[spoiledrottenboxers]

Hey, I was just wondering if anyone had tried the new "Boxer Formula" from Eukanuba?

 

[boxerlove]

When we first started out with our first boxer we fed her Eukanuba (regular lamb and rice, didn't have the boxer formula then).  She did okay on it but we found Natures Recipe which was recommended by a friend and tried that.  She did very well on it.  That was over 16 years ago so I am sure the Eukanuba formula is much different now.

 

[Newcastle]

I think breed-specific foods in general are just a marketing gimmick, and I've yet to see a Eukanuba formula that resembles a high-quality food.  The "special Boxer ingredients" they use aren't bad, per se, but they really aren't of any particular benefit, either.  L-Carnitine and taurine are common supplements for heart health, but unlike cats, dogs can obtain and/or synthesize these amino acids from a proper, meat-based diet; except in very specific cases, deficiencies in these amino acids in dogs are the result, rather than the cause, of heart disorders (and are not related to the most common Boxer heart disorders, in any case).  Likewise glucosamine and chondroitin have been shown to relieve arthritis pain, but they do not prevent the development of the condition.

 

[OdinsDad]

I currently feed Roxy and Astro the "Iams Large Breed Puppy Formula"

I've not heard or seen of the Eukanuba Boxer food, but I can say that Boxers are NOT a "large breed" dog, and shouldn't be on a large-breed diet.  Boxers are mid-sized dogs... not a large breed.

Not that you're doing something horribly wrong... just saying!  

 

[tootsie]

I think breed-specific foods in general are just a marketing gimmick

I agree. Same thing with the Royal Canin Boxer food. Anything to help boost sales!   :|

 

[tootsie]

[quote="OdinsDad\";p=\"11146":2g419emr] but I can say that Boxers are NOT a "large breed" dog, and shouldn't be on a large-breed diet.

 

[Newcastle]

Puppy formulas tend to have more protein in them which can promote faster growth in puppies leading to some of these skeletal and joint problems later on. They are formulating the large breed puppy foods with less protein and fat to try and slow down the growth.

Yes, very true; not quite so much of an issue for Boxers, really, as for Danes, who have a lot more growing to do!  You could also feed adult food, or an all-life-stages food like Canidae, to the same effect.  When I was feeding kibble, we switched to adult food after the first bag of puppy formula ran out - around 3-4 months of age.  Now that I feed raw, of course, the puppies eat the same thing as the adults.

 

[Alicia]

We feed Lola the Eukanuba Large Breed Puppy.  We've tried Science Diet, which she didn't like and after reading up on it I didn't like.  She didn't like Blue Buffalo either.  She has a very sensative stomach, if we give her a new bone she gets the runs....figured that out on Thursday!  The Eukanuba seems to agree with her and she likes it.  The trainer we go to told us to mix in a teaspoon of wet Eukanuba with the dry.  Is it a good food for her to be on?  She's almost 5 months, should we be changing over to adult food now?  This whole food thing makes me so nervous.  Any advice is helpful!  Thanks  

 

[southerngirls]

I also feel that the breed specific foods are a gimmick-we had a eukanuba rep try to push a 50lb bag on us and i kept declining. finally i had to be a little sassy and flat out tell the rep i didnt believe in the specific foods. the rep didnt like that much, but finally left me alone!

we feed an all stages diet for Reese and SAvannah. We do add some wet to the dry food to make it not so hard. my girls dont like crunching on the kibble, and savannah got to the point that she was losing instead of gaining weight.

 

[lillyzmomma]

I feed Iams Large Breed for my Boxer, but I mix it with warm water as she doesn't like crunching her food.  I will also mix with her food boiled or baked chicken (unseasoned), boiled hamburger, we will even throw in some raw beef occassionally, or even boiled egg.  I also throw in some steamed vegetables.  She loves this and it is good for her and adds some variety to her meals.  When I add stuff like this, though, I usually (not always) turn it into a training session and we go on our "hunting" expeditions and she gets to find her food (reinforcing scent and tracking training).  She thinks its fun and it keeps her from eating the "good" stuff to fast.

Liz and Lilly

 

[bubba]

I think it would be a gimmick also. I almost bought a bag of the Boxer formula from Royal Canin. But i started thinking and just thought it was ridiculous and also i have Dante, i just switched their food to Canidae All Life Stages now. And i am pleased with the way there coats are reacting to it. It has made them more shiny and softer. And i havent even fed them a whole bag yet. Only a 1/4 of it has been fed to them. I am pleased and i think they are happier with it too.