me? Because I’m a dog and I should know…

First, crate training should be used to housetrain a dog or puppy. But some owners seem to use it as a form of punishment. The end result is that neither the “training” nor the “punishment” work.

Second, to make crate training effective, there’s one vitally important thing that a dog owner must do. The owner must establish a routine of rewarding the dog for demonstrating the proper behavior. Without it, crate training is a useless exercise for both the dog and the dog owner.

Third, the dog owner should establish a routine feeding schedule. After all, what goes “in” on schedule typically comes “out” on schedule.

Finally, there are several other quick and easy things you can do to ensure that crate training goes smoothly and is effective in housebreaking your dog. In fact, you’ll be surprised when you find out how simple they really are.

These secrets are used by professional dog trainers all over and it’s something they’ll charge you hundreds of dollars to learn.

Save your money and click here to discover the secrets for yourself:

Yours in Success,
Malacka

P.S. If you sign up for our Free “Doggone It – Dog Training Tips” newsletter today you’ll receive a complimentary and fun audio Dog Training session that you can download immediately. Hurry before this limited offer expires…

About the Author: Malacka Persa may be contacted at www.writersnest.com, malacka@writersnest.com. To view more of her articles, see www.dog-training-at-home.com).

While I’ll use dogs here, other animal companions have participated in these Visiting and Therapy Programs, such as cats, guinea pigs, birds and rabbits.

Known by various terms, taking your animal companion to a hospital, prison, nursing home, children’s shelter, oncology or pediatric ward can be a rewarding experience for everyone.

It gives you and your loved ones a bonding and learning experience, gives your people-loving dog an adventure, and brings great joy and comfort to the people visited.

Visiting a nursing home means giving the residents something to look forward to, and it’s easy to make friends around a dog. There’s a natural topic of conversation as the dog is busy doing its thing. Whereas simply visiting a rehab center or children’s shelter might be a bit awkward, bring your animal companion and everyone feels at home right away.

It’s a relief from boring routines to the residents, and a distraction from pain, illness, depression, and homesickness. Caregivers report that residents become more active when a dog comes visiting, and talk about it long afterward. It’s a big event to them, and only requires time from you.

A companion dog can sometimes reach someone who’s withdrawn from the world, as letters to pet therapy sites attest. They also have been shown to reduce the blood pressure of people in many different circumstances (apparently always) – healthy college students, a child reading a book alone in a room, and hospitalized elderly. Touching and massaging have been shown to help both the recipient and the giver, as does petting an animal.

Sounds like a wonderful idea doesn’t it, for a winter Sunday afternoon? So how do you proceed?

1. Consider your dog’s personality. You already have a good idea how your dog interacts with other animals and people. Good visiting dogs enjoy meeting strangers, actively approaching but in a calm, friendly manner. A fearful or aggressive dog is not a good candidate. An overly enthusiastic greeter can be trained.

2. Consider your dog’s reactions. He must be able to tolerate strange people, noises and surroundings, commotions, and also the other animals that might be visiting as well. He must be able to calm quickly and reliably.

3. Choose the right venue to suit your dog’s personality. A convalescent home, the children’s playground at a shelter, a prison, and a psychiatric ward all require slightly different tolerances from the dog. One dog may be sad at the lack of contact in a convalescent home, while another might be over-stimulated by a group of active children.

4. Start with good obedience training. Check with your vet or in the yellow pages for training opportunities in your community.

5. Condition your dog to stimulating new environments, building her trust and confidence in you. (If you’re taking her there, it’s okay.)

6. Read some books on the subject. There’s a list here: http://www.dog-play.com/books.html.

7. Join an organization that can help you learn and also direct you to opportunities.

The Bright & Beautiful Therapy Dogs, Inc., http://www.pet-therapist.com, Therapy Dogs International, Inc., http://www.tdi-dog.org, and Delta Society, http://deltasociety.org.

8. Obtain a Canine Good Citizenship Certificate, awarded under guidelines by the American Kennel Club (AKC). It involves basic good behavior, following some commands, being able to stay alone briefly, not whine or bark, good grooming, and other things. You can read about it here: http://www.akc.org/love/cgc/program.cfm.

9. Once your dog has earned the Canine Good Citizenship Certificate, you can register him or her in the Canine Good Citizen Hall of Fame: http://home.earthlink.net/~dianebassett/dogtraining/CGC_hall_of_fame.html.

10. Don’t be afraid to set this up on an informal basis, from simply going to visit a home-bound neighbor, to calling the volunteer director at the local children’s shelter and asking if you can come by.

A good volunteer director is adept at working in various volunteer opportunities, and also always looking for enriching, fun and/or educational activities for clients.

Your visitation may be highly structured or not, involve one-on-one or a group, you may visit residents’ rooms or meet in the meeting room, and yours may be the only animal there or one of many.

You can see the various possibilities this can provide for a meaningful family or individual experience. There are both intellectual and emotional learning opportunities. With the right companion dogs, you’re on your way and someone’s going to be very happy to see you!

About the Author: Susan Dunn, MA, The EQ Coach, http://www.susandunn.cc . I offer coaching, distance learning programs, and ebooks around emotional intelligence for your personal and professional development. I train and certify EQ coaches. Get into this field, dubbed “white hot” by the press, now. No residency requirement. Start immediately. sdunn@susandunn.cc for free ezine. For daily EQ Tips, send blank email to EQ4U-subscribe@yahoogroups.com .

For those of you who are wanting to get involved in this great adventure with their pet, there are some things you need to do to make this as fun as possible for both of you.

First time camping pooches should be shown the wonders of nature slowly. City or urban dogs need to be brought along slow because of their tender pads on their paws, and they need to get used to all open spaces and wonders of nature. Start with taking them on a some day trips to state, county and conservation parks.

The wide open spaces will help your dog get used to unpopulated areas. He wll also find new odors and sights in this stress free environment. Going on nature and hiking trails will also help your dog gain muscle strength and fitness before you go camping.

As we enjoy the companionship of our dogs, they become members of our families. Going with us on family outings, walks, trips around town, just about everywhere we go they tag along with us. Thats fine because we care about them so much. Its not always the same with camp owners, who feel that dogs are not man’s best friend in their camping area. They have good reason to feel this way. A lot of dog owners are not very good in keeping their pets leashed or cleaning up after them. They also don’t abide by the camp rules the way they should, as many irresponsible dog owners feel the rules don’t apply to them and their dogs. Of course, because of these pet owners , we all suffer, thus there are now many campgrounds that do not allow dogs. Check ahead to see if the campground you’re going to allows dogs, and if so, are they allowed on the trails, or have special trails set aside for dogs. Also, some campgrounds charge two dollars a night for dogs as well.

As loving, caring, pet owners, we need to find a way to take care of our dogs while we go out on the trails with our other family members. We could take turns dog sitting with family, friends, other campers with dogs. One thing we need to do is make sure we are good, responsible pet owners. Check ahead before you go camping with man’s best friend.

Here are some pre-camping tips:

1. Try to take your dog for a pre-camping visit for possible needed shots, and a Rabies shot tag for his collar. Look at a possible Lyme disease vaccine.

2. Take with you a current copy of his records and his vet’s phone number.

3. Pick up a proper dog license & ID tags for your dog with their name, your name, etc.

4. Microchips, tattoos and pet registries can be used.

5. Bring medications and a copy of prescriptions.

6. Try to get a site with some shade for your dog.

7. Supervise your dog closely around children, other visitors and other dogs.

8. Keep your dog quiet. Frequent and continued barking disturbs the wildlife and other campers.

9. Let your dog have time to adjust to his new surroundings. Give him time to rest.

10. Try to use ziplock bags to pick up after him and properly dispose of it in appropriate trash containers.

11. Keep an eye on how weather conditions effect your dog (heat, cold, rain etc.).

12. Consider use of a crate for travel and short term restraint, while you are near. Your pet could be stolen if not watched carefully.

You should be aware that your dog will have increased exposure to ticks and fleas. Take the proper tick/flea collars, repellants or use Frontline applications. Other diseases can also be transmitted by wild animals and insects.

About the Author: Robin Shortt is a father of five children and five step children and thoroughly enjoys the outdoors. He is also a Cub Scout leader,who sees the big picture when it comes to helping our children to love and explore the great outdoors. Visit: http://www.goodnightcampingequipment.com for more original content like this.