How much should a Boxer eat a day

How Much To Feed A Boxer Dog

How much a Boxer needs to eat depends on his weight, life stage and activity levels.

As a rough guide, a Boxer will consume 3 to 5 per cent of his ideal bodyweight in fresh, raw food.

So, an 18-month-old Boxer with an ideal weight of 31kg might eat about 1.2kg worth of meat, bones and offal in a day, which is 4 per cent of his bodyweight.

Do Boxer Dogs Eat A Lot?

As energetic, medium-sized dogs, Boxers have decent appetites.

They are enthusiastic eaters and will yum up as much as you put in front of them.

Because your Boxer is unlikely to say no or be a finicky eater, its doubly important not to offer too much.

Of course, a highly active Boxer that competes in agility or is performing tasks as a working dog will need more calories.

But if your Boxer spends most of the day snoozing on the couch, then you should feed less.

Reduce amounts even further if your Boxer needs to lose weight.

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Better To Slightly Underfeed A Boxer Than Overfeed

Australian vet and raw feeding pioneer Dr Ian Billinghurst explains in his groundbreaking book Give Your Dog a Bone: The Practical Commonsense Way to Feed Dogs for a Long Healthy Life, it is better to slightly underfeed a dog, especially a growing puppy, than to give too much.

As a Rottweiler and Great Dane breeder, Dr Billinghurst has consistently seen puppies do better when their growth is slightly held back by limiting calories.

After all, this is what happens in nature, where dogs are rarely presented with an overabundance of food.

Overeating is unique to pet dogs.

And it does them a world of harm.

As a result of the conditions in which they evolved, dogs are adapted to do better on less, rather than more.

In large breed dogs, it is especially important that growth not be too rapid.

Overly fast growth spurred by an oversupply of nutrition can produce joint problems and can play a role in causing growth defects like knuckling.

How Much Do Boxer Dogs Eat?

If you are giving your dog kibble, then you might look on the back of the packet for how many cups to feed.

But lets hope you are not feeding your Boxer a highly processed diet of commercially manufactured dog food.

Despite the marketing of these products to dog owners, and the involvement of vets in recommending them, kibble is not appropriate food for a Boxer and will not create an optimally healthy dog.

Lets assume you are providing your Boxer with a natural canine diet consisting of fresh, real food.

In other words, a raw meaty bone-based diet with three main components: edible bone, muscle meat and offal.

When raw feeding your Boxer, the rule of thumb is to give in the range of 3 to 5 per cent of your dogs ideal bodyweight.

The Math

To calculate how much fresh food your Boxer needs, you first need to weigh him.

Then, work out 3 and 5 per cent of this figure.

In other words, plug into a calculator: 0.03 x your boxers weight and 0.05 x your Boxers weight.

This will give you a ballpark for the upper and lower limits of how much you might feed your Boxer.

About 60 per cent of that figure ought be raw meaty bones (chicken carcasses make great sized edible bone for Boxers), the rest lean muscle meat (like lean diced beef) with some organ meat (liver or another secreting organ) thrown in once or twice a week at about 10% of the total food.

Keep in mind this is just a starting point. Each dog will be different.

See how your Boxer does and adjust amounts up or down.

Lean Meats

Importantly, the meat should be fed with skin removed and all visible fat trimmed.

Pro tip: a quality pair of kitchen scissors make this task quick and easy.

If you dont cut off the fat, you will be feeding your Boxer a diet unnaturally high in fat.

Remember, dogs are designed to eat lean game meats.

The products of human agriculture are deliberately fattened for slaughter.

Removing excess fat restores the muscle:bone:fat ratio in factory-farmed meats to something closer to natural.

Remember also to feed your Boxer from a slow feeder, at ground level (raised bowls are associated with increased bloat risk).

How To Tell If You Are Feeding Your Boxer Too Much

Most owners dont know how to recognize the signs of overfeeding in their dog.

Signs of overfeeding, or fat overconsumption, in Boxers include:

• Scooting (often misunderstood as worms, this can signal anal sac issues but is more likely indicative of a diet too high in fat, so fix this first)
• Itching, especially chins (overfeeding creates excess metabolic waste which is excreted via the skin, causing irritation of hair follicles)
• Paw licking or gnawing (as above, the skin is expelling waste that has exceeded the capacity of the primary eliminative organs kidneys and bowels to excrete)
• Begging (this can seem a little counterintuitive, but a dog fed the right amount will be content, whereas a dog fed too much can become food obsessed; this can be confusing because a dog fed too little will also be seeking food)
• Diarrhea
• Excessive or foul-smelling gas

Any commercially-manufactured dog food will, by definition, be too high in fat for your Boxer.

Fat levels are concealed by misleading labelling practices that express fat content by weight, rather than by calorie, in order to print a smaller number on the box.

Do the conversion and you will discover the true fat content of the product.

What it boils down to is this.

It is not profitable for dog food companies to remove the fat, so they dont.

Its more expensive to provide calories in the form of high quality protein (lean muscle meat) than fat .. not an expense theyre interested in since their overriding motivation is not your dogs health, but their own profit.

What this means is that owners wanting to feed their Boxers properly need to source whole meats, from any butcher or supermarket, and trim the fat themselves.

It takes just a few minutes.

What A Healthy-Weight Boxer Looks Like

With more than half of all pet dogs in the US overweight or obese, many of us have lost touch with what a healthy dog looks like.

We frequently think fat dogs are normal and healthy dogs are ribby or too thin.

A healthy-weight Boxer should look lean and ripple with muscle, with a definite tuck at the waist.

The last few ribs will usually be visible in a fit Boxer.

From above, you should see an hourglass shape, with clear tapering to the waist.

If your Boxer is a straight barrel from front to back, hes overweight.

Its time to feed less until he gets his lithe figure back.

How do you work out your Boxers ideal weight?

Its not an exact science.

Assess whether your dog is carrying too much weight and, if so, subtract from his current weight by how much you reckon he could afford to lose.

Feed this amount for a month or so and see how your dogs body responds.

Reduce amounts further if youre not seeing the weight come off.

But I Feel Bad Feeding My Dog Less

Unlike humans, dogs dont have emotional attachments to food.

By feeding your Boxer less you are not depriving him.

Be clear that keeping your dog fat is a fast-track to disease.

Obese dogs are at higher risk of:

• Joint problems like osteoarthritis
• Many types of cancer
• Diabetes
• Hypertension
• Heart disease
• Bladder stones

How Many Times A Day Should You Feed A Boxer?

Feed your Boxer twice a day, ideally with the two meals not longer than six hours apart.

Heres the rationale.

Unlike sheep and cattle, dogs are not grazing animals.

The canine body is designed to ingest a lot at once, and then go for quite some time before eating again.

In nature, wolves gorge themselves when they make a kill, capable of consuming as much as 20 per cent of their bodyweight.

Afterwards they fall into a meat coma and then usually dont eat again for several days to a week.

When prey is scarce, wolves can go even longer without meat.

The point is, dogs are physiologically adapted to cope with cycles of feast and famine.

Eating this way has all kinds of health benefits.

To understand why, you need to know that digestion is one of the most energy-intensive things a body does.

It takes a lot of work to break down the fat and protein that makes up a carnivores diet.

Digestive rest allows energy that would have been expended on digestion to be diverted to processes of cellular repair and regeneration.

This is what happens during fasting, in a process called autophagy.

The fact that regular periods of fasting are built in to a dogs natural existence offers protective benefits against disease.

Its one of the reasons wild dogs are so much healthier than pet ones.

The upshot of all this is that your Boxer will do best if you feed him in a way that mirrors how dogs naturally eat.

On this basis, most dog breeds should eat a single meal per day, in the late afternoon.

Boxers are a little different.

Bred to have deep chests, Boxers are prone to a deadly condition called bloat or gastric dilatation-volvulus, the causes of which are not well understood.

Since eating a single large meal has been associated with an increased incidence of bloat, it may be good practice to split your Boxers daily food intake into two smaller portions.

Ideally, see if you can keep both these meals at the same end of the day.

This way, you minimize bloat risk but still maximize digestive rest between periods of eating.

Otherwise, your dogs belly will be almost always full of food, and his body constantly occupied with the task of digestion.

You will have turned him into a grazer.

Conclusion

Feed your boxer 3 to 5 per cent of his ideal bodyweight in fresh, real food.

Adjust quantities based on your dogs individual weight, age and lifestyle.

Gauge whether youre feeding the right amount based on your dogs appearance, which should be lean with a defined waist and a hint of ribs.

References

A Way of Life for Wild Canines, This Could Be A Godsend for Your Dog, Dr Karen Shaw Becker, Mercola Healthy Pets, May 27 2018

Obesity in Dogs, Krista Williams DVM, VCA Hospitals

How Much to Feed a Boxer Dog (Puppy & Adult Feeding Chart)

There are several factors to consider when it comes to feeding your Boxer. One of your first concerns will be what is the best dog food to feed your dog. Theres also the question of when and how much to feed your Boxer.

The Boxer has long been one of the most popular dog breeds in the United States, thanks to its combination of intelligence, alertness, and even silliness. To maintain all their good traits, Boxers must be fed properly.

To provide them with all the nutrients they require to stay healthy and active, give your dog a well-balanced meal every day.

If youre looking for a comprehensive Boxer dog feeding guide, this is the article you need.

Boxer Dog Feeding Chart by Age: How Much to Feed Your Boxer?

The amount of food to feed your Boxer depends on their height, weight, age, and total daily activity.

Usually, Boxers can be fed as little as one cup of dog food to as many as six cups per day. The type of food also plays a role in determining proper food portions for Boxers.

Developmental life stages and level of physical activity all affect how much food a Boxer has to consume to maintain its current state of health. Their size, depending on what type of Boxer they are, is also a factor.

A Boxer puppys nutrition will be different from an adult dogs. They must eat uncooked food amounting to about 3% to 5% of their optimum body mass.

Boxer puppies require adequate caloric and nutrient balance to develop their growing bones properly and maintain coat health. Their diet should involve the right amount of calcium from vegetables and phosphorus from meat.

Boxer owners should not religiously follow these charts for the amount of food they provide their Boxers.

Its essential to keep in mind your dogs specific needs and the advice of your veterinarian when making dietary adjustments.

Boxer Puppy Feeding Chart (2 to 12 months)

Your puppys health depends a lot on the amount of food you provide them. Its also expected that the quantity of the best dog food your puppy needs will change as it grows.

A Boxer puppy progressively weans itself from its mothers milk after the first two to three weeks of life.

Dry kibble can be turned into mush with warm water and fed to puppies at around eight weeks old. This is a good starting point for their transition and should be given before they become fully weaned.

Owners should gradually decrease the number of fluids they give after six weeks. Puppy food with more fat and calorie content should be fed to them during this period to help them grow as healthy adult dogs.

If you want to know how much food a Boxer puppy needs, check out the chart below:

When selecting how much to serve your dog, it is good to follow the recommendations on the commercial dog food label. That said, the total caloric requirement depends on both the dogs age and weight.

While its often okay to free-feed your puppy, its best to get them accustomed to a feeding schedule. It is also vital to watch out for early signs of obesity in Boxer puppies.

Watch a pet owner feed their eight-month-old Boxer puppy:

Adult Boxer Feeding Chart (1 to 6 years)

Due to their high activity level, the adult diet of Boxers requires increased protein content.

Meals prepared at home tend to be high in protein and energy. However, their calcium levels may be off. As a result, providing only home-cooked meals is not recommended.

After a year, these large breed dogs can attain full-grown size. Therefore, owners must ensure that they are fed the correct amount of calories, animal protein, and healthy fats, such as chicken fat.

While protein is suitable for dogs, overconsumption can contribute to weight gain and kidney disease.

In addition, most mature dogs should be fed twice a day as part of a dog feeding regimen. Having a plan in place helps keep their metabolism consistent and aids in healthy digestion.

The chart below shows how much adult food your Boxer should be eating daily:

Boxers take longer than smaller dog breeds to fill out and reach their full size.

They must be given 4 to 6 cups of the best dog food during their first to six years of age. To obtain their total healthy growth, they must have a daily intake containing up to 1,350 kilocalories.

Senior Boxer Feeding Chart (7 years and above)

Boxers in their peak years are less active than Boxers in their prime, so their caloric requirements are lower. Bones and joints can be damaged if fed more than they need.

Since they may already have difficulty digesting fats, older Boxers should be fed low-fat and grain-free kibble.

As an older dog, your Boxer may require more nutritional support to maintain heart and joint health than a young Boxer would.

Its recommended to choose dog food for an older Boxer that wont upset its sensitive stomach.

Even though older pets may suffer from age-related ailments, a nutritious diet can help them live long, healthy, and active lives.

Here is a breakdown of everything you need to feed a senior Boxer:

If youre feeding your Boxer a commercial dog food, you can refer to the package for the recommended daily amount. Make sure to also check the American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) nutrient profiles.

Keep in mind that your dogs overall calorie consumption is not only influenced by its age but also by its current body weight.

If you feed your Boxer homemade food, consult your veterinarian. This also means you have to figure out how many calories your dog consumes each day on your own.

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Boxer Dog Feeding Frequency: How Often Should You Feed Your Boxer?

The feeding frequency for an adult and senior Boxer is twice a day. Sometimes, these dogs may even prefer eating only one main meal a day.

Meanwhile, Boxer puppies can be fed up to four times a day. Other factors that may affect their Boxer feeding frequency are activity level and health.

If you want a healthy Boxer, you must feed it on a regular schedule every day. Inadequate or excessive feeding of your Boxer might occur if you ignore how often you should be feeding your pet.

Giving them the right amount of dog food at the right time may meet your puppys nutritional demands.

You should also be aware of the frequency you should provide your dog.

Hypoglycemia and bloat can be avoided if an owner knows how often to feed their Boxer.

Boxers may be voracious eaters. Maintaining a consistent feeding schedule is an effective way to avoid overfeeding your Boxer and to keep your pooch within its healthy body weight.

If you routinely use treats as a training aid, use little bits. Aside from giving grain-free dog food, you can set aside some grain-free treats for Boxer dogs during training.

A Boxers feeding frequency per age is summarized in the following table:

Boxer pups continue to grow until they are 15 to 24 months old, at which point they are ready to eat adult dog food.

If you transition your large breed puppy to an adult diet too early, the danger of a severe form of canine hip dysplasia increases.

Due to their rapid metabolism, young puppies require more frequent feedings than adult dogs. Boxer puppies under four months of age often need four meals a day.

The frequency of meals should be lowered to three meals a day between 4 and 6 months. As their weight and health improve, you can reduce their meals to twice a day after six months.

It is recommended by veterinarians that adult dogs be fed at least twice a day. Feeding guidelines and food restrictions may be necessary for dogs with medical conditions or special diets.

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Optimal Feeding Times for Boxer Dogs

When to feed your Boxer is just as essential as how much and how often you feed them. As a developing puppy, your dog requires a strict daily feeding routine.

Having your puppy on a feeding schedule will help ensure that they get proper nourishment and enough calories.

It doesnt matter whether you have to set the alarm for your Boxers feeding time. Your pet will benefit from this in the long run.

Heres a breakdown of the optimal feeding times for your Boxer based on age:

A few hours apart between meals is necessary because of how Boxer puppies are fed. Your dog may suffer from indigestion if they are fed too late at night.

A Boxer may struggle to acquire weight at times. Having three meals each day, including snacks, can help during this time. Adult Boxers should be fed in the morning, noon, and evening.

Scheduled feeding times should be established early on to prevent weight-related diseases. Adult Boxers on a two-meal diet should eat in the morning and evening.

Never let your dog exercise vigorously after a large meal, especially if they eat rapidly. This prevents bloating, intestinal obstruction, and other serious digestive problems.

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Best Dog Foods for Boxer Dogs

A dogs stomach isnt made to break down too many carbs. Overeating carbs can hurt your Boxers organs and metabolic systems.

Introduce fewer carbs and consider nourishing their intestines and giving them micronutrients that help fight off disease-causing microorganisms.

The following is a top-notch selection of Boxer food:

• Dry Food: Your best bet is to feed your Boxer dog grain-free kibble or dry kibble. Some even advocate dog food with human-grade ingredients. However, if your puppy has a sensitive stomach, its essential to verify these first with your vet. High-quality kibble containing animal protein formulated specifically for the growth and development of lean muscle mass in Boxers.
• Wet Food: Wet food is another commercial dog food option. It is estimated that 75% of the food in this form is water. This can be added to your Boxers quality kibble to give it some variety. Its not the most practical dog food option because wet food spoils much faster than dry food.
• BARF Diet: In addition to raw meat and bones, theBiologically-Approved Raw Food Diet or BARF Diet is a type of raw diet that includes a variety of fruits and vegetables. This is a great alternative to processed foods that contain artificial flavors that may be detrimental to your dogs health. If you want raw feeding for your Boxer, be sure to consult a veterinarian first, as raw diets can be tricky to prepare.
• Home-Cooked Diet: Aside from raw food,you can feed your Boxer home-cooked food as well. With this option, you have more control over your dogs food, and you can ensure that they are safe from the harmful effects of artificial additives. Always get your meat and other ingredients from reputable butchers and merchants to avoid potential problems.

There are benefits and drawbacks to each of these dog food options mentioned above.

But, for the most part, these are the best food options for the Boxer. If you are in doubt, seek the advice of an animal nutritionist or veterinarian.

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Foods to Avoid Feeding Your Boxer

Dog lovers have a reputation for being generous and caring. Theres nothing wrong with feeding our Boxers different kinds of meals. However, some foods may ruin your Boxers health and may cause food allergies

Here are some foods that are dangerous to Boxers:

• Wheat, Corn, and Soy Products: These ingredients are often used by dog food companies since they are inexpensive and easy to procure. However, Boxers are susceptible to skin allergies caused by these products. To have a grain-free diet for your dog, you should look out for ingredients like brown rice, wheat, corn, and barley.
• Cooked Bones: Cooked bones are brittle and can easily shatter, posing a higher risk to a Boxers digestive system. On the other hand, raw bones can be broken down by the dogs stomach acid.
• Chocolate: While chocolate is a delicious treat for us humans, it can be harmful to your Boxer. The stimulants in chocolates, known as methylxanthines, make them toxic for dogs. It could be fatal if your dog has consumed cocoa powder, cocoa butter, or cooking chocolate.
• Fatty Meals: Pancreatitis outbreaks in dogs can be blamed on fatty meals. Too much fat in your dogs diet drains its energy since fat requires too much energy to digest.

You must keep all potentially harmful foods out of your dogs reach. A veterinarian should always be consulted before feeding a dog a new diet.

Call a veterinarian immediately if you believe that your Boxer dog has consumed something hazardous.

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How to Transition Your Boxer to a New Food

Your Boxer dog may require a different brand of dog food at a specific life stage or perhaps a complete dietary overhaul.

Its important to make sure youre doing it the right way, no matter the reason for the shift.

Some dogs may have stomach upset and even appetite loss if you suddenly switch to a new high-quality food or diet. To help your Boxer dogs digestive system acclimatize to the new diet, you should begin slowly.

This shift should occur within a five- to seven-day time window. During this time, gradually transition your Boxers diet to include the new food by mixing it with the old.

American Kennel Club (AKC) advocates starting with 25 percent of the new food for your Boxer and gradually increasing it until all of the old food has been replaced with fresh food, based on the same ratio.

Below is a table showing what the AKC recommends as a standard diet transition plan for most dog breeds, including Boxers:

However, this depends upon your dogs sensitivity to certain substances, food allergies, or the existence of pre-existing digestive health issues.

If you plan to switch to raw feeding or home-cooked food, such as a fresh chicken meal, it is best to see a veterinarian beforehand.

Feeding an Overweight Boxer

Free feeding or giving too many table scraps and treats is a common cause of overeating in Boxer dogs.

Weight-related concerns, such as being overweight or obese, may emerge if the amount of food delivered is not adequately controlled.

Identifying whether or not your Boxer dog already falls into this category is the first step in treating this problem.

The rib cage of an obese Boxer dog usually is encased in a thick layer of fat. In addition, you wont see any difference in the dogs chest or stomach.

Boxers with more than 40 percent body fat are the most obese breeds. Fat rolls can be seen in the neck and chest, and the stomach may appear saggy.

A licensed veterinarian should always be consulted, especially if the dog is a large breed dog like a Boxer dog.

Taking care of a Boxer dog that is overweight or obese necessitates a rigorous diet. Maintaining a regular eating plan throughout the day might be highly beneficial in the quest to shed some pounds.

In addition to sticking to a regular feeding schedule, its critical to give proper meal portion sizes. Its essential to remember that adult and elderly Boxer dogs require different meal portions than puppies.

Portion control must be implemented from the time of the puppys birth. Additionally, this should be applied to the number of treats you offer your puppy.

You may substitute conventional dog treats with fruits and vegetables for your Boxer dog. These fruits and vegetables can be eaten regularly without fear of ill effects.

For the best outcomes, notify each member of your family about these procedures. Regularly check your dogs weight to see how theyre progressing.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why Is My Boxer Not Eating?

There are many reasons why your Boxer puppy isnt eating. Anxiety, stress, and bad reactions to food or medication might cause a dog to lose appetite.

Appetite loss in dogs isnt necessarily a sign of disease, but it can indicate malignancy, systemic infections, pain, liver difficulties, and kidney failure.

Boxers that have dental health issues or other health conditions may refuse to eat. If your dog hasnt eaten in days, call your vet immediately.

Do Boxer Dogs Eat a Lot?

It should come as no surprise that Boxers have a ravenous appetite. They are more likely to gain weight due to their insatiable appetite. It is advisable to avoid overfeeding them with treats or table scraps.

A Boxer may be pleased with one big meal each day if snacks are substantial. Free-fed Boxers are susceptible to bloat, so scheduled meals are more advisable.

Can Boxers Eat Bones?

The bones you give your Boxer may be nutritionally beneficial to your dog. In contrast, its best to avoid feeding cooked bones at all costs. As long as the bones are raw, Boxer dogs can eat them.

Natural canine food based on raw meaty bones has numerous health benefits. Bones contain a wealth of nutrients essential for a healthy diet and a capacity to remove dental calculus.

You may feed your puppy a raw diet of poultry, turkey, lamb, or beef bones if the bones are soft enough for them to chew, assimilate, and digest. But pet parents need to keep an eye out for choking hazards and teeth rot.

Can Boxers Be Vegetarians?

Vegetarian diets for Boxers can be effective, although this is a topic that is frequently debated. Its also essential for owners to ensure they get the same amount of protein out of each meal they consume.

You can give your Boxer plain green beans and sweet potatoes. Remember that it is best to remove the skin of sweet potatoes before feeding them to your dog, as it makes it more difficult for them to digest.

Vegetarian diets may also help prevent certain heart conditions. A veterinarian can tell you if this is safe for your dog.

Final Thoughts

Having a Boxer requires an understanding of how often and what to feed it. Homemade diets and diets produced from scratch are also feasible solutions.

Boxer pups and adult Boxer dogs require many calories to grow and maintain their size and strength. Meanwhile, Senior Boxers require fewer calories in their meals.

Keeping a feeding schedule and offering the correct quantity are all crucial considerations. If you know how much food to feed your dog each day, you can help prevent health problems and unnecessary doctor visits.

If youre looking for more in-depth assistance, a Boxer puppy nutritionist or veterinarian can help.

After reading this, you may find it easier to plan what to feed your Boxers. Dont forget to leave some insights and feeding tips in the comments below!