Box Heeler

Low-maintenance in general, the Box Heeler has no specific needs in its grooming ritual. Its shorter coat won’t require more than weekly brushing and it won’t need a bath more than once every few months or so — unless it gets dirty. 

Make sure, as you would with any dog, that you’re brushing its teeth multiple times a week and cleaning its ears regularly. You might get away with barely trimming its nails, if it exercises vigorously enough to keep them reasonably short, but don’t neglect the duty if your dog isn’t doing it by itself.

Box Heeler health risks

The Box Heeler is generally a healthy dog with no significant major common concerns, but there are some occasional health risks you ought to be aware of:

• Gastric dilatation volvulus

• Cataracts

• Progressive retinal atrophy

Gastric dilatation volvulus 

If you notice that your dog’s abdomen is in any way unusual — your furry friend may be retching, feeling sick, or simply looking at its stomach a lot more than normal — there’s some chance that it may have gastric dilatation volvulus (GDV), which can be quite a serious condition.

The stomach revolves and will bloat, causing the dog to collapse in many cases and go into shock. This can, of course, be very scary for any pet parent to witness. 

There are a huge number of potential causes of GDV, including but not limited to genetics, gulping too much air, eating too quickly, and being stressed. If you’re at all concerned that your pup might have the disease, get them to your vet.

If the vet confirms your suspicions and diagnoses GDV, they will give your Box Heeler oxygen and IV fluids to stabilize them; decompress the stomach by releasing any accumulation of air and fluid; then perform a form of surgery called gastropexy. 

Cataracts

This is a condition defined by the clouding of the lens in the eye. As a result of this clouding, the retina struggles to receive light and create an image. With cataracts will come some vision loss, which will be identifiable if you notice your little Box Heeler bumping into things, being extra-clumsy, or walking around more cautiously than normal. If left unattended to, cataracts can lead to problems like glaucoma (to which the Box Heeler is also prone) and even blindness. 

In order to treat cataracts, a vet will want to perform surgery, which in the case of this condition has a fantastic 90+% success rate. 

Progressive retinal atrophy

A Blue Heeler Boxer mix affected by progressive retinal atrophy will gradually go blind because of the death of the rod cells in their retinas. Luckily, because the progression of the condition is so slow, your dog may not even let on that anything is wrong; they may adapt to life with increasingly poor eyesight. 

You will know eventually, of course. Your dog’s eyes will begin to succumb to cataracts, for example, and it will behave more tentatively as it begins to lose its day vision (the loss of night vision comes first). Be on the lookout at the early stages for bumping into walls, dilated pupils, and the eyes taking on a gray color.

As with any progressive condition, treatment here is about managing the problem. Your dog may be perfectly comfortable and happy if you make accommodations and slight changes around the house, so there’s no need to be overly concerned about their declining eyesight.

Antioxidants may help slow down the progression of the illness. Generally, although a vet might be able to remove a dog’s cataracts, they may be reluctant to in this scenario because the removal may cause more issues than it solves.

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Feeding a Box Heeler — what’s the best diet?

The Box Heeler, being a big and active dog, eats a lot of food — about three cups a day, we’d advise. It should go without saying, of course, that these cups should contain high-quality, nutrient-rich food full of animal proteins that will keep your dog healthy and full of energy. 

Do your research and avoid harmful ingredients and things like fillers and E numbers. If you can afford it, favor dog food brands that are transparent about how they source their ingredients and what goes into each packet. Try, if possible, to avoid giving your Box Heeler scraps from your plates — food tailored to dogs will always be preferable.

A starting point for suitable recipes is our guide to the best dog food for Boxers, one of the Box Heeler’s parent breeds. 

And, if you want comprehensive information about the best dog foods out there, check out our friends at Dog Food Advisor — they have in-depth brand reviews that include ingredient analysis, so you know exactly what you’re feeding your pet.