Hello all fellow boxer lovers!!! I own three boxers. Kaylee is a 3 yr. old fawn, and poor Kaylee suffers from allergies. Currently we are trying to determine which foods. The two newest members of our family are Jake and Bandit, 14 week old fawn boxers. Question. Currently feeding the boxers Purina One Puppy Formula, and I fill their bowls often. However both my babies are under weight. Any suggestions to help fatten them up would greatly be appreciated. They are the loves of my life. Thank you, Forbes.
Diet Question
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dogfoodanalysis.com
they rate all the dog foods... i suggest you switch them to canidae or another brand of that quality! i believe they are 5 stars
they rate all the dog foods... i suggest you switch them to canidae or another brand of that quality! i believe they are 5 stars
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I agree about switching the food...Purina and like are not the best quality foods...that being said, we have friends who still feed their dogs Purina and I grew up with dogs who were fed Iams and puppy chow and both dogs in my family as a child well exceeded their life expectancies and died of natural old age causes. So while I personally choose to feed Canidae, I don't tend to believe it's the only way to go. While some fear the cost, it should be kept in mind that you feed much less bc the quality is better. For example, where you might have to feed 4 cups a day of Iams, you only need to feed 2.5 cups of Canidae.
As for allergies, do you know what the allergy is too? Is it a food source and do you know to what? There are several foods out there that address these allergies...for example, Natural Balance makes a Potato and Duck formula...there's also a fish formula, Royal Canine I believe makes special varieties and there are dozens more. If you know what the allergy is to, I am sure people here can give you a LIST of foods without that particular ingredient.
As for allergies, do you know what the allergy is too? Is it a food source and do you know to what? There are several foods out there that address these allergies...for example, Natural Balance makes a Potato and Duck formula...there's also a fish formula, Royal Canine I believe makes special varieties and there are dozens more. If you know what the allergy is to, I am sure people here can give you a LIST of foods without that particular ingredient.
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20lbs bag of canidae from my pet store is 24.99... same as science diet, and purina one..
I agree about switching foods; diet is, after all, the cornerstone of good health, so why not feed the best you can? 
With the puppies, be wary about them getting too heavy - it is far more desirable for them to be lean than even slightly overweight. (In fact, I was just reading some research showing that dogs who were overweight when young were more prone to tumors later in life.) You should be able to see the outline of the last 2-3 ribs, and when you feel their ribcage it should feel like the back of your hand. So long as their hips and spine are not especially prominent, and they're eating/playing/eliminating/drinking normally, they are at a good weight. Boxer puppies will go through "walking skeleton" phases when you can see every rib from across the room - these generally last about a week, and then they go through a phase where it looks like their skin is just hanging off of them.
I personally don't recommend free-feeding, especially with multiple dogs. Along with it making housetraining much more difficult, since the dogs aren't on any schedule, controlling the food is one of the most effective ways to establish yourself as the benevolent leader of your dogs - most trainers and behaviorists are strongly opposed to free-feeding. With multiple dogs, it's hard to know when one dog is not eating, until it may be too late; as well, you don't always know when the dog last ate or how much, which can be problematic in the event there is an emergency and they need medical attention. At 14 weeks, the puppies should be eating 3-4 times a day; generally at around 6-8 months you can cut that down to twice a day.
With the puppies, be wary about them getting too heavy - it is far more desirable for them to be lean than even slightly overweight. (In fact, I was just reading some research showing that dogs who were overweight when young were more prone to tumors later in life.) You should be able to see the outline of the last 2-3 ribs, and when you feel their ribcage it should feel like the back of your hand. So long as their hips and spine are not especially prominent, and they're eating/playing/eliminating/drinking normally, they are at a good weight. Boxer puppies will go through "walking skeleton" phases when you can see every rib from across the room - these generally last about a week, and then they go through a phase where it looks like their skin is just hanging off of them. I personally don't recommend free-feeding, especially with multiple dogs. Along with it making housetraining much more difficult, since the dogs aren't on any schedule, controlling the food is one of the most effective ways to establish yourself as the benevolent leader of your dogs - most trainers and behaviorists are strongly opposed to free-feeding. With multiple dogs, it's hard to know when one dog is not eating, until it may be too late; as well, you don't always know when the dog last ate or how much, which can be problematic in the event there is an emergency and they need medical attention. At 14 weeks, the puppies should be eating 3-4 times a day; generally at around 6-8 months you can cut that down to twice a day.
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I also don't agree with "free feeding". Too much of a chance of one dog getting too much and the other not enuf....I have bookmarked a post that you might want to check out. It's in the food tips and it has a great list of recomended foods to feed. A lot of boxers have food allergies and a lot of the time it's from corn. Make sure that the food you are feeding doesn't have that...Lamb and rice is a good alternative. I feed mine Blue Buffalo, they use free range lamb and brown rice...No corn in it at all...Like was already stated, the initial cost may seem a bit high, but generally with a better grade food, you will find that you don't have to feed as much, so it comes out better for everyone...
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