Boxer Food and Testicles Questions

Question

Axle - Boxer   QUESTION: Hello! First I would like to ask about my dogs nutritional requirements.  I tried two different hollistic dog foods......Ulta and Blue.  My 11 1/2 month boxer still passed gas.  I am currently buying his food at a Natural Grocery Store.  I started him on Avoderm dog food and we noticed immediate changes.....no bad breath and less gas.  BUT....being an organic grocery store they have to order items in large quantities.  They are out of puppy formula Avoderm and won't be getting more in until they can place a large order.  Which would be worse........giving him the adult brown rice formula Avoderm my black lab eats or changing his food again. Do you know anything about Avoderm?  I would like to make sure it is something good for my dogs........what is your opinion?
And.....my boxer had some open sores on his testicles after returning from xmas break.  Vet put him on meds and it has cleared up for the most part.  He has dark normal looking scabs but there are two small areas that are still red. They are not open sores and they do not seem to bother him. They just seem like bright red scabs.  Do you think they will go away?  I guess I just worry alot b/c I have heard boxers are highly prone to testicular cancer.  What do you know on the health issues prone to boxers?  Would getting him neutered help prevent some diseases they are prone to? Being that he is almost a year old should I even think about neutering.  He is unregisterd and was given to us so we are not interested in breeding him.  By the way...his name is Axle and he is a trip!  So much fun!

ANSWER: Hello Jennifer,

Addressing the issue of scabs on his testicles; didn't your vet offer any explanation? Sores and scabs don't just appear; something caused them. Could it possibly be flea bites, ant bites (laying near an ant bed, etc.) or something related?

Avoderm is advertised as a natural dog food, but I did not find an information on their website about the ingredients

http://www.breeders-choice.com/dog_products/avodermdog.htm

As long as the label has good ingredients, NO corn and NO glutens, it will be fine for a Boxer. I would feed all your dogs the same food. Not only is it easier, but easier to get from your natural grocery store and the dogs won't cross-eat one another's foods.

Blue is expensive, yet still has unnecessary additives. It isn't what people think.

There are no laws governing the adverting, packaging, marketing of dog foods. They can claim what they want.

What ever brand of food you choose, select one that has no corn and no glutens and no extra additives.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks for answering my previous question........I do have some more questions though.

When we were at home for xmas break (although rare for this to happen) my boxer was licking his testicles and they ended up getting stuck to some ice.  When he got up he ripped a thin layer of skin off.  The excessive licking is what caused the infection.  His testicles became red, inflammed, and enlarged and by the time we got him home and to the vet he was running a high temperature and had a bad infection.  He was given shots, oral meds, iodine, and cream.  For the most part it all cleared up and scabbed over.  The red spots are not open wounds.....they look like scabs....they are just bright red instead of dark colored like the other scabs.  He doesn't lick anymore nor does it seem to bother him.  I am just so afraid of him getting testicular cancer or something dreadful I didn't know if there was more to it or not.  

What is your opinion on neutering?  Is it better to do it before a certain age or does it matter?  What are boxers highly prone to and is there anything I can do (as far as diet, vitamins, medical tests, etc) to help prevent or catch early some of the things they are prone to.  I am so attached to him I just want to do what I can to ensure he has a good healthy life and help prevent some things if at all possible.  I have a black lab that I rescued that had heartworms and it was such a horrible treatment to get those cured.  She is a therapy dog now and goes to work with me so I am very attached to her as well.  I just try to take the proactive approach with both of my dogs to ensure that I am doing everything for them so that they won't have to go through anything horrible (like heartworm treatment) again.

On the same note I would like to find a food that is the healthiest for my dogs.  Would food would you recommend?  Where do you buy good dog food?  It seems like Petsmart and Petco doesn't always have the best brands of food.  There are a couple of locally owned stores here in Amarillo, Tx but it seems like they are too expensive....even more expensive than Blue.  Any ideas?  

You said to put my boxer and lab on the same food.  Even though he is 11 1/2 months and still considered a puppy?  I don't know much about food but I figured that puppy food had vital nutrients for a puppy that adult food doesn't have.  But....since he is almost a year old it would be fine to give him adult food?  Is there any vitamins I need to be giving him?  

Thanks for helping me!  I appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions.

Jennifer  

Answer
Neutering is fine at any age. It does reduce the chance of testicular cancer and other related cancers.

Please familiarize yourself with the Boxer breed.

Join for free, Boxerworld.com and Boxerforums.com

Read the forums to seek answers to all your questions relating to the breed.

Blue is not as good as one would believe- seek a natural dog food with as few or no additives as possible, and no corn and no corn glutens.

I do not recommend brands due to liability issues.