diet

Question
I have 2 boxers and no matter what i feed them they seem to have stomach trouble, noises and terrible gas,help.
also, recently got a 9 month old male who seems to have seperation anxiety, what can i do

Answer
Hello Ann,

Thank you so much so your questions.

Many boxer dogs are food intolerant to the vast commercial dog foods on the market today.In order of the most common offenders in boxer dogs are beef, dairy products, chicken, wheat, chicken eggs, corn, and soy. As you may have noticed, the most common offenders are the most common ingredients in dog foods. This correlation is not a coincidence. Checking food labels and staying away from the ingredients listed would be a great start. One of the best commercial foods for boxers I've found is TimberWolf Wild and Natural Canid Formula Dog Food, their website is http://www.timberwolforganics.com If you have the time a natural cooked diet of salmon, venison or veal should also give your boxers some relief. Substitute about 25% new food for the old food each week so that by the fourth week your boxers are on 100% new food.

To help control the gas you may opt to feed in elevated food bowls or add a large softball to the food so they will have to eat around it and eat at a slower pace. This lessons the air ingested while eating. Also feed them separately and at least twice daily. A lite walk after eating can also help but avoid heavy exercise and play.You could add Acidophilus or Prozyme to their food. These products help in the digestive process and may help eliminate gas completely.One other reminder too many table scraps can lead to excessive gas as well as dog treats.

The boxer who is suspect to separation anxiety, the first step is to discuss the situation with your veterinarian and have your boxer undergo a complete physical examination. It is important to make sure that your dog's behavior is truly due to separation anxiety and not to something else.Tests may include a complete blood count, a chemistry profile, urinalysis, thyroid testing, a blood pressure check, and an ECG. After ruling out any medical issues I will be glad to help you with behavior modification exercises. Please contact me for further information.Please see the following article for additional information http://www.hitowerboxers.com/separationanxiety.htm . I hope this information will help you and please contact me for any other questions you may have and please include a detailed description of the behaviors your boxer is exhibiting.
Sincerely,
Angela Donald
Canine Behavior Consultant