Boxer dog 10 years old.

Question
Hi There, I have a boxer dog who has had 2 operations regarding a tumour growth in his leg. he had the first when he was 5 (5years ago) and the second just last month. We have now been told that the tumour is cancerous, we were very upset as imagined. We would like to breed him just once so we can keep one of the pups, is this possible? We were told by the vet that other than his leg he is in perfect condition and his heart rate is immaculate.

Answer
Hi Laura,

I'm sorry to hear about your boy's diagnosis. :(   You'll need to discuss with the vet and with your dog's breeder whether this cancer has a genetic basis, or whether it was caused by environmental factors - cancer can be either, so it's hard to say without knowing more about the specific diagnosis, family history, health of siblings, etc.  

Assuming it's considered to be environmental, at 10 years old the AKC will still register a litter from him.  You'll need to have a semen evaluation done to see if he's still capable of producing puppies.  You'll also want to have hip x-rays, a full (OFA) thyroid panel, an auscultation/Doppler echocardiogram and a holter monitor done on him.  The fact that he's apparently symptom-free at his age is good, but he may still be able to pass these conditions on to his puppies, who may be affected more severely than he is.  Depending on the timing, there may be a genetic test for degenerative myelopathy also available (it's supposed to be released in the next month or so).  

There is more information on using a Boxer at stud here:
http://www.newcastleboxers.com/wannastud.shtml

It's a little difficult for a stud dog owner to find bitches to breed their dog to - generally the bitch owner seeks out the stud dog, and doing it the other way around is considered tacky by some, so you might get some odd or unpleasant responses!  A good bet, again, is his breeder, who may have, or will know of, a bitch that would be a good match for him, and who can facilitate the arrangements.