Ask questions and share about your pet's health to help others.
I have a question on a 9 year old boxer, back in January he was treated for respiratory cough, he was treated once, didn’t go away. Had to take him back to vet, and treated again was better but it continue for a few more weeks and finally went away. Now our boxer really isn’t eating properly will not eat dry food at all ,only if we give him people food. We rescue dogs and have 2 other dogs so we only have so much of budget.
Any suggestions of what it could be or what minimal testing we can do?
My perfectly healthy 13 yo boxer just out of nowhere his back legs fall out from under him and he can’t stand or walk. He doesn’t seem bothered when you touch his back or legs and then stared vomiting
Hello,
The answer to why this might be happening lies in an examination with your veterinarian. I worry about heart disease in boxers. I also worry about hemoabdomen. Gum color, abdominal palpitation, heart and lungs need to listened to and an orthopedic and neurological examination are needed. This has the potential of being an emergency.
Thank you I am at the emergency vet now as he started seizing as well.
My 1 year old dog (1/2 lab, 1/4 German shepherd, 1/4 boxer) has a large, perfectly round red bump on her face. I have researched and see potential answers but we are currently out of town and cannot take her to the vet yet. She is very important to me so of course I am concerned, but I would like opinions on whether I should be panicking as much as I am according to the photos I provide. Some articles say cancer, others say histiocytoma.
Hello,
The only way we can accurately diagnose any kind of mass is with submitting a piece of the tissue for biopsy or histopathology. If the mass is small and not bothering your dog you probably have a little time to monitor it and don’t have to rush to the vet. If it isn’t going away or if it is getting larger I would see a vet. In a dog this age I often talk about whether it might be a histiocytoma. These are usually benign and go away over a few weeks.
I have a Golden Retriever/Lab/Boxer mix. He will be 10 years old this month. A couple weeks ago, we took him to a vet specialist. He has a prostate mass that is connected to his urethra. He also has spots in his lungs that are believed to be metastasis of the cancer. I needle aspirate was done to confirm his cancer diagnosis. Recently, he has lost bladder control so we keep a diaper on him when he’s inside. Last night, he started not eating his food (even when it was mixed with wet food) so today I made him chicken and rice. He ate some of the chicken but did not touch the rice. My vet is not recommending surgery due to how invasive it will be. He is currently taking an antibiotic (clavamox) and a pain pill (gabepentin). He’s also been prescribed a medication for inflammation (carophren). My question is… is there anything that can be done for treatment? we wanted to have the mass removed to remove pressure from his bladder (because he peeing frequently). However, the vet nor vet specialist is recommending it. Are there options for metatastic cancer? What are the benefits of giving dogs CBD?
Good morning. I think your best corse of action would be to schedule a visit with your vet simply to discuss ALL of your options and then move forward from there. I cannot really comment on your specific situation, but I can definitely sympathize. This past July we had to finally say goodbye to one of our dogs and towards the end with the loss of bladder control and lack of appetite, it was really difficult to watch and in hindsight deal with. The last month was just to keep him as comfortable as possible and measure his quality of life. I had success getting him to eat by mixing beef broth and rice in with his regular kibble. And peanut butter became a regular treat. I hope that you and your vet can come up with a plan that works.????????
My 14 year old boxer bulldog mix (probably pittie) fractured her tibia (confirmed by vet) but they want 100 bucks a week to change the splint. Can you give me a reference to an accurate how-to video on how to properly wrap it myself? She has a plastic splint that a youtube video called a “quick splint” (see photos). We have rewerapped it two or three times and the first time she got right up and ate a whole bowl of food and put weight on it. The past two times she hasn’t put weight on it and she’s barely eating, only people food. I can tell she’s not happy cause she won’t let me stop touching her. I have no idea what we did the first time that was right vs what I’m doing now that is wrong, but I think there is some slippage happening (see photo of knee joint). I’m making sure to line up the joint and the splint, but when I take it off, it isn’t lined up. How do I prevent slippage? Also, I’m going to wash her before I rewrap, her skin is very dry and she needs conditioner. She also has significant blackheads and chafing- I was going to use the benasoothe shampoo, should I take any other precautions?? I was thinking I would try some clay and apple cider vinegar for the blackheads?? She started licking her leg so I just put a little extra wrap on it so she can’t irritate it. What signs should I look for as an absolute NEED to return to the vet? Swollen toes, what else? Please respond ASAP
More pictures
Here’s my professional 25 years of experience advice. Pay your vet! It’s a very very fair price. I’m guessing that you can not afford surgery so you are going to be lucky to have it heal as it is. You can not manage this alone. You shouldn’t even try. Honesty is the best policy. I tell clients that even with me checking it weekly (often more often than that) the chance for failure is high. Be the pet parent your dog needs and stuck with your vet. Not being hateful. Being brutally honest. For your dogs sake.
I took her in today actually, she was there all day. I renewed her health plan and got her a full workup, and they changed her splint (and tape signed it) and I’m taking her back next week to get it checked. There are some family problems with spending the money because my family doesn’t think it’s worth it, but I put my foot down. She’s 14 and she’s the sweetest dog that’s ever existed, literally the only reason I didn’t commit suicide when I was late teens early twenties. She has absolutely earned it! Thank you for your advice!
Our 9 month old boxer is scheduled for a neuter just before he turns 11 months old. A lot of boxer forums have recommended waiting until male boxers hit 18 months so they don’t miss out of their growing hormones. Just wondering if it’s worth the wait. Simba is definitely a more well behaved pup at 9 months than he was at 5 months. Calms down more easily, isn’t as hyper all of the time. Any input would be appreciated!
I’m a fan of waiting. If you can be 100% certain to keep him contained in the event he smells a bitch in heat in the neighborhood, it’s good to let him keep his hormones until fully grown.
(People who neuter for behavioral reasons are lazy trainers. Marking is a training issue, unmanaged attitude problems are due to lack of engagement, etc.)
My dog Sampson is a 15 year old boxer/pittie mix(50 pounds). Has had diabetes for 7 years. Been on arthritis pain meds the last year.. Has become very sluggish the past 2-3 weeks. Vet diagnosed him with a early stage heart murmur and slight anemia. Changed his arthritis pain meds to Gabapentin. It made him so drowsy that he fell asleep while eating. Became unable to walk without assistance. We weaned him off the Gabapentin and back on the old pain meds. His walking has improved a little but still is wobbly. Yesterday he refused to eat, which is highly unusual for him. Still drinking, but not eating today. He sleeps a lot but also has 30-60 minute spells of restless/repetitive behavior. I’m thinking he may have dementia. Any suggestions on how to help him?
Hello,
This is largely a diagnosis of exclusion. I would call your vet back. Go over everything and repeat the blood work, cheat radiographs and discuss a cardiologist. There are too many things going on with your pup for me to say with any kind of degree of confidence to add that diagnosis to the list. All of the conditions you speak of can cause mental depression. So I would start over and ask for a referral to both an internal medicine specialist and even a catdiologist. I have a lot of information on my blog about cognitive dysfunction and there are lots of things you can do at home to help. But don’t over look previous issues before jumping into a new condition. To find the information on cognitive dysfunction please go to kmdvm.blogspot.com and in the search bar type cognitive dysfunction. I hope this helps.
Your dog needs a cardiologist, stat.
My 9 year old Boxer had MCT (benign) surgery on her side in the Fall. Its been healed for months. Overnight a very large growth appeared at the incision site. Egg sized. Its firm and a little warm. The dog is acting normally. Is this urgent? The soonest I can get into my vet is a week from now. I explained the issue when I called the vet’s office, sent pictures and was told it’s not urgent. Perhaps they are thinking its a seroma? Is it okay to wait so long to see a vet? (I like my vet and really don’t want to be a nuisance–nor do I want my pet’s health to suffer.)
Hello,
I am not sure if this is urgent or not as I don’t know what the swelling is due to. Is there any way your vet can refer you to someone who can see you sooner. Just to look at the incision? Hopefully it isn’t anything serious.. but you cannot be sure until your vet (or a vet) looks at it.
Thanks so much for the response. I do feel like my dog should be seen sooner but didn’t want my vet to think I was pushy. Thanks for the suggestion to just ask her for a referral.
So, just to update, the swelling was a very large post surgical abcess. While I was trying to find a different vet who could see me sooner than my regular vet, the abcess ruptured. My dog was in a lot of pain. I regret not being more persistent with my own vet. When I called and told my regular vet about the rupture, I then got in on an urgent basis. Next time I’ll know to just be a pushy nuisance when I think something is really wrong. I am just sorry I made my dog suffer. (She is now on antibiotics, warm compresses etc and seems to be getting better. Fingers crossed.) Thanks again Dr. Magnifico for the advice.
How long should you wait to play with a boxer puppy (almost 8mos old) after they eat? I’ve read about bloat and am trying to nail down our morning routine.
When our Dobe was a pup, we kept her quiet for an hour before and an hour after all meals. I would stick to that…and maybe, instead of playing, use puppy’s meal as a training opportunity, since mental work trumps physical work for wearing out a dog of any age. Use the meal as training treats instead of actual treats. 🙂
Thanks!
I am getting an 8mo old boxer. Currently, she is eating from an elevated food bowl. I’m planning to have her eat from a bowl on the ground when I get her as I’ve heard elevated food bowls can increase the risk of bloat. I’ve seen conflicting opinions and research…which is better?
I have never heard of an elevated bowl causing bloat. I have however recommended lots of dogs use an elevated bowl if I am concerned about megaesophogus.
I start a work up for a cough with trying to decide if this is a respiratory issue (ie the lungs/trachea part of the body reposition breathing) or a cardiac problem (heart). An examination is key to this. After that I talk about an Xray or blood work. I wish I could help more than this but I think it’s time for a second opinion and diagnostics.