Do Boxers Have Special Nutritional Requirements?
Nutrient Distribution
Due to their high energy, athletic nature, it’s important to make sure that you’ve got high protein and fats in their food. This is especially important if you regularly put your dog through more than just your everyday walk.
The food should also be high in calories.
For the most part, your ideal nutrient distribution will look like the following:
- 25-35% protein
- 10-15% fat
- Less than 30% carbohydrates, excluding fiber
Really, the food requirements for a boxer aren’t that much different than any other high energy, active breed. They’re almost identical to a pit bull, for instance, actually, you can use all these recommendations when choosing best dog food for boxer pit mix too.
Caloric Intake
Boxers are quite high energy dogs, especially those who haven’t been fixed. Your calorie counting can vary as much as 300 calories per day, depending on how hyperactive your dog is, before you even take into account different amounts of exercise.
The general rule is about 30 calories per kilogram of bodyweight for a sedentary dog, which is unlikely to happen with a boxer so you may wish to step things up to 40 calories per kilogram until they begin to wind down in their senior years.
More active dogs will require more. In general, a healthy boxer is going to look quite muscular and not have a lot of fat. If your dog is putting on pounds it may be time to dial things back a notch or two, or you may want to increase their exercise regimen.
As a general rule, puppies will have a much higher calorie intake as they grow but it’s important that you don’t go too high or it can cause joint issues as they grow too quickly. Seniors will naturally have a decline in metabolism which necessitates even less calorie intake than their lessened activity levels would indicate.
Micronutrients
The only real issue with micronutrients provided you’re using high-quality food and a multivitamin for your dog, is the calcium and fiber levels.
Fiber should be at about 4.0% for puppies and adult dogs and can go as high as 7.0% for senior dogs to assist with bowel movements.
Calcium should be at about 1.0% for puppies and 1.5%-2.0% for adult and senior dogs.
Boxer Specific Advice
Boxers, even more than most breeds of dogs are prone to food allergies.
Most of these come from grains. Corn, wheat, oats, and other additives aren’t ideal for boxers at any rate since they often contribute to incomplete proteins. The skin and joint problems that occur aren’t fatal but they can definitely be uncomfortable.
This means going grain-free is one of the best ways to ensure the continued health of your canine companion.
In addition, there’s a hidden allergy that is common in boxers and people often overlook it. Many boxers are allergic to chicken. For that reason, we don’t recommend using chicken as the primary source of protein for a boxer and we’ve avoided mentioning it in our favorites. If you’re looking for the food for a boxer with skin allergies, it’s hard to find the appropriate food, budget options will be not the best for the health of your dog.