What ailments has your Boxer had??

[Debbie Magon]

I agree with Julie that a lot of problems are seen shortly after vaccinations.

I personally dont think they are needed more than twice in a dogs life.
At puppy hood and at middle age, 6 yrs or so.

I feel this way because of a few things I have noticed in the years I have been breeding boxers.

Our first boxer, Knight, only got vaccinated twice in his life and died at the ripe old age of 12 1/2 yrs.
Sarah, was vaccinated only once in her life with live vaccine as a baby and only twice during her pregnancies with dead vaccine , to protect pups.
She free whelped, had huge fat babies and no complications.
Neither of these dogs suffered ill health, allergies or any other sort of medical problem.

My other bitches were innoculated regularly, because they went into kennels occasionally and were on the show circuit, and that is the policy here.
They had problems whelping and needed C sections.
Their immune systems after whelping, seemed far more fragile than they should have been and over all they were poor performers as mothers due to these factors.
Although my current boxers keep good general health, it concerns me greatly that the off spring from a free whelping line has come unstuck, so to speak.
I have seen a lot more allergies in my boxers during puppy hood and feel they may be suffering from slightly compromised immune systems after the innoculations.
I am now rebelling and refuse to innoculate after the puppy shots.
I think they now have all the immunities they will ever need and we have no proof that constant innoculations are safe and cause no mutations or effects on the dogs normal functions.
We as humans build up our own defence mechanisims against illnesses etc, so why would an animal be any different?

 

[jaimie]

Well here goes my list:

Britnee- (8 years old 12/24) when she was 4 months old she was running through tall grass before we buillt our house and ran into my husbands leg and knocked him over which made us take a trip to the emergency room she pulled her shoulder away from her nerves they thought (she was in extreme pain) they were going to have to amputate her front leg. She got better after steroids and 3 weeks later. Many Many bug bites, bee stings and allergic reactions, one where she stopped breathing, lots of hives for no reason. Broken toe nails from running and sliding on icy sidewalks (probably at least 5 times in one season). Nice "goose egg" on her eye from getting stung by lots of hornets-she needed 3 shots (2 of benadryl and 1 of a steroid) to settle her other hives and adverse reactions from the stings. Scratched cornea from my mother-in-laws ferrett trying to take her under the couch.:D Surgery on her gums for lumps all over them-benign she grew some more again but we don't want to do more surgery she is doing ok we are just keeping an eye on them. Numerous food allergies we learned the hard way, beef, & turkey she had really horrible swelling of her neck, eyes, and mouth.


Baylee- (7 years old on 1/1/03) before we got her she got into the garbage and ate bad hamburger and she spent 4 days in the hospital. When she got fixed she busted open her incision and had a nice hematoma in there. Had surgey on her "hymen" 2x's they though she had vaginitis and she was "intact" so they tried to stretch her out-ended up being bladder infections that were making her dribble green goo. Lots of ear infections, a heart murmur that they only heard 3 or 4 times and no other vet has heard it since. A cyst removed from the top of her paw-benign. Lots of urine dribbling problems see next one...This past summer I was out of the country to visit my husband (after losing a pregnancy) and my sister said Baylee was pacing all night she took her to the vet and Bay's bladder had ruptured sometime during the night. They did an emergency cystotomy on her and found 21 bladder stones the biggest the size of a nickel if not bigger. She spent 5 days in the hospital with her whole body infected from the urine-she was thisclose to dying she was on constant antibiotics for 3months afterwards. She then had little to no bladder control which we now have controlled with medicine (Thanks to my WONDERFUL VET! This whole thing-the surgery and the hospital stay, the meds only cost me $303.00! NO KIDDING!) Toe biting, ear itching and chin itching/rash from her special food to control her bladder stones, so now she is on special allergy food.
They are both doing very good now thank god!

 

[mygirlmollie]

wow...poor Baylee and Britnee....sounds like they've had it tough!

Glad to hear they are well now :D

 

[mrscherry]

Jake male 1 year 1 month old:

so far:

kennel cough-3 trips to vet before it disappeared
mange (first around his eye then spread to other parts 2 vet visits)
cut foot requiring stitches (had that fixed when he was neutered)
chronic diarrhea with blood (changed his food, better now)
broken tooth (going to dentist tomorrow for aroot canal)
dog bite causing abscess
seizure (just once I'm praying it won't be epilepsy)

My poor baby. My husband says if he were a car, he'd be a lemon. I'm glad I have insurance.

 

[basak]

somehow I missed this thread.

Krose:

Numerous visits to the vet for limping almost every other day when a puppy... he was such an actor:D
Parasites (just once, thank God!)
Ticks (I hate Frontline , now after garlic, no episodes for one year:D)
Fleas (Thanks to a friend who forgot to mention her dog had fleas at home:eek: )
Vomiting and refusing to eat for 5 days or so, we still don't know what caused it and why it disappeared all of a sudden
Allergies because MIL gave him a chicken bone :rolleyes:
Ear infection 2 years ago

I think that's about it. Oh, does constant burping and farting count? :D

 

[Jaelle]

Pénéloppe, when she had all her shots and was on kibbles, had:
-kennel cough (from the "breeder")
-ringworm (from the "breeder")
-mammitis
-borderline hypothyroidism
-severes inhalent allergies
-dermatis
-permanent ears and eyes infections
-dry skin

Now, on raw food and with no vaccinations since two years (and with good immunity to parvo and distemper as the titers prooved):
-still severe inhalent allergies, controlled with prednisone.
-And one hystiostome, that was gone by itself in a month.


Igor, always been on raw food and limited vaccination, had:
-kennel cough from the dog park, heel in a week with homeopathics.
-two hystiostomes, gone bythemselves in a month.
-fragile stomach, has to eat twice a day.
-he's a monorchist, he will be neuter this summer.

 

[basak]

Originally posted by Jaelle

-he's a monorchist, he will be neuter this summer.

What does ''monorchist'' mean?

 

[Muttluvr]

I believe she means monorchid, just one testicle.

Apollo was like that too, but his dropped just before we snipped them off at 4 months.

 

[bezell]

Well, I am sorry that all of you have had to go through all of those things. However here is a bright spot. I have not had any problems with Bodie and only been to the Vet for regular check ups....he is a European Boxer. ANd Jezzabelle, who we rescued from a friends' friend.....not abused just didn't have time to give her the attention they felt she deserved....while with the other family, has only had a minor rash, which it was discovered she is allergic to plastic. They changed her food bowl to ceramic and she never had another problem. Wierd though, she can drink out of a plastic bowl with no problems. We discussed it and we think it is because dogs lick their food bowls, but don't usually touch the bowl when drinking water, if the bowl is kept full. Other than that we just got her and only took her to the Vet for an exam (right after we got her....she was due for her Rabies shot.) Oh yeah, she is an American Boxer....

 

[kristi's kid]

Skin allergies lead my list. The second we think things are under control it flares up again. Redness of the skin, some small pimple, and the licking. I wish there was a sure answer. Do all boxers have this problem?

Seems to be a major topic of discussion here!