How to Help Your Boxer Live Longer
Despite the averages, there are some things that can extend the life expectancy of your Boxer dog.
Spaying or Neutering
- This is not just for population control. It is proven that this leads to a longer life. With cancer being the #1 cause of death for Boxer dogs, this is an important step to helping a dog live the longest life possible. When done early enough to a male, it eliminates the chances of testicular cancer, when done early enough to a female, it eliminates the chances of ovarian cancer and decreases the chances of mammary cancer. In addition, both genders, it decreases the urge to roam, which can lead to injury or death caused by accidents (mostly automobile).
Nutrition is so important.
Some owners do not think much about giving one unhealthy snack, but over a life time, these add up. Additives, coloring and fillers (the equivalent of a human ingesting cardboard) are found in many manufactured foods.
Did you know that legally a dog food that is labeled as containing meat can have the source be from dead, dying, diseased or disabled animals? Did you know that “complete and balanced” can lawfully mean the minimum and not the maximum? Did you know that corn that is often used as fillers contains very high levels of insect pesticides?
Choose a superior kibble for your
Boxer's main meals
that's 100% all-natural and well-balanced. And hold snacks and training treats to the same high standards.
Exercise.
This also adds up over a life time and can add years to your Boxer dog’s life. Regular
exercise strengths the heart muscles and the entire body. Over exercising is not a good idea either. A good balance of a brisk daily walk and cardio once or twice a week…This would include hearty play such as Frisbee or trail running for 20 minutes.
Car restraints -
Back in the 60's and 70's it was unheard of for kids to be buckled up. Many cars didn't even have safety devices. Whether children were crawling around the back of a Station Wagon or bouncing around in a pickup, it just wasn't done. In 1977 President Carter mandated that by 1983, all cars needed to have air bags and seat belts.
In 1989, only children under 14 had to wear them. So for a dog to wear one? Unheard of. But since those laws were passed, almost 300,000 human lives have been saved. But dogs are dying every day due to being injured in
a car, not only by being hit by one.
They receive massive head injuries from air bags, are thrown out of the beds of trucks and are fatally injured both when their heads are out of the window or not. If a car is traveling 15 mph and is hit, a dog that is not restrained will be thrown. Use a
canine car safety belt for your Boxer dog
and you will be protecting him from the 3rd leading cause of death: trauma.
Dental care
is the most overlooked element that can add years to a dog's life. Excess plague and tarter weaken teeth, which can lead to infection. That infection can then spread throughout the body. While chews can help loosen plaque, this must be coupled with
care
at home.
A Boxer dog needs to have a daily routine in which the owner brushes the teeth. In addition to this, one will want to have professional cleanings every 1 or 2 years, in which the veterinarian or specialist will do a “full dental” which includes scrapings, x-rays and rinses. This should never be ignored.
Without this type of home care and professional care a Boxer dog will develop gum disease and that will often led to tooth loss (which leads to malnutrition) and can even turn into a full body blood infection.
Emotional health contributes to physical health.
If your Boxer dog is lonely, is confined too much, does not receive exercise along side of you, is subjected to repeated loud noises or is put in areas that are too hot or too cold….this can all lead to stress and this can shorten their lifespan. Boxers and all dog breeds, require love; to be treated as a member of the family. To have your company, companionship and above all else to have you to look out for them.
They cannot wash off toxins from chemically treated grasses themselves….They cannot protect their paws from ice melt. They cannot check their ears for mites. No one should own a dog unless they are committed to taking full responsibility for every aspect of care.