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What food to feed your boxer dog? When it comes to feeding your Boxer dog; you will find many different options available to you in the market. Make certain that you study up on ingredients that are good and bad as well as non – essential for your new buddy. What food to feed your boxer dog? Make it a habit to read labels and find out about ingredients used to make the food; if you choose to feed it commercially made dog food.
Developed in Germany; the Boxer is a short-haired breed dog whose coat is tight-fitting and what is considered a medium to big sized dog. Its smooth coat comes in the colors of fawn, white, brindle or not. His broad shoulders make it stand proud amongst others. The square muzzle and strong jaws not only makes it a handsome breed it is also designed to get a good grip on prey. What food to feed your boxer dog? Should you prefer to feed it raw; and then find out what you should be feeding it and what amounts you should serve per meal to meet your Boxer’s nutritional needs.
Feeding Your Growing Boxer
As your Boxer works its way toward a year old of puppyhood; you may reduce the number of times you give it meals down to twice a day. You want to factor in treats and rewards you give to it throughout the day. Never feed it outside of its schedule unless giving it a treat for good behavior, and do not feed it food that you eat; especially any leftovers from your meals. Keep in mind that the Boxer is prone to bloating and this condition can be absolutely avoided.
What food to feed your boxer dog? Now that your Boxer dog is ready to go on solid food, you need to decide how to best feed it. If you choose to give it commercially made, store bought dog food; be sure that you choose only the best quality. Remember to read ingredient labels and learn what go into making the product. There are way too many substandard dog food brands in the market that you want to avoid. Again, ensuring the good health of your Boxer hangs on the sort of food you give to it.
Commercial Dog Food
Many store bought brands have fillers. These could be by-products of an animal or extenders like soy or corn. Meat by-product can be any unused part of an animal to create meat products for human consumption. Road kill and animals which died in transit can also be part of this mix.
Be wary when you read a label that says “meat-products”. Soy and corn are also commonly used as extenders; and have been known to contain allergens that may be bad for or contain no nutritional value to your Boxer. A lot of commercially made dog food contains food additives and coloring; as well which you want to stay away from as these can be cause for allergic reactions and bad for your Boxers health. Now is the time to research what to feed your dog. You may accomplish this by asking experienced Boxer guardians, veterinarians, as well as upstanding breeders. They would have had enough experience to be able to shed some light on this important factor of your canine’s health.
Home Cooked Meals
What food to feed your boxer dog? Home-cooked dog meals not only allow you quality control of the sort of food your Boxer is getting; it also will save you money in the long haul. Cooking meals for your Boxer would be ideal if you have the time to do this. Many Boxer caregivers find cooking for the Boxer as they cook meals for the family not only saves them time and money; it also lets the guardian monitor the sort of nutrition being given the growing Boxer.
Meats
The prime ingredient of your Boxers meal should be 35-40% fresh, quality, wholesome meat. Tuna or Mackerel fish, a lean chicken breast, veal, lamb, turkey, lean hamburger, lamb. Should you opt to raw feed your Boxer dog you will have to be more mindful of the freshness and quality of the meat products.
Vegetables
What food to feed your boxer dog? Remember to include good vegetables acceptable for a Boxer diet. 25-30% of the meal should consist of one or two servings of raw or boiled sweet peas, potatoes, carrots, string beans, steamed broccoli, cauliflower, and sweet potatoes.
Carbohydrates
You will want to add in a little bit of starch to your Boxer’s meals. A little bit of rice or a few pieces of boiled pasta would do the job of loading up on much needed energy that your Boxer will need.
Water
Always remember to hydrate your Boxer as it is not built to self-regulate its body temperature. On hot days, especially on a foray out; be sure to have had your Boxer have a good drink of water and bring along a bottle of water for it. So goes the same for meals. Remember that Boxers will experience medical problems should it drink or eat too fast. One way of avoiding greedy slurping; and gobbling is to follow a strict feeding schedule and to set out fresh water so as your buddy can grab a quick drink anytime of the day.
Treats
Dog treats should be given as reward for good behavior and not at random. Choose the best quality treats that will have nutritional value to your furry buddy. There are treats that have ingredients that are of no value to your canine and may cause unwanted weight gain.
Feeding Problems to Watch Out For
Bloat is a very serious Boxer problem that can be avoided by training your dog to eat slowly. Encourage slow feeding by introducing a slow-feed bowl to your pup and replace it with a larger slow-feeding bowl as it grows. This goes the same for drinking, be sure to keep your canine buddy well hydrated throughout the day to discourage big gulps of thirst.
A Boxer suffering from Bloat is to be immediately taken to the ER of an animal hospital as this is the only place the canine can receive the proper medical attention. A Boxer under treatment will need to be in hospital for a few days at the least as water; and food will be restricted and the canine will have to receive fluids intravenously.
Surgery on a Boxer suffering from canine bloat is a procedure that can be done if emergency procedures do not work. If you are considering a Boxer as an addition to your family be sure to talk to experienced guardians, caregivers, upstanding breeders; and veterinarians about canine bloat, its causes, symptoms and treatment.
Keep In Mind
What food to feed your boxer dog? Check out slow feeding equipment and sundries your canine will be using for a long time to come and invest in them. Equipment which is a bit more expensive usually reflects the quality of materials used and care put into them. Again, research is vital to finding out what products are durable, long lasting and sturdy.