Choosing the Right Food for Your Boxer
In general, you are better off feeding your new puppy what the breeder fed the litter, at least initially. If you feel you need to change, do so gradually. Watch for any signs that the pup is having difficulty in making the transition to another food source. These signs would include loose stools, increased gas, mucous in the stool, or vomiting. Any of those symptoms would suggest that the changes are not agreeing with the puppy.
Raw, Natural, or Commercial?
For some people, cooking for their dogs or preparing raw food diets is an overwhelming process. Other considerations are that if you have small children, there is a slightly greater risk of E. coli being spread around the house from the dog eating raw food. This risk is small if you take ordinary sanitary precautions. If you are not a great housekeeper, however, this might be an issue. On the other hand, if you have the time, you may want to either feed raw food or natural, home-cooked food.
The term “meat by-products” generally refers to the parts of the animal that humans will not or cannot eat. Meat meal generally refers to what has been boiled off a rendered carcass (dead by natural or accidental cause). These two items can include intestines, hair, feathers, and other items that are unfit for human consumption. It is also generally felt that the preservatives, BHA, BHT, propyl gallate, propylene glycol (also used as antifreeze), and ethoxyquin all have very questionable scientific documentation as to their safety.
There are some additives in processed commercial dog food that you might want to look out for, particularly in combination, as many are thought to be chemicals that can lead to cancer cell proliferation. Some additives to be wary of are these:
Anticaking and antimicrobial agents
Antioxidants
Coloring, curing, drying, and firming agents
Emulsifiers
Flavor enhancers and flavoring agents
Flour-treating and leavening agents
Formulation aids
Humectants
Lubricants
Nonnutritive and nutritive sweeteners
Oxidizing and reducing agents
PH control agents
Processing aids
Sequestrants
Solvents
Vehicles, including stabilizers, thickeners, surface active agents, surface finishing agents, synergists, and texturizers
Do Your Research
Before you start feeding a raw or natural food diet, you need to check your references, do your research, and make sure that you understand clearly what it will take to provide your boxer with a nutritionally balanced raw or natural diet over time. You can't just throw a raw frozen hamburger or a chicken wing at your boxer and expect that to be sufficient. There is some considerable research involved in providing the optimal diet for your dog.
If the time is takes to research and provide a raw or natural food diet is more than you have, then by all means go with a commercially prepared dog food. But do your research there as well, and try to find those that are prepared with human-grade foods and the fewest artificial preservatives.
