Miscellaneous Health Issues
Here you will find advice on a variety of general health issues affecting boxers including; allergies, epulis and bloat.
Allergies
Sadly, boxers are extremely prone to allergies. These present themselves as either food intolerances such as colitis or IBS, or in the skin with lesions, itching paws and a general itchiness.
For serious allergies, a diagnosis can be made through blood tests or skin scrapes, or patch testing to determine the cause of the reaction. Here is an example of a skin patch test, the dog in this case was allergic to 19 different allergens including all dust mites, grasses and weed pollens.
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Whilst food intolerances are often managed through specialist diets; skin conditions are often treated with long term medication, such as atopica or with a desensitising programme of injections specifically related their particular allergens. Sometimes in extreme cases, steroid injections are given to ease the dog's discomfort, again these can be given on a regular basis over a period of time to keep the dog's symptoms under control.
Allergies can start at any age, old or young and the dog is likely to suffer them for the rest of their life. Minor allergies can be dealt with using antihistamine or aloe vera, but we do recommend you seek your vet's opinion if your dog has any apparent symptoms of an allergy. Here we have some photos of a 16 month old boxer that was diagnosed with environmental allergies.
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Epulis
Epulis can be fairly common in boxers and has a wide range of severity. The mildest form of epulis is just where the gums can grow over the tooth, causing pain on eating etc. This growth is normally shaved back to allow the dog to eat more comfortably.
In the more extreme cases, a lump or a "peduncle" may appear causing a lot of discomfort to the dog and even, in some cases, breathing difficulties. These lumps need to be removed immediately and biopsies done to ascertain what kind of tumour it is. Here is an example of a fibrous epulis.
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For further information, please read the following links:
Pet Education info on epulis
Merck Vet Manual
Bloat
Bloat is a medical condition in which the stomach becomes overstretched by excessive gas content. It is also commonly referred to as torsion, gastric torsion, and gastric dilatation-volvulus (GDV) when the stomach is also twisted. The word bloat is often used as a general term to cover gas distension of the stomach with or without twisting. This condition can be fatal and requires IMMEDIATE medical attention. Symptoms of bloat can be:
- continuous pacing and an inability to get comfortable
- abdominal swelling after meals
- gagging or dry vomiting
- salivating, panting or whining
- distended stomach
- being quieter than usual
To avoid bloat, it is generally agreed that you should feed little meals often, rather than one large meal a day. Do not exercise your dog immediately before or after a meal and avoid allowing them to drink excessively after their meal. Slower eating is also understood to help prevent bloat.