When you consider getting a puppy or a kitten that is in good physical condition -- for now and also for the future -- one of the things you should do is check the health of the animal's parents. Genetics is an important point to consider. Another thing you can easily check (and shouldn't miss) is whether the parents have been fed good foods with superb nutrition so that they can give birth to healthy puppies and kittens.

I read that in some old tribes women were not allowed to marry until they finished a special diet period. They had to go through six months of special nutrition before marriage. In these tribes, people somehow knew that children would be more susceptible to physical problems if their parents were not in excellent physical condition and nourishment.

It's important to know how conscious your breeder is about his/her dog or cat's health. Simply ask what kind of food he/she feeds their dogs and cats. Responsible breeders will be happy to talk about nutrition as an important aspect of breeding healthy puppies and kittens.

If you adopt a puppy or a kitten, you probably won't know what their parents are like. That may certainly be a disadvantage, but you still can do your best to keep your adopted pet as healthy as possible by feeding the appropriate diet that suits your pet's physical needs.