[Charlie Boy]

Hello, we just picked up our 8 week old boxer “Charlie” on Dec 23rd. This morning after coming in from his potty break he started to shake his back legs as if he was trying to scratch something, however it is accompanied with minor weakness and stumbling when walking. It’s not all the time, like when we take him outside or when he is sleeping. He’s not itchy anywhere and does not appear to be in pain. No swelling or bumps. We’ve checked his toes and in between and nothing that we can see is bothering it. He is quite the climber and I wonder if he sprained them when falling backward in his crate? Has anyone else experience something like this with a puppy?
Thank you,

Nathan and MacKenzie

 

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Looks like a healthy solid puppy! It does sound like he is just itchy sometimes they will just have some dry skin you can run you nails lightly along his sides and he starts thumping his leg that may be it, maybe the breeder bathed him before you got him? Did he get any shots right before you got him? Sometimes these can be shot reactions but those are usually accompanied by hives. If it’s something really worrying you I always say get the Vet to check him out you should do that anyway since he is new to you and if there are any problems you will have time to address that with the breeder especially if they have a warranty on the dog. Has he been eating properly? Puppies this young need to eat at least 3 times a day they can get low blood sugar if they don’t get the proper meals.

 

[Charlie Boy]

Looks like a healthy solid puppy! It does sound like he is just itchy sometimes they will just have some dry skin you can run you nails lightly along his sides and he starts thumping his leg that may be it, maybe the breeder bathed him before you got him? Did he get any shots right before you got him? Sometimes these can be shot reactions but those are usually accompanied by hives. If it’s something really worrying you I always say get the Vet to check him out you should do that anyway since he is new to you and if there are any problems you will have time to address that with the breeder especially if they have a warranty on the dog. Has he been eating properly? Puppies this young need to eat at least 3 times a day they can get low blood sugar if they don’t get the proper meals.

Thank you so much for the response and kind words!
At about 9:00 o’clock last night after everyone left we were able to narrow down, that it is indeed an itchy area from the back of his ears to his neck. He’s not coordinated enough to get to that spot with his back legs so it’s looks akward which caused us some panic, lol. He did get a shot right before we got him and another round of dewormer. We have his wellness check up this Saturday, so like you said, we’ll speak to the vet about it. He has been eating properly, although he was on the skinny side when we got him. We’re feeding him 1/4 cup 4 times a day of the Orijen puppy food with plenty of water. I can’t thank you enough for responding, it was really kind of you. Hope you had a very Merry Christmas,

Sincerely,
Nathan & MacKenzie

 

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The other thing I would mention to you is the danger of grain free dog food it caused food induced DCM in two of my Boxers they died within 6 months of each other eating the same food. I would advise you to look into a grain inclusive food such as Purina pro plan puppy or Royal Canin boxer puppy. There in more info on the FDA website this danger is very real not affecting just Boxers. The boutique dog food store is not going to tell you these things because it’s thier job to sell the food not whats good for your dog. I haven’t met a Vet yet who will recommend grain free dog food so please be careful. If you do switch foods for him do it very very slowly adding small amounts to his food each feeding it will upset his stomach and on that note they can have pretty sensitive stomachs so be careful of the treats ect

 

[Charlie Boy]

Thank you again for the advice! Since he’s got that itchy skin near his neck I wonder if Purina Pro puppy sensitive skin formula would be better. We’ve got his vet appointment tomorrow so we’ll be sure to ask about his food, his skin and then also what appears to be complete hearing loss or partial. He doesn’t respond to any type of noise what so ever

Happy New Year to you!

 

[Charlie Boy]

The other thing I would mention to you is the danger of grain free dog food it caused food induced DCM in two of my Boxers they died within 6 months of each other eating the same food. I would advise you to look into a grain inclusive food such as Purina pro plan puppy or Royal Canin boxer puppy. There in more info on the FDA website this danger is very real not affecting just Boxers. The boutique dog food store is not going to tell you these things because it’s thier job to sell the food not whats good for your dog. I haven’t met a Vet yet who will recommend grain free dog food so please be careful. If you do switch foods for him do it very very slowly adding small amounts to his food each feeding it will upset his stomach and on that note they can have pretty sensitive stomachs so be careful of the treats ect

…. I just put him on the scale…He’s 5.5lbs. We were told her was born on October 25th “Just it time for Christmas” is what we were told. I looked again at his “health record” today and noticed they used whiteout on the month, seems kinda suspect to me. We did get him from a BYB , I wonder if they pushed them out the door earlier to get them into homes for Christmas. I’ve sent a text asking them for answers on specific questions I have, I’m hoping they respond.

 

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Yes that is kinda worrisome byb are not always honest and it is all about the money for them or they think thier dog is the best and therefore they need to breed it. Real Boxer breeders are doing genetic testing on thier dogs and work to breed only dogs with the best physical attributes as well as temperament and health unfortunately there are many larger kennels who fall into the byb category as well where money is the main focus of the operation not the improvement or health of the breed. Legitimate breeders don’t make that much money on each pup because they have invested money in that pup before it was even born health screening the parents investing in well bred dogs and of course Vet and other costs so there is a huge difference in things being done right or not. Not to say you may get lucky and a byb puppy may lead a healthy trouble free life my first Boxer was from a horrible byb and she was very sick when I got her but once she was well she lived to be 13 but her temperament left a lot to be desired for sure. I would definitely get your pup to the Vet and have him looked over.

 

[Rick_503]

Hi, welcome to the group! Just checking in to see how your "Charlie" is doing, we have an almost 2yo fawn girl "Charlie". She's a handful but has been getting much better behaved- thank goodness.... Little yappy dogs who don't know their own size are still a "work in progress...."
Hope things are good,
Rick