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Parvovirus question

Cav Fan

Member
I'm curious, our breeder & vet have warned us not to take our new puppy out in public until vaccinations are complete and to be careful that we do not bring the virus into our home on our shoes if we go to a place where the virus would likely be (park, Petsmart etc.) Needless to say, we will follow that advice carefully.

But, I started wondering, how do you keep a clean environment if you already have a dog and bring a new puppy home? Do you not take the older dog to the park, wash his feet with bleach solution or is it like your second child & you just "pick the pacifier off the ground, wipe it on your pants & stick in in his mouth" ? I'm just curious, I know many people bring new puppies into their homes, but it sounds like the virus is very persistant!
 
I think the risk is pretty low of the other dog tracking parvo in, whereas there's a much higher likelihood of a puppy running about outside coming in contact with the virus (though that too is low, I'd never risk it -- a puppy with parvo has little chance of surviving and dies a very unpleasant death). You could be safe and wash the dog's feet in a very mild bleach solution or disinfectant I suppose but be cautious about the strength as bleach can cause serious burns -- I've known in to brun out a dog's mouth that licked his paws after walking through a bleach solution at the pound!! Someone experienced here can probably tell you a proper solution or disinfectant to use.

I was never so cautious that I washed shoes and all that when Jaspar wa s apuppy, and I don't know many people who would be that meticulous, breeders ro rescue folks. I'd be that cautious though if I were still going in and out of the pound as parvo can be present when you have such a mix of unvaxed dogs.
 
In the days when Parvo was rife, we were meticulous with foot baths etc., especially as I was visiting shows and training classes.
I had my first Rottweiler in 1983 and they were one of the breeds particularly hard hit for some reason. I think perhaps the maternal antibodies lived on longer in the puppies and so negated the vaccines. Anyway the policy then was to vaccinate Rottweilers much later and so she never got to go off our property until she was 18 weeks old. It was much too late and she seemed to pick up all sorts of other tummy bugs that our Cavalier pups shrugged off.
She was difficult to socialise too for the same reason.
Until she went out, we had foot baths, carpets dipped in a virucide and I used to take the other dogs out in the car and into the forestry, keeping them away from suburbs.
My friend was a German Shepherd breeder of many years standing. She lost four sixteen week old pups to parvo in one morning - she never bred again.

However this was before we had a proper vaccine for it, in the beginning they had to use a cat vaccine. Things are much changed now, but you can still get the virucides from good Pet Shops. You should still be vigilant.
Warm wishes,
Ruth
 
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