posted 07-30-2003 07:09 AM         

It’s important for the puppy that you buy to be healthy for several reasons. You want an animal that has been well taken care of previously, and the best sign of that is its current condition. You also want an animal that is in generally good health so you aren’t constantly battling illness throughout its life. And possibly most importantly, you want an animal that is healthy because you don’t want to bring a sick puppy home to interact with your other pets and your family, because it may infect them, as well.

A healthy puppy is active, alert, and playful. It barks as much as the others and enjoys the company of its mother and its siblings. When you shop for a puppy, you want to make sure it has been well cared for by its breeders or pet store workers. You want to make sure it has a clean pen, isn’t in an overcrowded situation, and has a nice place to live. You want to check out its hair. Inspect the puppy from head to toe. Look for any spots where it might have lost hair or have rashes. A healthy puppy has all its hair, doesn’t have spots in which it doesn’t have any hair and has no rashes.

Look at the puppy’s face. A healthy puppy has wide open eyes, a wet nose, and is clean. You don’t want a puppy that has matted eyes or any discolorations around its face. Look inside its mouth, too. A healthy puppy has strong teeth. You want to make sure it has all its teeth. A puppy that doesn’t have all its teeth is one that has had some sort of disease.

A healthy puppy has a shiny coat of fur. If there’s ever a sign that a puppy is healthy and has been well taken care of, it’s a shiny coat. That means that the puppy has had proper nutrition and is mostly parasite free.

You also want to make sure your puppy is plump. A puppy that is too skinny or too overweight has not been properly fed or has some kind of condition that prohibits it from being a proper weight.

Title: How to choose a healthy puppy from the litter
Description: Choosing the right puppy for your family is difficult enough to have to worry about what a healthy one looks like. Learn how to choose a healthy puppy.