Boxer health problems

The Boxer breed is renowned for having an excitable yet affectionate nature, combined with high levels of intelligence and a sunny disposition!

As part of the ‘working’ group, Boxers tend to be energetic dogs who enjoy staying active and require at least two hours of exercise every day. Although they love to learn, Boxers usually need to be trained not to jump up at other dogs and people when their enthusiasm gets the best of them.

Thanks to having a short coat, Boxers don’t have to be groomed as often as dogs with longer coat types. But you’ll have to be prepared to clean your Boxer’s face fairly frequently, since their skin folds can become infected if not properly managed.

Explore our Boxer breed guide for more information about this cheerful dog breed!

Which health conditions can affect Boxers?

Please remember that while the following health concerns are frequently seen in the Boxer breed, each dog is a unique individual. So, your canine companion isn’t necessarily going to suffer from any of the health conditions commonly experienced by Boxers. But, if you’re considering pet insurance, you could read our guide to insuring your Boxer for more information.

Always speak to your vet if you’re concerned about your dog’s health.  

Don’t forget to visit our dog first aid guide to discover the basics of canine first aid. 

Skin allergies

Boxers are prone to skin allergies – whether triggered by food intolerances, pollen, dust mites, fleas, or a mixture of causes. If your Boxer has a skin allergy, here are some of the symptoms they might exhibit:

• Itchiness
• Scratching excessively
• Overgrooming
• Hair loss
• Redness or rashes on their skin
• Runny eyes
• Ear infections
• Hot spots (please contact a vet straight away if you notice patches of inflamed, infected, sore skin that’s warm to the touch!)

The treatments for skin allergies will vary, depending on your Boxer’s symptoms. However, some of the standard treatments for skin allergies in dogs include reassessing their diet, avoiding triggers, and skin-soothing shampoo.

BOAS (Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome)

BOAS, or ‘Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome’, is the term used to describe a range of features, most common in flat-faced breeds, that impact an animal’s ability to breathe. As a flat-faced dog breed, your Boxer could end up suffering from BOAS.

Sadly, there are many issues that cause BOAS in flat-faced breeds, including:

• Narrowed nostrils (stenotic nares): Breathing is harder for your boxer because less air is able to pass through their nose
• Elongated soft palate: The flap of tissue at the back of the roof of the mouth is the soft palate, and in flat-faced breeds it tends to be excessively long and thick. This can obstruct the opening to the windpipe and cause snoring
• Hypoplastic trachea: A narrowed windpipe limits the volume of air reaching the lungs
• Aberrant nasal turbinates: Deformed, convoluted bony structures inside the nose that are packed too tightly, obstructing nasal airflow

Due to the extra effort required to breathe in and out through narrowed or obstructed airways, this can also cause:

• Enlarged tonsils
• Laryngeal collapse – this is where the windpipe becomes weak and collapses
• Everted laryngeal saccules – little pockets of tissue around the voice box can be sucked towards the airway, causing further obstruction.

Here are just a few of the symptoms associated with BOAS in dogs:

• Snoring
• Noisy breathing, meaning they often make snorting or snuffling sounds
• Excessive panting, even at rest
• Reluctance to exercise
• Vomiting and regurgitation of stomach contents, due to breathing difficulties. This could lead to stomach contents entering the airways (a condition known as aspiration pneumonia).

Additionally, dogs who are flat-faced and have BOAS are at an increased risk of heatstroke as panting is a significant form of cooling for dogs, and those with flat faces cannot pant as efficiently.

It’s vital to take your Boxer to a vet immediately if they’re struggling to breathe or showing signs of heatstroke.

To diagnose BOAS in your Boxer, a vet will ask about your dog’s symptoms, perform a physical examination, and may assess your dog’s breathing rate following a short walk. If your Boxer needs further tests, they might see a specialist vet who can carry out an endoscopy (using a camera to check their airways) or MRI under anaesthetic.

The treatment options for BOAS include surgery, ensuring your Boxer maintains a healthy weight (since being overweight can worsen their symptoms), and keeping them cool during hot weather.

Eye ulcers

An eye ulcer, or ‘corneal ulcer’, is a wound on the front of your dog’s eye. Eye ulcers can vary greatly in severity, though they often appear suddenly and might get worse over a short space of time. 

Although eye ulcers can have many different causes, ranging from injury to infection, the shape of a dog’s face can increase their risk. For example, eye ulcers are commonly seen in flat-faced breeds, like the Boxer.

Symptoms like a runny eye, holding their eye closed, and cloudiness of the eye could suggest your Boxer is suffering from an eye ulcer.

Along with a physical examination of your Boxer’s eye, a vet may use a green-orange dye, called fluorescein, to check the size and severity of an eye ulcer.

To treat a canine eye ulcer, your vet could prescribe eye drops and pain relief, as well as providing support through frequent check-ups, until your Boxer’s eye has healed. If, however, your Boxer has a deep corneal ulcer or their eye fails to heal after a course of treatment, they might need surgery to treat it.

Epilepsy

Epilepsy describes a condition that causes dogs to experience recurrent seizures.

Boxers are known to be prone to epilepsy. Epileptic seizures are caused by abnormal electrical activity in the brain, usually resulting in uncontrolled body movements and seemingly odd behaviour, including:

• Wobbliness
• Uncontrollable muscle activity or tremors
• Lack of co-ordination, e.g. falling to one side
• Lack of awareness about what’s happening around them
• Body twitching
• Paddling or jerking of their limbs
• Drooling
• Foaming at the mouth
• Loss of bladder control (peeing uncontrollably)
• Loss of bowel control (unaware they’re pooing)
• Loss of consciousness

Important: If your Boxer has a seizure, they’ll need to recover in a calm environment that’s cool, dark, and free from hazards (e.g. sharp-edged furniture), while you call the vet.

Boxer cardiomyopathy

Boxer cardiomyopathy is sometimes known as ‘ARVC’, which stands for ‘arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy’. The term ‘cardiomyopathy’ refers to a disease of the heart muscle that causes an irregular heartbeat.

This condition is genetic, which means it impacts dogs who have a family history of Boxer cardiomyopathy. While research is still ongoing, it’s believed that a gene mutation is responsible for this genetic condition – so, a dog with Boxer cardiomyopathy inherits two copies of this abnormal gene.

Symptoms of Boxer cardiomyopathy can vary, depending on the severity of an individual dog’s condition. For instance, some dogs with ARVC may have an occasional abnormal heart rhythm but won’t suffer any other symptoms, whereas for others, ARVC could lead to sudden collapse.

Although it’s a genetic condition that could cause symptoms at any age, Boxer cardiomyopathy is usually seen in adult dogs.

To diagnose Boxer cardiomyopathy, vets will assess your dog’s heartbeat using an ECG (electrocardiogram) machine. In some cases, vets might also perform other diagnostic tests if they suspect Boxer cardiomyopathy, including blood tests or ultrasound scans of your dog’s heart.

Treatments for milder cases of Boxer cardiomyopathy could involve regular monitoring with a vet, medication, and a carefully managed exercise routine. However, since ARVC is a progressive disease, there’s a chance that symptoms will worsen as a dog gets older.