Healthy pets usually eat, drink, toilet, move, and sleep in a way that is normal for them. AVMA’s pet-care guidance leans on the basics: steady appetite, normal energy, a good coat, healthy weight, and behavior that does not suddenly change.
Body condition matters too. A healthy pet is not automatically skinny or sleek; the better check is whether you can feel the ribs without seeing them sharply and whether the pet moves comfortably. The AVMA healthy-weight guide treats weight as a real health signal, not just a cosmetic one.
Look at the mouth, coat, eyes, ears, and litter box or bathroom habits as a pattern, not a single moment. If the pet is bright, hydrated, moving normally, and acting like itself most days, that is the reassuring answer people are usually looking for.
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