Boxer Health: Gum Growths, Eye Ulcers, and the White Boxer Question
UK Boxers lived a median of 10.46 years in one records study. Gum growths and eye ulcers stood out, and white Boxers were about as healthy as the rest.
Written by thecanineledger
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A 2023 study of UK vet records found that “The median longevity of 346 Boxers that died during the study was 10.46 years” (O’Neill et al., Canine Medicine and Genetics 2023). The authors say that is in line with other breeds of a similar size.
While the Boxer’s lifespan looks typical, two problems stood out in the records: growths on the gums and ulcers on the eye. The study also looked at white Boxers, which breeders have long treated as a problem. This page sets out what it found.
1. The study
The dogs. Researchers used VetCompass, a database of anonymised UK primary-care records. Of 336,865 dogs under care in 2016, 3,219 were Boxers. Of those with a colour recorded, 10.71% were white.
Funding. The work was supported by the Kennel Club Charitable Trust and a pet insurer.
2. What was most common
The commonest diagnoses in 2016 were outer ear infection, at 7.15%, epulis, at 5.84%, corneal ulcers, at 5.00%, and gum disease, at 4.63%. By group, skin problems led, at 17.74%, then tumours and growths, at 14.20%.
Typical, and not. The authors say ear infections and gum disease “occur at levels typical of dogs overall while others, such as epulis and corneal ulceration, are quite breed predisposed.”
3. Epulis: growths on the gums
What it is. An epulis is a growth on the gum. The paper notes that the Boxer’s tendency to them has been known since at least the 1960s.
How common. It was the second most common diagnosis in both sexes. The median age of affected dogs was about 8.7 years.
Our note: The paper doesn’t say how often an epulis in a Boxer is benign, or how it’s usually treated. Have any gum growth checked by your vet.
→ Found a Lump? Why Your Vet Should Put a Needle in It
4. Corneal ulcers
How common. Corneal ulcers were the third most common diagnosis, at 5.00%.
A known breed problem. The authors describe “a breed-specific problem of non-healing (indolent) corneal ulceration formally described in Boxers in the 1960s”. Earlier VetCompass work found the Boxer’s rate was 13 times that of crossbreeds.
→ Corneal Ulcers, and Why Flat-Faced Dogs Get Them
5. White Boxers and deafness
The belief. The paper says white Boxers “are thought to be at higher risk of deafness from birth and as a result, white Boxers have traditionally often been culled at birth by breeders.”
What the records showed. “There was minimal evidence of substantial health differences between white and non-white Boxers.” “Only two dogs were recorded with deafness during the year of the study; one was white and one was non-white.” White and non-white Boxers had similar lifespans. None of the 34 commonest specific disorders differed by colour, though white Boxers had more dental and brain disorders recorded when grouped.
Why that may not settle it. The authors suggest that some white Boxers “were indeed deaf but that neither the owner or veterinary teams were aware of their deafness, which can be challenging to identify, or that this information was not recorded in the clinical notes”. Dogs deaf in one ear can seem to hear normally.
Our note: The one-ear point is ours. Ask your vet about hearing tests for white puppies.
6. Other points
Thyroid. Hypothyroidism was recorded in 1.68% of Boxers. Earlier VetCompass work found the breed had over 10 times the risk of crossbreds.
Causes of death. The most common was “death, unrecorded cause”, at 21.10%. Next came cancer, at 12.43%, and brain disorders, at 9.54%.
Our note: Heart murmurs were recorded in 4.29% of Boxers, but the study doesn’t say what caused them.
→ Hypothyroidism: Why So Many Dogs May Be on Pills They Don’t Need
7. If you have, or want, a Boxer
- Look in the mouth now and then, and show your vet any gum growth.
- Treat a squinting or watery eye as a same-day vet visit.
- Don’t rule out a white puppy on colour alone, but ask about hearing.
Our note: These points are ours.
→ Choosing a Breed or a Mix: The Health Data Breeders Don’t Lead With
8. What we could not verify
| Commonly said | What we found |
|---|---|
| “White Boxers are deaf” | Not in these records. Only two Boxers were recorded as deaf, one white. Deafness may be missed. |
| “White Boxers are less healthy” | Little difference in one UK study, in disorders or lifespan. |
| “Boxers get gum growths” | Yes, often. Epulis was the second most common diagnosis. |
| “Boxers die young” | Not unusually, for their size. The median was 10.46 years. |
Sources
- O’Neill DG, Skipper AM, Barrett K, et al. Demography, common disorders and mortality of Boxer dogs under primary veterinary care in the UK. Canine Med Genet 2023: VetCompass study, 3,219 Boxers in 2016. Supported by the Kennel Club Charitable Trust and a pet insurer
Always confirm with your vet before acting on anything on this page.