Keeping the breed healthy Part 2

Keeping the breed healthy

There seems to be some health issues connected with Boxers. The two main ones are heart murmurs and Kidney disease or JKD (Juvenile kidney disease). 

It,s quite common that a boxer has a heart murmur in fact many breeds do. It is the severity of the murmur and whether one should breed from that boxer that is the question.

Heart Murmurs

I was pleased to find out, as I phoned different breeders around the country in search of a sire, that everyone made the statement that I have to have my bitch heart tested (Scored) before any mating could take place. This has become standard practice now in an effort to keep the boxer as healthy as possible. More info here http://www.boxerbreedcouncil.co.uk/as.html

It is not good enough for a vet just to say the dog has no murmur.
This is a scoring system that is recognised and is documented and is accessible to potential breeders down the line.

If you are buying a pup, ask the breeder for the scores from the parents, Important !!!

As rule of thumb, the dogs are scored 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, with 0 being no defects. When mating you should always try to mate to a lower score than your own dog. All breeders I spoke to did not have studs over a 1 anyway with some being a 0. My Lexi is a 1 and all the breeders were happy to go forward with a mating. Although we can't eradicate the murmurs we must do whatever we can to keep the heart score down and below a 2. Mating scores 1 with a 1 does not mean we won't get 2s. It means we are more likely to achieve 1s and hopefully 0s in the litters. Any pups with a 2 will probably live long natural lives but it is advisable that these dogs not be mated.

My Lexi has a heart score of 1 and was tested at http://www.millcroftvets.co.uk/?Small_Animals:Ultrasound  by Julie Saxton.

Julie Saxton has over 25 years of experience of ultrasonography. She has

a particular interest in cardiology and holds the Royal College of 

Veterinary Surgeons Certificate in Small Animal Cardiology.

Julie is on the Veterinary Cardiology Society list of approved 

veterinarians for dog breeds that require a Veterinary Certificate of 

Heart Testing for breeding purposes. This involves examination of the 

animal and listening to the heart to record and grade any heart murmurs 

and to detect if any other abnormalities are present prior to being used 

for breeding.

JKD

Juvenile Kidney disease is a big issue and must not be over looked. If your pup turns out to have it then tell the breeder. This is the only way to let the owners of breeding dogs know that there are potential cases in the blood lines from their animals. As I write this I believe there is no test to detect the disease before we see the signs of the disease, so all we can do for now is check the pedigrees and ask the questions and compare with what we already know from the pedigree. Vets are working on a test and hopefully one can be found soon.

This link has much more about JKD      http://www.boxerbreedcouncil.co.uk/jkd.html
and  more here http://www.boxerjkd.com/

 As an owner considering breeding, it is up to me to try my best to reduce risks of health issues as best I can. I asked the questions about the heart and JKD when I bought my dog and I would expect you to ask me what I have done also to protect my pups. It takes us all to make the breed as healthy as we can make it and we must not knowingly pass on or buy dogs with health issues for breeding purposes. Beware of the puppy farm !

My Lexi is 3 years old (03/11/12). If she had the disease we would be seeing the signs by now. She eats well and runs like a whippet and does not look underweight nor does she drink to much water. Her coat is glossy her eyes are bright and there is no odour about her that is not normal. 

My Facebook should you need to contact me is https://www.facebook.com/peter.greenaway.940


Part 3 the search for a Sire and the Kennel Clubs Co-efficient calculator coming soon.

Other Chapters

Part 1 First Litter

Part 3 The Perfect Mate

Lexi The Boxer and her first litter Part 1

I wonder if my Boxer dog will have any bob tail puppies

It was never our intention that Lexi would have a litter but as time went on it was an injustice to the breed that the genes that Lexi carried should not be passed on. This dog looks fantastic with her chestnut coat, white socks and perfect bob tail. She is also calm and is the perfect companion for all our family. Can you believe this girl has never scratched the door or destroyed furniture and has spent her puppy hood at our bridal boutique and also still comes in to work daily at our Wedding Boutique in Dalston Carlisle.

Lexi at 2 years 8 months

Boxers are loyal and trusting and are the perfect friend. They are perfect pet for anyone who has time for them. If you dont have the time then perhaps a boxer is not for you.

The first thing was to check out her bobtail and see if we can find another dog that has a bob.
This was my first big mistake. The Bobtail that has been bred into boxers has derived from cross breeding Welsh Corgies and Boxers and then back again to Boxer. Lexi is 8th Generation and another dog with a bobtail would be too close to her in the bloodline to even consider such a mating.

I was concerned about this so I contacted Mr Bruce Cattanach at  http://www.steynmere.co.uk/ who was the the gentleman who first produced the first Bobtails and whoes dogs are present in my girls Pedigree tree. Bruce's website has all the information needed to understand the bobtails but one thing is for certain and that we must mate our Lexi with a natural tail dog. This does two things. First thing is that the breed (bobtail) when mating each generation will become more true. The second thing is, that there will be a mix of pups, some with long and some with bobs. The Bob Gene will move down the line but if it does not, then I believe it is gone for good, Will my Boxer dog have bobtail  puppies I wonder ?

Lexi at 6 weeks

My Facebook should you need to contact me is https://www.facebook.com/peter.greenaway.940

Other Chapters

Part 2 Keeping The Breed Healthy

Part 3 The Perfect Mate