AKC Gazette August 1990

When Silence Is Not Golden

Breeder XYZ has a problem. Everybody knows that "all his dogs have mange." Didn't you hear, on the Florida circuit, that LMN's Ch. Fido has missed three bitches? Obviously, he has a problem. And of course, everybody knows that DEF's dogs all die of cancer.

The truth is, like most breeds, Boxers have their fair share of health-related problems. In fact, it seems that the majority do die of heart disease or cancer, often young, often in middle age. Veterinary literature is filled with research on these and other medical problems peculiar to the breed, and it would behoove us all to be better informed. What disturbs me almost as much as these issues themselves is the peculiar (and I'm sure very human) tendency to blame the other guy for the troubles that affect us all. Perhaps that will help us to be immune to problems at home?

The sad truth is, we all have problems at home. How many ancient Boxers have you known, who are those venerable, sweet dogs, that live to be thirteen or fourteen and die quietly in their sleep? As you review show catalogs offering Veteran's classes, most of the entries are seven and eight. Is it just because they may be more competitive at a younger age, or because there aren't too many around over ten? As I scan the literature of earlier decades, I realize that Boxers did not appear to be a particularly long-lived breed in the 1940s and '50s. Frau Stockmann speaks of animals dying of heart disease in Germany in the '40s, and of Boxers aging prematurely and becoming sterile as early as the WWI era. Veterinary schools have long acknowledged the Boxer as a model of tumor research for a whole generation of practicing veterinarians. There is nothing terribly new under the sun.

So why the venom? Why are we so quick to point the finger at our fellow breeders? Why are we so eager to blame? Fear probably; ignorance, likely. Fear that the dog that "we just found dead in his crate" might have suffered a heart abnormality. Fear that the dog who "just seemed to go downhill" might have had Iymphoma. Ignorance, in that many do not choose to investigate the causes of death of their dogs. After all, the facts might be unpleasant, but if they don't investigate, they have no cause for concern. It's a sad commentary, but unfortunately true.

None of us is going to escape some premature deaths in the Boxers we love. Those ailments that may be traced to an inherited, genetic pattern regrettably often show up only after the affected animal has been bred and has contributed to the gene pool of the future. The veteran breeders know this; the novices will learn, with time and experience, that they are not invulnerable. Hopefully, veterinary science and the all important cooperation of breeders, the willingness to acknowledge health problems at home, will help to provide solutions. Secrets and hushed tones and accusations help no one. Least of all the dogs we are supposed to love. We cannot afford to repeat the results of a recent health questionnaire distributed by the Education Chairman of the American Boxer Club in which only 103 responses (24 anonymous) were received out of 1,020 sent out. If we claim to be so concerned over the welfare of our dogs, what is the point of withholding information that might prove vital? Please remember that the bell does indeed toll for us all.

This correspondent welcomes information from breeders/owners/scientists as to where specific Boxer Research is going on throughout the country. We should like to publish an informative compendium in the future.

Stephanie Abraham
P.0. Box 346
Scotland, CT 06264