[Chatito]

Hello everyone! New to the forum and new to the boxer breed as well. My wife just got me a  6.5wk old boxer. Man, am I in love with this lil dood! We have a 2lb chihuahua, and so far so good, they have gotten along great. I was a bit worried for my boxer though because my wife told me he was registered, and the registry that he is with is "CKC", continental kennel club? I honestly have never heard of this registry. I went to there website, and I'm kind of fussy about it. Anyone heard of this CKC? Either way, I'm in luv w/my new pup, took him to the vet, and everything checked out great, negative fecal exams, no eye problems, etc....I was going to start him on Eukanuba, which is what my chihuahua is on, but advised me to feed him Royal Canin Puppy Large Breed. He's been eating fair. I honestly dont know how much of an appetite he should have at this age. What is your opinion on this food? It seems that a lot of people like other branded foods like Blue Buffalo, Nutro, etc.....I should have done my research first, because I bought the 35lb bag. I just want the best for my pup. Thanx for any info!

 

[southerngirls]

Welcome!! WOW-you have a young one, usually they arent supposed to leave their mums until at least 8 weeks. No matter as long as he is healthy right? Where the food is concerned the one thing you want to make sure is that there is not too much or not enough protien for the pup. puppies should have between 24%-26% protien. It doesnt have to be a large breed food since boxers arent even a large breed dog. And guys if i am incorrect on this please feel free to correct me, this is just what i have learned from other boxer owners and personal experience-i am by no means an expert!!!   I personally use the Nutro Natural, but that is because i am not able to find Canidae or Blue Buffalo in my area. My baby girl Chloe is 12 weeks so she eats twice daily- i give her a cup  (give or take)  in the morning and a cup  (give or take) in the evening. Now since your baby is so young he needs to eat about 4 times a day. usually with a young puppy they require more food, when i first got my baby i fed her 3/4 cups 4 times a day to total 3 cups daily. We just switched to the twice daily about a week ago. As far as the CKC is concerned i dont have any experience with CKC so i dont have anything to offer advise wise. What did you name your baby boy?

 

[nano]

I would agree that this is a very good food. I would certainly not be making any changes on this if that is what you are using.  I personally would pick it over Nutro.  Make sure you always wet dry food to make a sort of gravy for it.  I cook for my spoiled little babies and use the food mix from My Masters Choice.

I have not heard of CKC, but the papers only mean so much.  Welcome to the wonderful world of Boxers!  They are simply the best and I have had them for over 25 years.  I would highly recommend doing some group obedience classes with the little guys when he is over 4 months of age.  Have a wonderful life with him!

 

[samsonsmom]

Boxers actually are not a larger breed & quite a few people I have talked to have advised me not to feed Samson a "large breed" food. Blue Buffalo is an excellent food, so is Canidae, but they are not available everywhere. Blue Buffalo can be purchased at Petsmart, if you have one near you. Lamb & Rice versions if you can get them are generally a little easier on a dog's stomach. I would do a very gradual switch when you do, puppy tummies are a wee bit delicate

As for the CKC, I'm going to take a stab as I couldn't find any info..Could it possibly be Canadian Kennel Club? You know like AKC, American Kennel Club? My boxer books don't have anything about it, but I'll keep looking...

What's is your little guy's name??

 

[Chatito]

Hello everyone. Just wanted to let you know that since I've done the 100% transition to Royal Canin Large Breed puppy food, my "Chato" is not doing so well. His appetite is kind of low. He doesn't really look for his food. His stools have become really soft. He used to be on Pedigree Puppy belive it or not, and his stool consistency was hard. I was advised by the vet to give him pumpkin w/his food to firm up his stool, it worked to some extent, but still soft. I want to switch him to Blue Buffalo, since I've heard so many good things. I will be taking him to the vet tomorrow to double check on his fecal exam. I kinda messed up because if it is the food, I'm stuck with a 35lb bag of puppy food. Royal Canin has a satisfaction gurantee, so I will try to get my money back if I decide to switch his food. Thanx for your info.

 

[nano]

Interesting to here that about this food.  I was at PetSmart yesterday and checked the ingredient label on it and found that it contained things that I don't like to have in a dog food in it.  Sorry I said it was good, I thought it would be, but I wouldn't feed it either.  If you keep having trouble with the soft stools and everything checks out on the fecal exam see my post about Fast Balance GI in the forum "help, at wit's end"  I cannot recommend this product enough to people.  

Hope things firm up for your little guy.  Puppies can be challenging about that so seriously consider the FBGI product.


Nano

 

[samsonsmom]

I think I might have said something about this in another post, not sure...Anyways, dogs are like humans, what works for one, doesn't necessarily work for another. My first question is, how slowly did you transition to the Royal Canin? If Chato has a delicate tummy, it may take him longer to adjust, but there is also the chance that he flat out is allergic to the food, it does happen. I also had heard that Royal Canin is a good food, perhaps you know someone that might be able to use it? Also, as Chato is still a puppy, I would be cautious about changing foods again soo quickly.

If he gets a clean bill of health from your vet, ask his advice about changing foods again. Poor little guy, I know he has to be miserable..Give him a big hug for me & keep us posted.

 

[HannaBanana]

Royal Canin is a good food, but only some of them have corn in them - you got to be careful.

 

[gfmedia]

Regarding the large breed thing with RC, if you go buy the wieght on the bag that is designed for the MAXI 32 puppy, suits boxers (then at 18months swithcs to thier own boxer brand). I have been feeding it to Chloe since the day we got her, took a week or so to get here used to it, but I have noticed it fills her up much quicker than any other food (we had to substitue some food for  couple a days that she tore though but bugged us for more food al night b/c she was still hungry) the RC has worked fine, and her growth has been great. She is four months and 30lbs, our big boy we just got is 7 months and 50lbs and is now eating the same stuff with no problems. (we started with the small bags and just switched to the 35lb bag to stop from going once a week to the store) just be sure to follow thier feeding on the bag for your dogs wieght and age, it makes a big difference.

 

[Sundanz]

The Petsmart store in my town does not carry the Blue Buffalo brand but they do carry Royal Canin . I checked the ingredient list yesterday ( for the Boxer) and did not like it. I would not feed my dog that brand. I'm sticking with Nutro Ultra and Natural Balance for my Mitch ( 4 1/2 month). I switch the food on a regular basis to get him used to different mwat sources. He is doing very well and weighs about 35 lbs.

 

[samsonsmom]

Boxers are medium breeds and not large breeds.

 

[southerngirls]

We just switched Chloe to Blue Buffalo and she is in love. i have not seen her eat with such enthusiasm before. Luckily her vet recently started carrying it so we were able to switch her.

 

[Chatito]

Hello everyone. Thank you for all the replies. I recently switched my Chato to Blue Buffalo Lamb and Rice formula. According to the vet, since he has had constant diarrhea, and his fecal/health is perfectly fine, he told me to just do 100% of the switch to blue buffalo lamb and rice puppy formula. It has been 3 days, and his fecal consistency has not changed. It is still extremely soft. There is no firmness whatsoever. He has no attitude change, and likes the food well. He is perfectly healthy. Should I just keep feeding him until he gets used to it? Thanx alot.

 

[Sundanz]

You might want to try canned pumpkin ( not pumpkin pie filling) to firm up his stools.  Give 1 tablespoon a day for a few days to see what happens.  I would also give a bit of yogurt and cooked rice. Whenever my Mitch has loose stools ( for whatever reason) I give pumpkin and it usually does the trick.

 

[Bumpy]

It can take quite a while to realize the benitits of a food change. Some schools of thought are upwards of a month..... I would give it more time and maybe as stated above ad some 100% pumpkin.

Has the dog been on anti-biotics at all lately? If so, this can wreek hovoc on the digestive bacteria, might try some probiotic or natural yogart.

 

[Chatito]

No antibiotics, although they did prescribe "Albon" for his diarrhea. I did notice a better consistency today. Thanx

 

[samsonsmom]

Like everyone else has stated, any food change needs to be done gradually & I think with puppies, it's even more important..Just saw that you posted that Chato's doing better today, glad to hear that. Definitely keep the pumpkin in mind if you need it & also the cooked rice, which is great for upset tummies..

 

[Chatito]

Sorry for the so many questions guys, but here is one more. If I want to add boiled rice, can it be brown rice (instant)? Do I mix it with the Blue Buffalo Lamb and Rice Puppy and the pumpkin all together? And about how much rice? I"m doing 1tbsp per day on the pumpkin. Thanx for all the help guys.

 

[Sundanz]

Sorry for the so many questions guys, but here is one more. If I want to add boiled rice, can it be brown rice (instant)? Do I mix it with the Blue Buffalo Lamb and Rice Puppy and the pumpkin all together? And about how much rice? I"m doing 1tbsp per day on the pumpkin. Thanx for all the help guys.

Hi again,
I give the pumpkin seperate, and I give the yogurt seperate too. This way they think they get a special treat... .  As for the rice,yes, you can use brown or white rice. I prefer brown rice because it's more nutritious.  You can use the instant brown rice but it has to be cooked first.  I bought a rice cooker and I cook a batch in about 15 minutes. Mitch just loves his rice, plain from the pot. No spices or anything. He was not feeling well the other day and threw up after eating something outside, like leaves I guess.  The rice settled his tummy and he is back to normal. I also mix about a cup of cooked rice ( he loves his warm) into his kibble. Not always, just sometimes.  I only use the pumpkin when his stool gets soft. The yogurt he gets everyday, 1 tablespoon in a seperate dish. Sometimes I mix 1 large tbs of lowfat cottage cheese in his kibble or I feed it as a treat. Mitch also gets some banana ( 1/2) or some apple and carrots. He likes everything I feed him, including cheese cubes ( sparingly)

 

[Honeyec]

Boxers are right on the borderline between medium and large breed.