Understanding Health Certifications for Your Boxer
When you review a Boxer's paperwork, you may notice a series of symbols placed before, after, or beneath the dog's name. These marks indicate that the individual dog has been cleared of specific inherited health conditions. Additional notes or distinguishing traits about a dog may also appear around the name, and the same clearance details are often repeated on the pedigree itself.
Clearances typically cover hip dysplasia (which helps predict possible future hip trouble), elbow dysplasia, hearing concerns, and eye disease. It is important to remember that even when both parents test clear or negative for a condition, a puppy can still inherit that issue. Testing lowers risk but does not erase it entirely within a bloodline. Many veterinarians advise breeders that if a particular condition has never appeared in the line, testing for it may not be necessary — though testing generally raises the price of a puppy considerably.
Common Clearance Abbreviations You May See
- OFA — Orthopedic Foundation for Animals
- Ex — Excellent hip evaluation
- G — Good hip evaluation
- F — Fair hip evaluation
- HD — Dutch hip radiological status codes: (HD-) negative and fully clear, (HD/Tc) intermediate, (HD+/-) mildly positive, (HD+) positive for dysplasia
- CERF — Eyes found normal
- BAER — Hearing test
- VWD Negative — Free of von Willebrand's Disease
If reading your puppy's pedigree feels confusing, your breeder or veterinarian will gladly walk you through it so you grasp why these clearances matter. You can also explore our health certification information for more detail.
Water: A Critical Reminder
A puppy can become dehydrated in as little as 24 to 48 hours. Always provide plenty of fresh water and confirm your pup is actually drinking it. If a puppy begins vomiting and has diarrhea, dehydration can set in within roughly six hours — so act quickly.
Our General Health Practices
We want you to understand the health issues that can affect puppies, and we will never knowingly sell an unhealthy dog. Every litter visits the veterinarian for a health exam, tail docking, and dew claw removal — these procedures are performed by our vet, not by us. At about 2½ to 3 weeks of age, the puppies return to the vet to be checked for parasites and, if needed, treated. When the mother weans them, we introduce solid food and water, and the vet administers their first vaccinations once they are no longer dependent on mom. You receive a vet-issued shot record so your own veterinarian can continue seamlessly, and your vet is welcome to call ours with any questions.
Puppies encounter many things once they leave our home. We do not send a puppy home if we know of a problem, unless the buyer chooses to accept that responsibility. If a pup or an entire litter suddenly becomes ill and we have had our vet treat them, we will tell you so your vet is informed and can contact ours for details. Keep in mind that a stool sample can come back negative while a later sample shows worms or parasites; occasionally vets cannot find parasites but still treat the pup as a precaution.
Common, Treatable Conditions
Ear mites are treatable — and remember, dogs and puppies are not the only animals that can get them; cats, neighborhood animals, and even horses can carry them. The following are common and treatable and should not be left untreated:
- Coccidia
- Kennel cough (a common cold)
- Ear mites
- Diarrhea
- Worms — hook, round, tape, and others
- Giardia
- Parasites of any kind
These are not considered serious unless treatment is neglected. Parasites do not always show up easily. We clean our puppies' living areas several times daily with bleach water to kill whatever parasites may be lurking. Many breeders keep puppies in cages, boxes, or dirt, and you would be shocked at what vets find in those pups. We do our utmost to raise healthy puppies, but once in a great while a parasite may appear before or after a pup leaves and we simply did not know. Please do not condemn us or our vet — we are doing our best to prevent health problems.
Why Our Vet Gives the Shots
Consider how many breeders vaccinate their own puppies — and some give no shots at all. How can you be certain what was actually administered? With us, the vet handles vaccinations and you receive a vet-issued shot record. Yes, having shots done at our veterinarian costs more, but it ensures the vaccine is high quality, stored correctly, and given properly.
We have seen breeders who gave all their own shots, and one puppy later contracted a disease that vaccination generally prevents — Parvovirus. That experience shaped our view. We understand owners who want to give their own vaccines are often trying to save money, and we sympathize, but we disagree with the practice. There is a time to cut corners and a time not to — health care is not one of them. If an owner cannot afford proper shots, they likely cannot afford the pet.
Veterinarians have good reasons for discouraging owners and breeders from vaccinating at home. One veterinary nurse once asked to buy vaccines to give her dogs and cats at home. Injecting a person is different from injecting a dog, and we have seen pet owners bitten by their pets while giving vaccines at home — a liability we would never consider. We would never hand vaccines to an owner expecting home administration. Proper route matters too: some vaccines are intramuscular, some subcutaneous, some intranasal, and cats even have recommended body locations for each vaccine.