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These are some of the Health concerns in the Boxer breed today that every Boxer owner should know about.
I feel that some of these ones are the most important that we should concentrate on.
· Aortic stenosis/sub-aortic stenosis (AS/SAS) is one of the most common heart defects occurring in boxers. Stenosis is the narrowing of the aorta, right below the aortic valve, which forces the heart to work harder to supply blood. The Reduced blood flow can result in fainting and even sudden death. The disease is inherited but its mode of transmission is not known at this time.
· Boxer cardiomyopathy is an electrical conduction disorder which causes the heart to beat erratically (to have an arrhythmia) some of the time and can result in weakness, collapse or sudden death.
· Hip dysplasia is an inheritable malformation of the hip joint leading to osteoarthritis.
· Hypothyroidism describes an inactive thyroid gland which can be responsible for such conditions as epilepsy, alopecia or hair loss, obesity, lethargy, hyper-pigmentation, pyoderma and other skin conditions.
· Corneal dystrophy is an inherited abnormality that affects one or more layers of the cornea.
· Demodectic mange. The demodex mite lives on the skin of all dogs, and is passed to puppies by their dam. In healthy dogs, this mite causes no problems. However, demodectic mange can occur when a dog has a weakened or compromised immune system.
· Cancer. Boxers are particularly prone to the development of mast cell tumours, lymphoma and brain tumours.
· Bloat or Gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV) is a very serious condition that occurs when the stomach becomes distended with air, and then twists on itself while dilated. This interferes with the blood supply digestive organs, blocks the passage of food, thus leading to worse bloat. The distended stomach impedes the normal return of blood to the heart, causing a decrease in blood pressure and drastically reduced cardiac output. Blood/oxygen-deprived tissues start to die, releasing toxins into the blood stream which among other adverse effects, cause serious disturbances in heart rhythms (cardiac arrhythmias). Dogs affected by bloat can die within hours.
· Allergies. Boxers are rather prone to allergies, which can be environmental or food related ie: itchy, scaly and sometimes infected skin. Boxers do not tend to do well on foods that have a high grain content, particularly those including corn, wheat or beet pulp.
· Deafness. Mainly occurs in white boxers due to their lack of pigmentation and suppression of blood supply to the cochlea (inner ear).
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