feeding boxers

Question
I just adopted a male boxer, aprox. age 3 yrs not fixed I need to know how much and how often to feed him. The woman at the pound did not know very much about boxer care

Answer
Bonnie,

Good for you for adopting! I have 3 rescue dogs of my own and I really believe they make the best pets.

Most dogs should be fed twice a day. Puppies and large dogs usually require 3 meals a day, but Boxers are medium-sized dogs that should do fine with a morning meal and an evening meal.

How much you feed your dog depends on the food you use. Higher quality foods won't require you to feed him as much, where if he were on a poor quality food (like Ol' Roy or Purina Dog Chow) he would always be hungry and would consume a lot more. When you buy food for him, the bag will tell you how many cups a day to feed him based on his weight in pounds. Following these reccomendations will help ensure he maintains an ideal weight.

Some other tips on dog food - It should be kept inside at room temperature, in its original bag (its best to leave it in the bag because the lining inside the bag protects the food- just tear the top open), inside a container (airtight is best). Dog food that is left outside or uncontained and open to air will lose taste and nutrients through heat, humidity, oxidation, etc. Also, I don't know if you have already chosen a dog food, but if not I wanted to make some recommendations for you. There are a few brands I would always suggest staying away from due to poor quality and balance and other problems - these are Ol' Roy and any other super cheap dog foods that you can buy at any Wal-Mart or milling company. There are high quality dog foods like Diamond that are just as affordable as these foods, so don't think that you have to spend a lot to take good care of your dog. I also don't like Science Diet or Iams/Eukanuba AT ALL, even though many veterinary clinics sell it. My favorite foods are Purina One Adult Lamb & Rice formula (www.purinaone.com) - which you will find at Wal-Mart and almost anywhere that sells dog food, Diamond (www.diamondpet.com) - my dogs eat Diamond Natural Lamb & Rice, and Eagle Pack (www.eaglepack.com) or Bil Jac (www.biljac.com) - these two are what the veterinarian I work for sells and recommends. Any of these brands would provide good nutrition for your Boxer. These companies also produce and package their own food, which is comforting at the present time given the vast recall of poisoned food by Menu Foods (which incidentally makes both Science Diet and Ol' Roy).

Congratulations on your new pet and let me know if you have any more questions!

Ashley