Follow-Up

Question
QUESTION: So about 5 months ago i rescued my first boxer ''CC'' she had been liveing in a car from sun up till sun down , while her old owner would go and sleep in the house . so basically the car was the dog house ! well now CC sleeps in bed with me and is by my side at all times . So i have a few question to ask '' eye boogies '' they come and go , and some times it's really bad meening thick and greenish yellow and then other times its not , is there something i could give her or do for her to help her ?  And her weight , i think she might weigh in at about 40 or 45 lbs and i know shes under weight but i all so think she mite of been the runt of the litter . cause i see all these other boxers and their huge compared to her is there anything i can do to put a little more meat on her ?  she's a purebred american boxer fawn in color . And i was lucky to get her papers . on the papers it says shes 3 but shes so small she looks like shes a year old , is there a number to call or someway to find out more about her parents ? .... if you can answer any of these questions both CC and i would be sooo thankfull and happy .... thank you for your time .

ANSWER: Hi Lane,

Thanks for rescuing your sweet girl!  

Eye discharge is fairly common, it could be a sign of an allergy, irritation or infection, and is often a side-effect of feeding a grain-based kibble.  Most of the time eye discharge is whitish in color.  Thick and greenish yellow is something to watch; that may be sign of an infection (either in the eyes or a respiratory ailment).  If her eyes are red or seem to be bothering her, if she has a nasal discharge or coughing at the same time, or if the thick greenish discharge persists for more than a couple of days, she should probably see a vet.

Many Boxers are oversized, so the fact that she's smaller may not mean she's too small.  40-45 lbs. is a bit small, but a female should only weigh about 50-55 lbs. so she's not excessively small by any means.  More important than the number is her actual condition; she should be lean, with a defined waist when looking down on her back from above, you should be able to just see the last two or three ribs, and when you feel her rib cage, it should feel like the  back of your hand.  If her hips or spine are clearly visible, she's too thin.  If you can't see or feel her ribs, she's too fat.

There's probably not much you'll be able to find out about her parents except from the breeder.  The AKC doesn't give out that information.  You can purchase a pedigree from the AKC that will give you the names of her ancestors; a web search might pull up information on them (or on her parents, for that matter).  You can also use the parents' registered numbers in the AKC store's "Dog Record" section to see if any littermates were registered and what their names were.  (You'd just change the last two numbers at the end - if the sire's registration number is BX345678/01, you could search for BX345678/02, BX345678/03, BX345678/04, etc.)

Good luck, and enjoy CC!!

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

QUESTION: hi jennifer , thank you for the answers about  CC  .... Well now i have a real important question my girlfriend and just got another boxer , Buster he's a german boxer i beleave . we were told he was about 17 or 18 months old , well today , this morning 12-27-09 we noticed his Penis or junk was hangin out and its red and swollen ! he doesnt seem to be botherd by it but its not normal and it hasnt gone back inside like it sould and .. its swollen like theres fluid under the skin , he pees like nothins wrong .... soooo is there anything we can do or is it a trip to see the vet ? ...and cc's not in heat !.....          And one more thing is there a web site that could  show the diffrent markings and colors of the boxers , like the diffrences between flashy boxers to a fawn and is their a petite boxer ? if i could send you a picture of cc you'd see what i meen lol , id have to say shes a girly girl

Answer
Hi Lane,

I'm sorry I missed this the other day, I forgot to sign out for the holiday!  I'm hoping you've got the problem with your friend's boy figured out by now.  For future reference, that can happen at times; the condition is called "paraphimosis".  Sometimes holding some ice wrapped in a towel will help relieve the swelling.  Other times the hair on the end of the penile shaft gets "folded in" and prevents the penis from retracting fully.  In that case, you need to try to roll the hair back out; there's a description of the process in the Dog Owner's Home Veterinary Guide, here:
http://tinyurl.com/yczswn8

There's a good page on Boxer colors and markings here:
http://www.worldwideboxer.com/COLOUR.html

Be sure to click the link to see what a difference color can make.

There are some Boxers that are petite in size, but there is no breed or variety that is smaller (or larger, for that matter).  There is only one standard for the Boxer.

Happy New Year!