Top Of The Line Dog Food For Boxers Review Guide For 2023-2024

Top Of The Line Dog Food For Boxers Review Guide For 2023-2024 – Boxers are medium-sized dogs that are well recognized for their muscled appearance, tight-fitting coat, naturally floppy ears, somewhat droopy eyes, and a rather amusing squashed face. They are especially bred as guard dogs and for bull-baiting.

Their energy levels are almost second to none. It is because of this unique combination of high energy, muscled appearance, and high social attention needs that Boxers require a diet that’s designed specifically for them.

If you’re interested in learning what constitutes the best dog food for Boxers, then keep reading my Top Of The Line Dog Food For Boxers Review Guide For 2023-2024.

Taste Of The Wild High Prairie Dry Dog Food

There’s no denying the fact that the Canine Formula of Taste of the Wild is simply one of the best chows you could ever give to your pet Boxer.

It’s got the right combination of proteins and fats plus sufficient amounts of gut-friendly probiotic species to make this one of the best dog food for boxers. Our only lament is that it includes sweet potatoes and peas in its first 5 ingredients.

While we don’t necessarily have any problems with the inclusion of such carbohydrates into the TOTW formulation, our only concern is that this takes away a substantial portion of the proteins sourced from animals.

Don’t get us wrong but sweet potatoes and peas are excellent sources of usable energy which is perfect for the highly energetic Boxer.

Key features:

• Brand: Taste of the Wild
• First 5 ingredients: Water Buffalo, Lamb Meal, Chicken Meal, Sweet Potatoes, Peas
• Primary Protein Source: Buffalo, Lamb & Chicken
• Calories: 370 kcal/cup
• Flavor: Buffalo
• Life Stage: Adult

Product Details:

• Taste of the Wild High Prairie with ROASTED BISON and VENISON dry dog food; REAL MEAT is the #1 ingredient; high-protein (32%) to help support bones, joints and LEAN, STRONG MUSCLES
• Nutrient-rich and provides the energy to thrive; vitamins and minerals from FRUITS and SUPERFOODS; omega fatty acids for healthy SKIN and COAT
• Each serving includes species-specific K9 Strain PROPRIETARY PROBIOTICS – plus antioxidants and prebiotics – to help support healthy digestion, IMMUNE system and overall health and wellness
• FAMILY-OWNED and MADE in the USA using quality ingredients from trusted and SUSTAINABLE local and global sources
• Formulated without grain, corn, wheat, artificial flavors or artificial colors

Wellness CORE Grain-Free Original Deboned Turkey Amazon’s Choice

Wellness has always been known for creating truly amazing nutritional products for today’s pets. Its CORE Natural Grain Free Dry Dog Food formulation shows a much better calorie and protein profile than the TOTW Canine Formula.

It provides 421 kilocalories for every cup of the dry kibble, accounting for at least 34 percent in protein. Like the TOTW Canine Formula, the Wellness CORE is largely taken as one of the best dog food for boxers with sensitive stomachs since it also doesn’t contain any cereal grains which might cause stomach upsets.

Key features:

• Brand: Only Natural Pet
• First 5 ingredients: Deboned Turkey, Turkey Meal, Chicken Meal, Peas, Dried Ground Potatoes
• Primary Protein Source: Turkey
• Calories: 417 kcal/cup
• Flavor: Original
• Life Stage: Adult

Product Details:

• ADVANCED NATURAL NUTRITION TO FUEL YOUR DOG’S BEST LIFE: Premium protein expertly balanced with nutrient rich superfoods for a complete and balanced dog food, with guaranteed levels of all the nutrients your dog needs to thrive and no fillers
• SAVORY FOOD DOGS LOVE: Wellness CORE is available in grain and grain free recipes, as well as limited ingredient diets for dogs with food sensitivities
• LEANER BODY MASS AND MUSCLE TONE: Wellness CORE dog food is made with a high concentration of protein from fresh meat ingredients
• SUPPORTS HEALTHY SKIN AND COAT with guaranteed levels of omega fatty acids from ingredients such as flaxseed and salmon oil
• WHOLE BODY HEALTH: Supported by omega fatty acids, antioxidants, glucosamine, probiotics and taurine for a healthy heart
• Made in the USA using only the finest globally sourced ingredients, we prepare each of our diets in our own state of the art facility; we craft delicious natural recipes with wholesome, non GMO ingredients chosen for their nutritional benefits
• Manufactured in a facility that also processes grains

Eukanuba Breed Specific Dry Dog Food

Featuring a unique tartar-fighting system called 3D Dentadefense System, the Breed Specific Boxer Adult Dry Dog Food from Eukanuba doesn’t only look after the muscle development of your pooch, but also the health of its dentition and oral cavity.

This is something that is quite extraordinary since everyone knows the relationship between overall health and the status of canine dentition. It’s got heart-healthy nutrients, too, to augment the calories and proteins it provides.

Unfortunately, we find its protein and calorie content to be lower than most of the Boxer dog food products we have in this list.

Key features:

• Brand: Eukanuba
• First 5 ingredients: Chicken, Corn Meal, Ground Whole Grain Sorghum, Ground Whole Grain Barley, Chicken By-Product Meal
• Primary Protein Source: Chicken
• Calories: 30 lbs.
• Flavor: Chicken
• Life Stage: Adult 1+

Product Details:

• EUKANUBA Labrador Retriever Dog Food features 3D DENTADEFENSE System, which is proven to reduce tartar build-up in 28 days
• Our nutritional dog food is made with high-quality, animal-based proteins to help your lab build strong, lean muscles for an optimal body condition
• Our Labrador retriever dog rood is formulated to help support healthy joints
• EUKANUBA PREMIUM Labrador Dog Food contains calcium to support strong bones
• Promotes healthy digestion and skin and coat health

Royal Canin Boxer Adult Dry Dog Food Amazon’s Choice

If you’re concerned about giving your pooch too much protein or too much calories or both, then you’d find comfort in the Royal Canin Breed Health Nutrition Boxer Adult Dry Dog Food.

It has the lowest amounts of proteins and calories in this list of the best food for Boxers. However, don’t ever think that just because it is the lowest in the lot doesn’t automatically mean that it is not optimized for Boxers everywhere.

On the contrary, you can rely on the scientific competence of Royal Canin in coming up with the best dry dog food for boxers, optimizing the best proportion of proteins, fats, and calories to make sure your pooch gets what it truly needs.

Key features:

• Brand: Royal Canin
• First 5 ingredients: Brown Rice, Brewers Rice, Chicken Fat, Chicken By-Product Meal, Oat Groats
• Primary Protein Source: Chicken
• Calories: 335 kcal/cup
• Flavor: Chicken
• Life Stage: Adult

Product Details:

• Royal Canin Boxer Adult dry dog food is designed to meet the nutritional needs of purebred Boxers 15 months and older
• Exclusive tailor-made kibble design helps Boxers easily pick up and chew their food
• Maintains a Boxer’s powerful muscles and low body fat with precise protein content and L-carnitine
• Promotes cardiac health with specific nutrients including taurine, EPA, and DHA
• Breed-specific formula features antioxidant complex for cellular health and optimal nutrient absorption

ORIJEN Regional Red Grain-Free Dry Dog Food Amazon’s Choice

Orijen may not be as popular as Taste of the Wild or Wellness or any of the other big name brands of dog food, but it sure is gaining popularity among those who espouse biologically appropriate dog food.

Its Regional Red formulation is a classic example of what ancestral dogs eat in the wild, something that Boxers and all other be-muscled breeds today can benefit from.

The first 5 ingredients of the Regional Red are all animal proteins such as Angus beef, wild boar, bison, Romney lamb, and pork, all of which are sourced fresh and packed immediately. There are also beef liver and tripe, eggs, mutton, and whole pilchard, sardines, and herring.

Key features:

• Brand: Orijen
• First 5 ingredients: Beef, Wild Boar, Goat, Lamb, Lamb Liver
• Primary Protein Source: Beef
• Calories: 463 kcal/cup
• Flavor: Beef, Boar, Goat, Meat
• Life Stage: Adult

Product Details:

• ORIJEN Regional Red dog food delivers a diet rich and varied in fresh, whole animal ingredients from ranch-raised beef, wild boar, Boer goat, grass-fed lamb, Yorkshire pork, and wild-caught mackerel
• With 85% quality animal ingredients, ORIJEN nourishes dogs according to their natural, biological needs. Calorie Content (calculated) – ME 3940 kcal/kg, 449 kcal per 8oz. cup
• Using fresh and raw animal ingredients, including meat, organs, cartilage, and bone, ORIJEN is the Biologically Appropriate, grain-free diet that dogs have evolved to eat
• Our Fresh Regional Ingredients are supplied by people we know and trust, and are delivered to our kitchen fresh or raw, in their most natural and nourishing form

Top Of The Line Dog Food For Boxers Review Guide For 2023-2024

Coming up with your very own selection of the best Boxer dog food is never going to be easy. However, we believe that with this dog food for Boxers buying guide we prepared for you, you will be more empowered into choosing the right doggie chow for your Boxer.

How Much Food Do I Feed My Boxer?

Knowing how much to feed your Boxer is equally important to knowing what dog food will suit it best. Unfortunately, there are no fast and hard rules that you can adhere to when giving your pooch its daily chow.

Your Boxer’s age, stage of development, any existing medical or health condition, and even level of activity can play an important role in deciding how much to feed it.

Generally, lactating bitches and pregnant dams require more calories as well as nutrients to support the growing litter and puppies, respectively. As such, they will need to feed more. Puppies will require more protein, too, as they need this for optimum building and development of tissues.

Elder dogs will not benefit that much from too much calories and protein as their level of activity usually starts to decline and their kidneys may no longer be that efficient in managing proteins.

While dog food manufacturers have their own recommendations on how much you can feed your Boxer, do understand that this is typically based on the general population and not on the specific case of your pooch.

Given that the recommendations are based on a statistically sound generalization, only your veterinarian can help you determine the actual amount of dog food to give to your Boxer. This can only be done after carefully assessing the health status including activity levels and developmental stage of your dog.

Nevertheless, to give you an idea of how much food to give to your Boxer, here are some general guidelines. Please do keep in mind that these may not reflect the actual requirement of your pooch so you better talk it over with your vet.

Puppies 2 to 6 months old:

Puppies in this stage should have the following dietary compositions:

• 35 to 45 percent animal-based proteins
• 25 to 35 percent grain-free carbohydrates
• Boxer puppies younger than 3 months old should eat 4 times a day. Until they reach the 6th month of their lives, their feeding can be reduced to three times per day.
• Ideally, puppies in this stage require about 320 grams of food per day, divided into either 4 or 3 meals, depending on the age. As such, for younger puppies, you will be giving them about 80 grams of food per meal while for 3-6 month old pups will require 100 grams of food per meal.

Puppies 6 months to 1 year old:

Consider this stage as the transition period between puppy feeding and adult dog feeding. Here, you will try to determine if your Boxer pup can already manage feeding only twice a day.

You’d still have to observe the same 300 grams per day guideline though. So that means you’d be giving about 150 grams per meal. If your pooch happens to show distress because of the change in the frequency of its meals, then you can revert back to the thrice daily meals.

Slowly, introduce the twice daily meal concept. If there’s one thing you have to guard against, that is bloating as Boxers are known to be quite predisposed to it.

Adult Boxers:

By the time your Boxer reaches adult age it is already ready for a more stable twice daily meals. If your pooch weighs about 50 to 75 pounds, experts recommend feeding it 4 to 5 cups of dry kibbles every day, split into two meals.

If you happen to have a Boxer that is more on the heavy side, say between 75 and 100 pounds, then get ready to feed it 5 to 6 cups every day or about 2.5 to 3 cups per meal.

It is equally important to time the feeding. As much as possible make sure to allow at least 2 hours for your Boxer to fully digest its meal before taking out for its exercise or even before going to bed.

It is also not wise to give your pooch table scraps as these are inherently high in calories which can lead to increased incidence of stomach upsets as well as bloating. We’ll have more of the foods to avoid giving to your Boxer towards the later section of this article.

What Kind of Diet is Best for Boxers?

Determining the best diet for Boxers requires an understanding of their unique physiology and temperament as a breed of dog. These are very energetic, very athletic dogs that require strong and powerful muscles as well as very flexible joints so they can move at ease.

They are guard dogs, too, requiring a heightened sense of awareness of their surroundings but without causing alarm on its family. That said, we can take a look at the kind of diet that is best for boxers.

High protein diet:

It is without question that dogs are dependent on proteins for various cellular and histological processes. Muscles require proteins for optimum development.

And while minerals such as potassium and calcium can play a role in the initiation of muscle contraction, it is protein molecules that provide the all-important building blocks for the synthesis or formation of individual muscle cells. It is for this reason that dog food rich in proteins constitutes the best diet for Boxers.

To optimize the tissue-building properties of proteins, it must be sourced from animals, not from plants. The reason is quite simple. While the building blocks of proteins can be found in both animal and plant sources, many essential amino acids can only be found in meats or animal based protein sources.

As such, it is imperative that the very first ingredients in a product’s table must be animal-based proteins. This is of course in addition to the fact that animal proteins are more easily digestible than their plant counterparts. And one of the truly unique characteristics of Boxers is their proneness to bloating and stomach upsets.

Moderate to high calorie diet:

Calories should never be equated with carbohydrates alone as both fats and proteins also contain calories. However, what we would like to have is for your Boxer to get its calories for energy purposes from carbohydrates and not from proteins.

If it gets its energy from proteins, then there wouldn’t be any protein left for the development of the muscles and other organs of the body.

Let us just say that carbohydrates provide your Boxer with the energy it needs to play all day while saving proteins for more important tissue-building and immunologic purposes.

Now, the amount of calories needed by your pet Boxer is dependent on its level of activity. While it is true that Boxers are highly energetic, poor pet parenting can somehow turn these otherwise active pooches into lazy dogs.

If you give these types of Boxers too much calories, they will be storing the excess as fat, leading to overweight or obesity. Giving too few calories will favor the use of proteins as energy source. We don’t want this to happen, of course.

Low to moderate fat content:

Fat is important in a dog’s diet, especially a Boxer since this can be an excellent source of concentrated energy. Here’s the thing, you should always strive to check the fat and carbohydrate content of the dog food you buy.

If it has already sufficient amounts of carbohydrates, then you can lower down the fat content. You don’t want your pooch growing obese.

Diet rich in joint-friendly substances:

Boxers are very active pooches. As such they require the full range of motion of their joints. It is for this reason that they, too, can benefit from glucosamine and chondroitin.

Diet rich in gut-friendly organisms:

One of the major health issues of Boxers is bloating. To help minimize the incidence of bloating and stomach upsets while also improving overall digestive functioning, it is sometimes important to look for dog food that contains probiotic microorganisms.

Special Nutritional Needs for Boxers:

We already discussed above the best type of diet for Boxers. This has to be high quality high protein, low to moderate fat, moderate to high calories, and substantial amounts of joint- and gut-friendly substances. Of course, these are not the only things your pooch requires. Here are some special nutritional needs of this type of dog.

Calcium:

This mineral is perhaps the single most important substance needed to maintain the integrity of bones, keeping it strong and resilient against fractures.

It’s also important in muscle contraction both in skeletal muscles and the muscles of the heart. Supplying Boxers with sufficient amounts of calcium in their diets help ensure optimum health.

Remember, these dogs are very active and, thus require efficient oxygenation to all the tissues. This is made possible by the more efficient contraction of the heart, pumping more blood through the body. Additionally, skeletal muscle contraction is enhanced and the integrity of the bones is maintained.

L-carnitine:

L-carnitine is an amino acid that is well-known for its use in weight loss. It is primarily responsible for the transportation of fatty acids for energy utilization in the mitochondria of cells. Another function of L-carnitine is in the synthesis of nitric oxide which can help improve overall blood flow by dilating the blood vessels.

Taurine:

This substance is typically found in the brain, the heart, the retina of the eyes, and in platelets. Boxers need taurine for optimum brain development as well as healthy functioning of the heart, allowing them to be as active as they please.

What Food to Avoid Feeding Your Boxer:

Boxers are prone to bloat as well as the development of stomach upsets. In some cases, they may tend to be overweight, too, especially if given high fat, high calorie foods such as human foods. That is why we have listed herein some of the foods that you should avoid feeding your Boxer.

• Caffeine – Caffeine is a natural stimulant which can adversely affect the capacity of the Boxer’s heart to pump at a much normal rate.
• Candies and gums – These food items are typically laced with artificial sweeteners that can lead to a significant drop in blood sugar, causing liver failure and possible seizures.
• Fat trimmings – These can cause bloating as well as problems in your dog’s pancreas.
• Garlic and onion – These mainstream kitchen spices are known to produce anemia in dogs. You don’t want your Boxer to be less energetic and less active.
• Chocolates – In general, all dogs are not supposed to be given chocolates, especially dark ones because of the level of theobromine that these contain. Additionally, caffeine is also present in certain amounts.
• Yeast dough – This can lead to substantial bloating as the dough can expand inside your Boxer’s stomach.

Devoted, loyal, friendly, and confident. These are just some of the apt descriptions of boxers. These dogs are also fearless, energetic, playful, cheerful, and even very brave. If you want your Boxer to lead its life to the fullest, then choosing the right kind of dog food for this breed of dog is a must.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: Does a boxer need to eat special dog food?
A: That depends on your dog’s age. Adult boxers can eat just about ANY brand of quality kibble. However, to lower your pet’s risk of developing a crippling and permanent form of hip disease, boxer puppies should be fed a diet that’s made to be safe for large breed puppies. For more top choices, view The Dog Food Advisor’s best large breed puppy foods page.

Q: What are the 3 feeding stages of a boxer’s life?
A: Since dog breeds age at different rates, the feeding stages below can be used as a guide to help you find the best food for your boxer’s age.6 7

• Life Stage Age
• Puppy Under 15-24 months
• Adult Over 15-24 months
• Senior Over 6 years8

Q: What’s the best dog food for an older boxer?
A: According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, larger breed dogs like boxers tend live shorter lives than smaller dogs… which is why they’re often considered seniors when they reach 5 to 6 years of age. If your boxer is over 6, you may wish to visit our best senior dog foods page for some safe recommendations.

Q: When can I safely switch my boxer puppy to adult food?
A: Boxer puppies don’t stop growing and aren’t ready to eat adult dog food… until they reach 15 to 24 months of age.2 3 4 So, switching your puppy to an adult diet too soon can increase your pet’s risk of developing a crippling and permanent form of canine hip dysplasia.

Q: What causes hip disease in boxers?
A: Hip disease in boxers is caused by at least one of 3 factors:

• Genetics12
• Overfeeding13
• Too much calcium in the diet14

Since there’s nothing you can do to change your boxer’s genetics, be sure to avoid overfeeding your puppy. And choose a dog food that contains a calcium level that’s made to be safe for boxers and other large breed puppies.

Q: How can I lower my boxer’s risk of hip disease?
A: There are 2 things you CAN do to help lower your dog’s risk of hip disease. First, don’t overfeed your puppy. Too many calories in the diet can increase your boxer’s risk of developing lasting hip damage.

Next, avoid dog foods that contain too much calcium for large breed puppies. View our best large breed puppy foods here.

Q: How much food should I feed my boxer?
A: A landmark study found that dogs fed an amount of food that keeps them at ideal body condition lived almost 2 years longer… than other dogs.15

So, to help your boxer live a longer life…

Start with the feeding instructions printed on the bag. Then, adjust that amount up or down… to keep your boxer at ideal body condition.

Conclusion:

Boxers are a fairly large dog breed that grows quickly but may retain their puppy attitude for as many as 24 months.

Choose one of these top of the line dog food brands to give your boxer the nutrients it needs to stay healthy and the energy it needs to fuel its winning personality and highly active lifestyle.

Thanks for taking the time to read my Top Of The Line Dog Food For Boxers Review Guide For 2023-2024.