Tips on Selecting a Healthy Puppy

When you decide to get a puppy, you're welcoming a new member into your family. You want a dog whose personality and disposition blends with your lifestyle as well as a healthy animal who'll be your companion for years to come. To ensure a long life together will your pet, don't just pick the cutest puppy out there, but examine each one carefully.

  1. The Head

    • The puppy's head can tell you something about its health. Touch the animal's nose. It should be cool and damp without nasal discharge. Examine the gums. Bright pink gums signify health while pale gum could mean the puppy suffers from anemia or worms. Look at the pet's eyes. If you notice white spots or visible lines on the eyes, this could mean the animal has congenital cataracts or retained fetal membranes. Finally, check the animal's ears. Healthy puppies have clean, odorless ear canals. Wax build-up, dirt or tenderness could indicate ear mites or infection.

    The Body

    • Judge the health of a puppy by examining its body. You want a puppy with a sturdy, compact body that's in proportion. If the belly looks swollen or distended, the puppy could suffer from worms. A bulge at the animal's navel or groin may signify a hernia. Choose a puppy with clean genitals that are free from irritation. Dirty or irritated genitals can mean worms, diarrhea or a digestive disorder. If you're looking at a male dog, it needs to have both its testicles. Make sure its legs are straight and well formed and that it can run without limping.

    The Coat

    • The puppy's fur coat also give you clues about the animal's health. Take home a pet with a clean, shiny coat. Bare spots or red irritated spots in the fur point to skin problems, allergies or mange. Puppies like to run and play outside so they may have a little bit of mud on them. But if you see a puppy with filthy, matted or coarse coat, the pet could suffer for a case of worms or at the very least improper care.

    Behavior

    • Before taking a puppy home with you, observe its behavior. Watch it play or interact with the other puppies and other people. Healthy puppies display lively, energetic behavior. They run, jump and wag their tails. Even shy puppies should take interest in you, new objects and its surroundings. Sick puppies often come across as lethargic or enervated. They seem unaware of or uninterested in their surroundings, you, food or the other animals they share a space with.