white boxers

[Krikkit]

Debbie

Debbie, we would love to hear about Taz!! What a special girl. Welcome to the boards

 

[DebHemsley]

I have just had a telephone call and Taz will pick up her award a week on Thursday and the local newspaper will be there to take a picture of her!!!

She saved my life when I collapsed unconcious in the bathroom after having IVF treatment.


Debbie

Taz 16-03-1999

 

[Eddie's mom]

Deb tell us more! What did she do? What a great dog! Give her lots of hugs for me.

 

[Marimat]

As for the health problems, some of the myths were that whites were more prone to deafness and other genetic abnormalites - all of which I believe remain substantially unproven.

I gotta say I have just about had it up to my eyeteeth with the to-ing and fro-ing about white boxers.

Do what you will with what I write but it's going down here anyway.

1) White boxers ARE prone to deafness more than their coloured relations. This is not a myth, in fact the hereditary pattern IS known, and I can't believe people will persist in saying it isn't so when there are so many of them out there. Just yesterday we had 2 people in the Boxerworld chat with deaf white boxers. So what if there has been no study on it, it will come, but sweeping it under the carpet won't work either. It's a fact of life that won't go away with denial.

http://clubs.akc.org/abc/white-deafness.htm

The above site, has an article by British Geneticist and famous boxer breeder, Dr Bruce Cattanach, which explains the genetic basis of deafness in white boxers.

I'm going to include a relevant quote from this article

"Only the bilaterally deaf Boxers would be recognised of course;"

2) Why is there no study on white boxers? Many reasons. One would be that for breeders it has been easier in the past to just euthanise ANY white puppy born. Then on the other hand, non breeders who own a white boxer, have a tendancy to be defensive over the issue, many are in denial, and so they don't bother instigating any study either. Also there is the fact that at times there are more pressing need to be pursued. Deafness does not kill a dog. The possibilty of it might kill them with some breeders but deafness in and of itself doesn't. However when the need arises to direct attention in the direction of heart disease, hypothyroidism etc etc things that do kill boxers, both white and coloured, I for one can see how formal studies into deafness are put on the back burner.

3) People refuse to look at the big picture. Those that don't believe in deaf white boxers are usually drawing from personal experience only. Those that do believe in it are usually actively seking the answers. Sorry to have to break the news but what's happening in our own backyards is irrelevant to the issue. As someone said, 25% a boxers are born white (I believe that is too low a figure overall BTW and it's not a worldwide figure). There are thousands of boxers born each year. So for every thousand there is going to be approx 250 whites. Most of the people here who scorn the thought of white boxers having potential deafness have owned 1, 2 or maybe 3 white boxers and are drawing on that to make conclusions. Not a good idea, I have had an email today, reporting this thread from a concerned member who has had a white boxer which was deaf and blind. So I have been able to relate about 3 people with deaf boxers in the space of this post. This doesn't count ones I have seen and had my hands on. It doesn't count the deaf whites going through rescue organisations. It doesn't count deaf white boxers used by Dr Cattanach to establish heredity and it doesn't count the deaf white boxers owned currently by members here or owned previously by members here.

4) None of the above even really matters in the long run. Fact of life - there are white boxers. Another fact of life - they can be deaf. Fact of life - some breeders euthanise white boxer puppies. Fact of life - responsible breeders cull (remove from the gene pool)whites by means such as spay neuter contracts. Cull does NOT = kill.

5) Instead of this weekly discussion, which invariably breaks down, why not consider initiating a study. Those who say nay can do it to prove they are right and those who say yay can do the same. A proactive stance would do more for boxers in either case as then we would know where we are going with the issue. Just beware of what might happen with positive results. We are in a more "enlightened" time and overall there are less and less breeders killing white puppies. Many will be doing so under the belief that deafness is not a problem in white boxers. Get the wrong figures i.e higher numbers than you want to admit to, and it might tip some "on the fence" breeders back towards euthanasia.

6) If you like white boxers then have one. If you don't then don't. Live and let live. Let those who want them have them and do the best for them as they would a coloured puppy. If you don't want to take the risk of owning a puppy with more potential problems then steer clear. But let's either do something constructive about it or leave it alone for a little while. It's been done to death and no one is winning. Least of all the dogs.

And for those who don't know me. No I do not kill white puppies in my litters but YES I do cull them from the gene pool by means of spay or neuter. Deafness, one way or the other has nothing to do with my decision not to. But you can bet your life the reason would be an eye opener here.

Matthew

PS May as well start here with our own small sampling. I have posted a Poll on the subject in The Boxer Ring

Matthew

 

[CKA_Rider]

Hi I just like to say I love boxers no matter what colour they are. I now have 13 boxers 10 of them are puppies and this is my first litter that had 2 whites in it. One is all white i call him powder and the other had a spot over her eye and i call her phantom. The mom is a small boxer named shylow and thier daddy is a very big male called bo. Keysha is the new girl we got because a guy i know was leaving the city and could not take her with him so i could not let him give her away so i took her too. I live in canada and white are very hard to get here but people love to be able to find them and they think the whites look the best . I get your white and love it very much and it will take care of u with all its love for ever ok have fun