Bodhi The Boxer Dog : Foot Warmer

Bodhi the Boxer Dog loves to hang out under my desk, I am so guilty of not wanting to move when he has his head resting on me!  Spoiled rotten...

Alethea Anderson
The Boxer Blogger

Have you hugged your Boxer(s) today?

Astrid Update : Boxer with Hives

Yesterday I posted a picture of Astrid the Boxer with a swollen eye, she did have a couple hives on her head at the time.  I've been dosing her with Children's Benadryl* and her eye is much better.  However now she has head to toe hives!

Astrid the Boxer Covered in Hives (with her giraffe toy :)

Due to this happening, I wanted to share some more pictures and a story... Back in 2007, Bodhi was sitting on the couch and we heard a strange 'yelp'.  He was standing on the couch, and next to him was an awfully huge spider.  

Due to the 'yelp' we thought he perhaps got bit by the spider ((shudder)).  

Soon he started getting little bumps,  then all of a sudden we found him covered head to toe is bumps and we had no idea what was wrong with him.

Astrid the Boxer Do covered in Hives (Bodhi in background)

We brought him to the vet and they told us it was hives and that he likely had been stung by a scorpion (we still thought it was the spider).

They gave him a shot with an antihistamine and told us to dose him with Children's Benadryl* to help with the allergic reaction.

Having dealt with Bodhi and his allergies many times over the years I naturally decided to dose Astrid with some Children's Benadryl* as well.

Never dose your dog ANY medication without proper knowledge of how to do so, or how much!

Astrid the Boxer Dog - Hives on Her Back

I would always recommend you take your Boxer Dog to the veterinarian to make sure everything is okay - just in case!

Astrid's spirits are fantastic!  She woke me up at 4 am needing to go potty (don't you love that...?)  She was wired, jumping all around and happy, usually she's quite groggy, as am I, that time of the morning...  I noticed more hives at that time, so I dosed her again.

She was itching like crazy, which is a reaction to hives... she finally settled down on her dog bed, the Benadryl* must have kicked in...

When I awoke (at a normal human time) this morning she was curled up on the floor on my side of the bed, which is quite strange for her, as usually she's ON the bed and hogging it.  My guess is the spoiled princess was too cold on the bed (window open/fan on).

 But when I got up she was her cheery self.  I snapped these photos of her this morning!

I'll be keeping an eye on her and will take her to the vet if I feel it is warranted :)

Alethea Anderson
The Boxer Blogger

Have you hugged your Boxer(s) today?

*Children's Benadryl for Boxer Dogs - check with your vet for the proper dose for your dog!

Boxer Swollen Eye

I noticed Astrid had a swollen eye, soon after she started getting hives on her head... I'm guessing she got bit or stung by something...

Bodhi had a similar reaction several years ago, hives head to toe (no swollen eye), when he got bit by a spider (or stung by a scorpion) when we lived in Nevada.

Gave her a dose of children's Benadryl, hopefully it will help!

Alethea Anderson

The Boxer Blogger

Have you hugged your Boxer(s) today?

Boxer Dog Seizure

I was sitting on the couch watching TV, Astrid the Boxer Dog came walking strangely into the room.  She was crouched very low on all four legs, almost like how a cat looks when it is hunting something, excelp she was walking  wobbly and very low to the ground....

She looked at me and had a deep worry in her eyes, she stopped immediately in front of me, as if seeking comfort. It was evident that something was 'off'.... I asked her if she was okay, and she then moved to the side of the coffee table and kind of collapsed.  

It was strange as her four legs just seemed to buckle beneath her.  Then all of a sudden her eyes went to a blank stare and her head was bobbing, like a little bobble head doll.

I was not sure what to do, so I spoke gently to her and told her it would be okay, her eyes shifted towards me and she looked so very scared and helpless, my heart melted for her..

Her head only bobbed for a brief few moments, then she seemed 'present' again, her spirit was back in her eyes.  I gently started petting her and telling her everything was going to be okay.  I just sat with her giving her love, calmly.

After a few minutes, she sprung back to her feet and was flipping around the room as Boxers usually do, it was so strange!

I googled "dog seizure symptoms" and discovered that Astrid the Boxer Dog appears to have had a very mild dog seizure.

The information below is from vcahospitals.com:

What happens during a typical seizure?  Seizures consist of three components:

1)  The pre-ictal phase, or aura, is a period of altered behavior in which the dog may hide, appear nervous, or seek out the owner. It may be restless, nervous, whining, shaking, or salivating. This may last a few seconds to a few hours. This period precedes the seizure activity, as if the dog senses that something is about to occur.

2)  The ictal phase is the seizure itself and lasts from a few seconds to up to five minutes. During a seizure, the dog may lose consciousness or may just have a change in mental awareness ("absence" seizures or hallucinations such as snapping at invisible objects). If the dog experiences a grand mal, or full-blown seizure with loss of consciousness, all of the muscles of the body contract spastically and erratically. The dog usually falls over on its side and paddles its legs while seeming to be otherwise paralyzed. The head will often be drawn backward. Urination, defecation, and salivation may occur. If the seizure has not stopped within five minutes, the dog is said to be in status epilepticus or prolonged seizure. Status epilepticus is considered an immediate emergency and medical help should be sought.

3)  During the post-ictal phase or the period immediately after the end of the seizure, there is confusion, disorientation, salivation, pacing, restlessness, or even temporary blindness. There is no direct correlation between the severity of the seizure and the duration of the post-ictal phase.

It is very frightening when your furry family members go through something so scary!

Alethea Anderson
The Boxer Blogger

Have you hugged your Boxer(s) today?

Boxer Dog ON The Table....

Astrid found the fastest way to the middle of the couch...

Alethea Anderson
The Boxer Blogger

Have you hugged your Boxer(s) today? 

Boxer Dog Farts - and the Doggy Dutch Oven

I've  been a dog lover for years and years...  Bear, my first dog was a 180# Mastiff.  Yes he farted, but you never knew until it hit you and your eyes were watering in pain.  Bearly, our ARF rescue, I don't ever remember her farting - quite the little lady...

But my two Boxers, OMG... Bodhi farts like crazy, loud, human kind of loud. Full grown MAN kind of loud. He will fart so loud that he'll turn around and look at his own butt, tilting his head in bewilderment, as if he wonders where the sound came from.   The only good news is at least you have warning with Bodhi.  You can get away in time, if you hold your breath and are fast enough...

Astrid, is another story... I can honestly say, embarrassingly so, that I have been 'dutch oven-ed' by my own dog.  You see my husband has a super soft spot for this little girl, often she is under the covers spooning with him, head on the pillow, mocking me with her grin as if to say 'ha-ha look at me'.  Well yea, she farts under the covers, and well, yea, doggy dutch oven.

Why do I blog about this today?  Well Bodhi is sitting here in my home office, making the whole room smell of fart.  He follows me, and lays down next to me, he loves me, yet he shares his stink too...

I've found some Boxer Dog Shaming pictures on the web that I'm sharing here - (these are not my Boxers, just some adorable ones from the web)  My Boxer duo resemble the shaming comments notated...

If you have a Boxer, surely you understand and can likely relate... If you are considering a Boxer, be warned, they are notorious for passing gas, and lots of it!

Alethea Anderson
The Boxer Blogger

Have you hugged your Boxer(s) today?

You Want a Cookie?

Bodhi always does the "Boxer tilt" when you ask him if he wants a cookie...

Alethea Anderson

The Boxer Blogger

Have you hugged your Boxer(s) today?