I love boxers and believe they are among the most lovable, energetic, and playful of all breeds. Although I grew-up with a wonderful black lab mix, and adored the dog, I have come to realize that boxers possess something special - an uncanny human-like quality that is unlike anything I have seen in other dogs. They are also wonderful with children - protective, caring, but sometimes a bit much on the kisses. While I could easily go on and on about how much I love boxers, they are also a bit of work and not without their issues. Below are some links that may be useful for current or prospective boxer owners regarding medical issues that are common and unique to the breed.

Cardiomyopathy (serious)
In short, all boxers are at risk for cardiomyopathy, even those that come from reputable breeders. As a boxer owner, you should become well aware of this issue and how to screen, manage, and treat this condition even when boxers are very young in age. The following links will provide details:

Boxer Cardiomyopathy from Boxer Underground
Great overview of this common (and serious) problem, including how it is diagnosed, screening methods, and interventions

Dr. Kathryn Meurs
This site hosted by the American Boxer Club provides a nice summary of the work of Dr. Meurs, the leading researcher on boxer cardiomyopathy

Seasonal Flank Alopecia (SFA) (not so serious)
This pesky problem is common in boxers and is best described as a loss of hair - often on both sides (often symmetrically in the same places), and a darkening of the skin where the hair loss occurs. Because hair loss can occur from a number of disorders, it is important to obtain a complete evaluation. For details, I recommend reading: Investigation of symmetrical alopecia in dogs by Ross Bond.

Fortunately, SFA has no serious adverse medical consequences, causes no pain, and comes and goes with the seasons. However, for some boxers it can linger quite a while, and for owners who wish to be more proactive the solution appears (for some boxers) to be oral melatonin. Although other solutions may pop-up on a web search, melatonin appears to be the only intervention with some evidence supporting its efficacy. Because my own dog developed this problem (see photo on right), I used 5 mg BID for 50 days with excellent results. No side effects from using melatonin were noted. However, to be fair, when the alopecia reappeared a couple of years later, I again administered the melatonin in the same way and the results were not as satisfying.

Acepromazine (serious)
Most boxer owners already know this, but acepromazine, a tranquilizer commonly used as a preanesthetic agent in surgeries, can cause hypotension (severe lowering of blood pressure) in boxers that can potentially be fatal. This warning is important because acepromazine is the most commonly prescribed tranquilizer in veterinary medicine. An official warning statement can be read here.

Urinary Incontinence (not so serious)
Quite common in spayed or neutered boxers (more common in females), this problem is most often first encountered when a boxer begins leaking while asleep, or urinating inside when normally able to signal the need to go outside. Like all medical issues, a complete workup is necessary to rule out urinary tract infections, or other problems. The most common solution to urinary incontinence is a maintenance dose of phenylpropanolamine. For additional details, read here.