[BoxerMom07]

I am new to the forum ( just couple of weeks) and bought my first Boxer puppy ( Gus ) almost 7 wks ago . And doing research and reading about all the health issues that surround boxers are there any that can be avoided? Hip displasia , thyroid , the heart problems  and all the horrible scary stuff that I have read about. To make the books sound like they are a walking health issue.
Do I have to be concerned, or just take care of him the best I can and love him and hope that further down the line the roll of the dice that none of that comes up?
I am not scared , just a little concerned.... If I look back, my mixed female that I have had for the last 10 years is now having hip problems, and allergies , and stomach problems. and she is MIXED....lol So I guess is could be just a crap shoot?
Maybe some of you can give me some advise or just tell me if it ain't broke just don't worry about it..  :lol:
Thanks.

 

[mom2scoutandgunner]

If it ain't broke I wouldn't worry about it.  No sense worrying your and your dogs life away.  Enjoy him.  He will bring you much joy.  A boxer is a wonderful breed.  I am glad you joined us.     Why don't you send a little time and tell us about you and Gus?  From your avatar, he looks handsome!

 

[tootsie]

Unfortunately boxers are prone to a bunch of health issues.  You said it best, just take care of him the best you can, love him, and don't worry yourself over things that might not even happen down the road. Life is too short to worry. Have fun and enjoy him!  

 

[ssimmons99]

Not much you can do after you buy one.  That is why most people on this forum try to educate people to only buy puppies from breeders who have shown you all the testing on hips/heart/thyroid from the parents since those issues are genetic.

 

[samsonsmom]

Ditto what everyone else has said...I did a lot of research before I got my first boxer 9 yes ago, or thought I did anyways...Yea, it scared me reading about all the possible health issues...Key word is possible...It is a gamble, even if you have 2 fully health tested parents, things happen...I have been pretty lucky so far with all of mine, no major health issues..Now Samson, my distuinguished senior is starting to get arthritis, but he's 10, so it's not surprising. He gets his glucosamine with every meal and the vet keeps an eye on him to see if it's getting worse....

So, bottom line, we give our babies the best possible care we can and hope they live long, healthy lives....

 

[Mastray]

I say don't worry about it. It freaked me out when I was reading up on boxers while waiting to get Odin from the breeder. I just think of it this way. If we were capable of being pets... and someone decided to read up on humankind and see what POSSIBLE health issues we could have... well the list is practically endless... and most of us will never have most of those problems.

Sounds crazy I'm sure, but that's how I look at it. We have ferrets too and ferrets have ALL kinds of possible health concerns... and 7 out of 8 are perfect... I just wouldn't worry about it. Or if it's that big of an issue... maybe you should at least get pet insurance to rest easy that you will be able to give the best possible care even when it may get expensive.

 

[boxersaige]

I worry more about me dieing before my dog because who will take care of him as much as I do.

 

[Honeyec]

All pedigree breeds are prone to their own set of health issues, it's due to the fact that they come from a pretty limited gene pool - German Shepards are prone to osteoporosis, Dalmatians to deafness - the list goes on.

All you can do is be aware of this before you buy and get insurance so that you will be covered financially if anything does manifest itself in later years.  But I think Mastray made a very good point - just because they CAN get it doesn't mean that they WILL.  You're not automatically going to get cancer or MS or ME or any one of the horrible things that can befall humans just because they exist, and neither will Gus.