Special Consideration for Canine Athletes
Boxers are considered among the most athletic of dogs, and for that reason, they are sometimes overworked at an early age, whether intentionally or by accident. This can lead to a whole host of bone overgrowth problems such as panosteitis and osteochrondroitis in some cases, or simple injuries to anterior cruciate ligaments, knees, groin muscles, and so on.
One caution to take with any puppy is to try to limit his rough play while he is growing up. There is no point in the pup injuring himself when he is young and creating a condition that is going to cause painful arthritis when he is an old dog.
Most vets and specialists who are knowledgeable about how dogs grow tend to recommend that the larger breed dogs (boxers are included in this group) not be jumped at their full height (usually the height at their withers) until their growth plates close. For most boxers, especially the males and the females at the taller shoulder heights, that doesn't occur until between eighteen months and two years of age. Until then, exercise that is repetitive in nature or that pounds the joints should be avoided.
There is a belief among a lot of boxer people that if their boxers don't get lots of physical exercise then the dogs will be deprived. Thus, many take their boxer puppies for long jogs before their bones, joints, and muscles are ready for repetitive exercise. Truthfully, the best exercise that a growing boxer puppy can get is the kind that he can self-regulate. Even better are lessons that fatigue the little boxer mind. That means no more than twenty minutes of continuous running or playing at any one time, and no jumping higher than elbow height.
Assessing the Canine Athlete
According to Chris Zink, D.V.M., one of the leading national canine sports vets, in a canine athlete, the angle formed by a line perpendicular to the ground and the articulation of the scapula should be about 30 degrees. A well-bred boxer should have about this degree of angulation. Obviously, a boxer should also have good hips, but if he has poor shoulders, he will have almost as much trouble jumping and landing as if he has bad hips. In agility competition, he will have more trouble on the sharply angled A-frames.
Zink also mentions a weight-to-height ratio that is ideal in the canine athlete, particularly those that compete in agility. Her recommendation is to divide the dog's weight by its height at the shoulders. If the ratio is under 2.0, then the dog is at little risk of injury from repeated jumping. This is roughly equivalent to the ectomorphic type of human being who is very thin. This ratio includes whippets, Border collies, and Shelties, the last two of which are very good agility dogs.
The risk of injury increases if the ratio of weight to height is between 2.0 and 3.5. Most boxers fall into this category, so they are at moderate risk of injury with repetitive impact to their joints simply because of the ratio of their weight to their height. Boxers are fairly heavy dogs for their size. This isn't because they are fat but because they are generally very muscled and have relatively good bone density.
Zink says that if the ratio of weight to height is over 3.5, people should be very careful about jumping their dogs for fear of injury. Only an overweight boxer would fall into that category, and Zink recommends that dogs be very thin for performance. No performance dog should carry any subcutaneous fat, and boxers should never be fat.
Boxers could probably be considered mesomorphic. They are not whippet thin, and not mastiff heavy, but somewhere in between. The ectomorph would always have the advantage when it comes to anything that involves jumping and landing. Mesomorphs like boxers would be midrange in the risk categories. All boxers at a good weight would be in the cautionary range, but not really close to the true danger zone. The lower the boxers' weight, the less risk of injury he will suffer from jumping.
Veterinary Chiropractic
Veterinary chiropractic, which excels in the treatment of bio-mechanical problems, is relatively new. It minimizes, if not eliminates, gaiting oddities due to spinal or other joint misalignments. Conformation dogs have been getting adjusted for years as they are largely judged on their gait. In more recent years, competition obedience and agility dog owners have seen the value of chiropractic adjustments in extending the length of time the dog can comfortably compete.
Chiropractic for humans or canines is a method of treatment based upon the theory that disease is caused by interference of the nerve function. By manipulating the spine and the joints of the body, normal nerve function can be re-established and the body is able to heal itself.
More importantly, veterinary chiropractic can enhance overall health for any boxer. Spinal misalignments can create disorders within the internal organs of the dog. Here is a partial list of problem misalignments and their common effects, as developed by the American Veterinary Chiropractic Association:
Cervical subluxations, especially of the atlas vertebra, the occiput, and axis (all in the upper neck region), can be related to behavioral abnormalities and problems, such as aggression, slow learning, hyperactivity, attention deficit, blurred vision, fear biting, recurrent ear infections, and some kinds of seizures.
Mid- and lower-cervical subluxations can relate to motion sickness, some anxiety states, lick granulomas, and hypothyroidism.
Subluxations of the thoracic area (between the shoulder blades) can relate to hypothyroidism, heart problems, especially mitral valve insufficiency in older dogs, and some liver disorders.
Farther down the back, thoracolumbar junction subluxations are the most common in dogs, and can be related to cystitis and diarrhea. Caudal lumbar subluxations with sacral rotations are related to acute onset incontinence and constipation. Back pain from overdoing it can also cause incontinence.
Personality changes can be signs of some part of the back being out of alignment. Some dogs bite or look like they've got a headache. Other signs include a tail that does not wag symmetrically or a stiff back. A boxer that previously rolled that no longer rolls or rolls only to a certain point, then stops may also have an alignment issue. Owners should also keep an eye out for a lumpy, bumpy spine, especially near the back of the rib cage; head tilt; scuffing foot; stilted rear gait, or a rear gait that is always wide; lack of symmetry to the limbs; tail clamped to the body; or a boxer that wiggles or shakes when a certain part of his body is touched.
An important fact to note here is that if you see any of the conditions above, you might wish to find a veterinary chiropractor, but you should definitely take your boxer to the vet if you suspect any injury.
Dogs that are regularly adjusted have longer show careers than those who do not receive chiropractic treatment as part of their regular veterinary care. Old obedience competition boxers who were adjusted regularly have been known to jump their full AKC obedience regulation heights days before dying at advanced ages. Chiropractic adjustments have positive benefits to a dog with spondylosis as the result of an action injury as well. If your boxer is active in performance competition, it is wise to find a veterinary chiropractor to help you and your boxer with maintaining health and fitness.
