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Take the Right Approach to Boxer Dog Feeding
"I never realized how important the proper food was for my boxer dog until I got to this website..."
Most veterinarians and pet care experts recommend that you stick with high quality dry dog food without a lot of fillers. The brands you can find in discount pet stores such as PetSmart or Petco—or even online—are usually adequate.
One important point to remember is that it is always best to pick a dog food and then stick with it. Your dog doesn't need variety. Variety may upset his stomach or result in runny stools. Once you find a kind of food your dog seems to enjoy, keep feeding him or her the same thing all the time.
Another option is to go with the BARF diet for your boxer. The Biologically Appropriate Raw Food or "BARF" diet is easy to prepare. You are basically feeding him "bones and raw food", adding in or taking out supplement as needed.
Giving your boxer a raw, natural diet (as opposed to commercially prepared one) makes the feeding task flexible and you get to control the quality of the food your boxer is getting.
It is better to first understand the principles behind this feeding method. And there are excellent reference books available on this subject matter.
Basically, the BARF diet is made up of raw meat and raw meaty bones, raw processed vegetables plus dairy products, eggs, fish, offal, muscle meats, fruit and maybe some supplements. It is a very balanced diet and you get to control the ingredients as well as the quality. Some people leave out dairy products or grains.
If you're looking for a great source of natural dog food, try the Only Natural Pet Store. They have a big selection of dog food, as well as vitamins and supplements.
One owner suggests that you keep a boxer healthy with occasional yogurt treats.
Boxers tend to have lots of food allergies. One owner put an ailing and lethargic boxer on a strictly venison diet and the dog finally thrived, gained weight and became very active.
There is also a recent concern about eating a large amount of grapes or raisins, since they can be toxic to dogs, leading to acute kidney failure. The reports concerning this grape/raisin poisoning have only just surfaced and the information is still sketchy at best. The Animal Poison Control Center in the US is investigating this new medical development.
Some questions remaining to be answered are:
- How many grapes or raisins eaten could become toxic to your dog?
- What is the toxic substance?
- How does it affect the kidney?
To be safe, have your veterinarian check your boxer if he has eaten a large amount of grapes or raisins because a healthy kidney is key to survival.
Click to read 5 essential steps to good boxer dog feeding
We offer a great gourmet recipe book for boxer dog owners to make scrumptious meals for their precious pets. You can read about it here, or if you'd like some free sample recipes (as well as a number of great caring for your boxer dog tips!), then sign up for our Boxer Lovers Club, using the short form below: