my female boxer

Question
I have a female boxer who will be two years old in January and she still has
not gone into heat. She has had increased urination and some other
symptoms but never discharged blood or swelled in her area. Just wondering
if she is okay because I was interested in breeding her with my male boxer
who is going on four years of age. They are kept at different houses but do
play occasionslly. And my female also chews constantly on her feet and now
one is swollen and she is limping. Just hoping she is okay. Thank you

Answer
Rachel-

I suggest taking her into the vets to check her hormone levels. She may be experiencing silent heats, or she may have incorrect hormone levels, not pushing her into heat.

If she is constantly chewing on her feet I would be concerned that she has very bad allergies or pain in her joints if she is chewing on her joints.

Either way, I would highly suggest not breeding her until those issues are resolved, since you do not know if she has anything genetic, or if her hormone imbalance could cause the puppies to develop incorrectly, or if she would have problems whelping. Also, while you are checking her titers and hormone levels, I would suggest doing an OFA to check her hips and make sure she wont pass hip dysplasia down to her puppies (A big problem with boxers), get her eyes, thyroid and heart checked and certified, and also speak with your vet about the special needs when breeding brachycephalic breeds with a mandibular prognathism like a boxer. If either of your dogs have a severe underbite, or collapsed nasal cavities that were passed on to the puppies, you are asking for trouble.

Good luck at the vets, I hope she feels better!