11 Best Dog Food For Boxers What Ingredients To Avoid? 

As a Smart Parent, you might be wondering what the best dog food for boxers out there is. Boxer Dogs are joyful, high-energy dogs who require an active lifestyle and good nutrition to go along with it.

If you have a boxer or are thinking of adding one to your family, you’re probably curious about the best dog food for boxers. What should you look for in a diet to keep your boxer healthy and active?

Our Top Picks

Best Value Pick
Canidae All Life Stages Premium Dry Dog Food for All Breeds, Multi-Protein Recipe with Chicken, Turkey & Lamb Meals Recipe, 40 lbs, For All Ages & Multi-Dog Homes
All Time Best Pick
Royal Canin Boxer Adult Dry Dog Food, 30 lb bag
Best Price Pick
Purina ONE SmartBlend Natural Lamb & Rice Formula Adult Dry Dog Food, 4 LB
User's Best Choice
Hill's Science Diet Perfect Digestion, Adult 1-5, Large Breed Digestive Support, Dry Dog Food, Chicken, Brown Rice, & Whole Oats, 22 lb Bag
CANIDAE All Life Stages
Royal Canin Boxer Adult
Purina ONE Smart Blend
Hills Science Diet Large Breed
Best Value Pick
Canidae All Life Stages Premium Dry Dog Food for All Breeds, Multi-Protein Recipe with Chicken, Turkey & Lamb Meals Recipe, 40 lbs, For All Ages & Multi-Dog Homes
CANIDAE All Life Stages
All Time Best Pick
Royal Canin Boxer Adult Dry Dog Food, 30 lb bag
Royal Canin Boxer Adult
Best Price Pick
Purina ONE SmartBlend Natural Lamb & Rice Formula Adult Dry Dog Food, 4 LB
Purina ONE Smart Blend
User's Best Choice
Hill's Science Diet Perfect Digestion, Adult 1-5, Large Breed Digestive Support, Dry Dog Food, Chicken, Brown Rice, & Whole Oats, 22 lb Bag
Hills Science Diet Large Breed

Boxer Dog Health Issues!

When you’re thinking about the best dog food for boxers, it’s important to know a little bit about the health conditions boxers are predisposed to.

The most common boxer dog health issues in this breed are due to genetics, so before bringing your boxer home, it’s important to make sure your breeder has ensured their dogs aren’t carriers for any of these issues.

The most common health conditions in boxers are:

  • Boxer cardiomyopathy: this genetic condition means the heart beats with an abnormal rhythm. Without treatment, this condition can lead to death.
  • Hip dysplasia: This is an abnormality in the hip socket, leading to an abnormal gait, pain, and arthritis.
  • Hypothyroidism
  • Allergies
  • Cancer
  • Seizures

What ingredients should be in the best dog food for boxers?

It’s not necessarily specific ingredients that you should look for, but rather the nutritional content. You can look for ingredients later.

Nutritionists recommend this breed receives a diet high in animal protein, meaning a vegetarian diet is not recommended for your boxer dog. Adult boxers need a minimum of 18% protein, while your puppy will grow best with a protein percentage of 22%.

Fat is also important for a high-energy dog that’s mostly muscle. Five percent is the minimum for most breeds. Animal fats are the most important, and you want a diet that is high in omega fatty acids. This promotes healthy joints, muscles, and weight.

Are there any ingredients to avoid? 

Due to the boxer’s predisposition to a genetic heart condition, absolutely avoid any food that’s labeled as grain-free. It’s a giant misunderstanding that dogs are allergic to grains, and if a dog has a true food allergy, it’s due to the protein source (most often chicken), not any grains found in the food.

Grain-free foods are linked to a heart condition called dilated cardiomyopathy, and boxers are already prone to developing heart conditions.

While veterinary nutritionists and cardiologists are unsure exactly what it is about grain-free diets that are causing heart problems, but they are suspicious it has to do with ingredients in the food, not what’s lacking.

Their best guess as of 2020 is the addition of legumes to grain-free diets. Any diet where the first five ingredients include legumes should NOT be fed to your boxer for the sake of their heart.

More About Boxers: Boxer’s Nose: Dried Out and Cracking? 

Below is a list of the best dog foods for boxers:

Dry kibble for Boxer puppies:

Wellness Complete Health Large Breed Puppy

Dry kibble for Boxer puppies:

Wellness Complete Health Large Breed Puppy

This chicken-based food is filled with a variety of natural ingredients instead of empty fillers, meaning your boxer puppy is getting whole nutrition to grow strong joints and a healthy brain. This food contains no legumes, ensuring proper heart development.

CANIDAE All Life Stages

CANIDAE All Life Stages

CANIDAE All Life Stages

This food is a convenient option for multi-dog households. If you don’t want to pay for multiple bags of dog food for dogs in different life stages, this kibble is a perfect option.

Five different options of protein (from turkey to fish) that are suitable for dogs of all ages from puppies to seniors means you’re purchasing fewer bags of dog food and ensuring your puppy is ahead from start to finish.

Royal Canin Hydrolyzed Protein

Royal Canin Hydrolyzed Protein

Royal Canin Hydrolyzed Protein

For puppies with food allergies, this prescription-only food is one of the few diets approved for optimal growth and supporting food allergies. If your veterinarian recommends your puppy go on food for their food allergy, they will have to write you a prescription.

Dry kibble for adults: 

Purina ONE Smart Blend

Purina ONE Smart Blend

Purina ONE Smart Blend

Purina has an impeccable history of nutrition for dogs of all breeds, sizes, and lifestyles. This formula comes in a high-protein formula with beef and venison or a turkey and venison blend.

A 30% protein supports muscle development/maintenance. You can also choose from a digestive support formula for boxers with sensitive stomachs.

Royal Canin Boxer Adult

Royal Canin Boxer Adult

Royal Canin Boxer Adult

Royal Canin is one of the few brands of commercially produced dog foods that make recipes for specific dog breeds.

This carefully crafted diet contains 24% protein and L-carnitine for healthy heart support, as well as taurine, DHA, and EPA. If you’re looking for a food perfectly tailored for your boxer, this is it by far the best dog food for boxer dogs!

Eukanuba Adult Dry Dog Food

Eukanuba Adult Dry Dog Food

Eukanuba Adult Dry Dog Food 

Eukanuba offers a second option of a widely-found breed-specific dog food but this variant is not for a specific breed. It contains 25% protein and 16% fat. It also has added L-carnitine and glucosamine for heart and joint support.

This diet has worked to create a kibble size made for the smaller mouths of boxers while also perfecting a shape that decreases tartar build-up, preventing dental problems in the future.

Hills Science Diet Large Breed

Hills Science Diet Large Breed

Hills Science Diet Large Breed

While not specifically formulated for boxers, Science Diet Large Breed formula is one of the most trusted dog food brands out there, and they have a reputation for seriously sound diets for bigger breeds.

This kibble has lots of fatty acids for coat, skin, and joint support. For additional joint health for middle-aged dogs (over 7 years of age), glucosamine and chondroitin have been added to the diet.

 Raw/freeze-dried food for adults

Stella and Chewy’s Super Beef Meal Mixers

Stella and Chewy’s Super Beef Meal Mixers

Stella and Chewy’s Super Beef Meal Mixers

If you’re looking for a little extra nutritional oomph to your boxer’s meal, these freeze-dried nuggets are perfect mix-ins to your dog’s kibble. These crumbles are made with beef muscle and beef organs for an easy way to feed raw without the hassle and cost of a truly raw diet.

The Honest Kitchen Whole Grain Chicken

The Honest Kitchen Whole Grain Chicken

The Honest Kitchen Whole Grain Chicken

This dehydrated food offers the complete nutrition of a properly formulated raw diet while remaining shelf-stable and developed by experienced nutritionists. With 24.5% protein, this food is an excellent choice for young, active boxers.

Primal Chicken Nuggets

Primal Chicken Nuggets

Primal Chicken Nuggets

These freeze-dried nuggets offer whole chicken as well as chicken necks, liver, and gizzards, plus vegetables and fruit for total nutrition. This is a great choice for dogs with a very active lifestyle and no underlying health conditions.

Ultimately, if you’re having a hard time deciding on the best dog food for boxers, you can’t go wrong with Royal Canin Boxer Adult.

This formula is perfectly tailored for the nutritional requirements of boxers and takes into conditions your boxer may be genetically predisposed to. So hope you liked our article on the best dog food for boxers in 2023! 

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Last update on 2025-02-09 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Jackob Evans

Hi, I’m Jacob. I’ve been a professional blogger for over six years, and in that time, I’ve written countless blogs that have helped millions of people worldwide. A DVM by profession, I have treated and cured thousands of dogs, if not millions.

1 thought on “11 Best Dog Food For Boxers What Ingredients To Avoid? ”

  1. A boxer’s diet must include Royal Canin. Which provide high-quality proteins and prebiotics to support intestinal health and a healthy digestive system. Our vet recommended this food for “Soni,” my sister’s Boxer. He’s had stomach problems ever since they adopted him. He was miserable for many years despite our many attempts at different food combinations.

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