# Parvo.....am I overreacting???



## kimstm (Jun 24, 2010)

We have a new puppy that has only had one parvo immunization. I took her for her new puppy vet check and she had hookworms which we are treating. I have read a lot of stuff about parvo on here and it makes me really nervous to the point that I came home from the vet, washed my clothes in hot water that I would normally put in cold water and sprayed my flip flops with clorox spray. My son's friends came over yesterday afternoon to see if he wanted to play and I made up some excuse. Truth is that they have a dog they keep locked in kennel and I don't know if they give the dog shots or not. Plus people walk their dogs around the neighborhood and I don't want him picking it up walking to their house. Please tell me I am being paranoid. He's got 3 weeks of summer left and I can't keep him locked in the house. Doesn't the puppy have to have 2 more sets of these before she is protected? Ummm, normally I am really not this crazy.:wacko:

Thanks!

Kim


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## Lilah+Jasper (May 13, 2010)

It is wise to be careful but don't make yourself crazy 

I followed our vet's advice and kept Lilah out of public places until he said she was protected. I also tried to be very careful about the bottom of our shoes and washing our hands as soon as we walked in the door. A box of clorox wipes kept by the back door came in handy.

That being said, Parvo can be on your purse, clothes or anything. I know I cleaned our shoes but not before we got into the cars. I took Lilah to the vet in the very same cars. See where I am going with this??? Just do your best & limit her exposure. It was hard to give Lilah enough exercise before she had her 3rd vaccine. I had Lilah fetch a ball after throwing it down the stairs. She would do this until she fell over all worn out and tired. Mentally stimulating games helped too - basic training was used to help exercise both her mind and body.

Now when we got Jasper, her was 14 months and had not had a full set of Parvo shots! He was fine even though he was used in a doodle breeding program. I know he had a ton of exposure to other dogs and I'm sure was in high risk areas. Heck, when driving home with him, we stopped at a roadside rest area so the dogs could stretch their legs and go to the bathroom. I had no idea that I was putting him at risk. :scared:


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## PaddleAddict (Feb 9, 2010)

Well on the one hand, I think you can never be too paranoid about parvo only because I used to work at a vet and I saw how devestating it could be. I also know how contagious it is. So, leaving the vet and bleaching your shoes I think is actually a good thing... parvo is found at vet offices. 

I didn't take my mini to Petco, Petsmart, dog parks, or any other place like that until he was done with his parvo series at 16 weeks. 

On the other hand, 8 to 16 weeks is a crucial window for socialization. It's so important that your puppy meet many people and dogs, and be exposed to many different places and things (car rides, your neighborhood, adults and children, etc.). If you hide your puppy away in fear of parvo, you could do her more harm than good if you end up with a shy and fearful adult dog. 

I really think sidewalk and streets in your neighborhood are perfectly safe. I would avoid other people's yards and grass, though. Take you pup to the hardware store, people parks where kids are playing (not dog parks), coffee shops and anywhere else you can think of. I would let kids and adults also come to your house to visit so your pup can get used to them, too. 

It's a fine line between protecting them from disease and making sure they are well socialized. However, your pup has her first vaccine, which is good. She may actually be immunized. The way the vaccines work is one dose either protects them or it doesn't. It all depends on when the maternal antibodies wear off... this has to happen in order for the vaccine to be effective. But you can't say exactly when the materal antibodies wear off enough to allow the vaccine to work. That's why pups are vaccinated two or three times at three or four week intervals, depending on their age. One of those vaccines will give them full immunity... you just don't know if it was the first one or the last one.


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## neVar (Dec 25, 2009)

parvo is rampant here- so outside of everyone washing their clothes in my doorway- changing suiting up into a bubble- we can't avoid it. 

Remember pup has SOME immunity from mom and the shot. I would ask "We have a young pup who isn't done her vaccinations- is your dog up to date on his? " and if the answer is no- just say great well lets go hit the park for a play date for the kids... or give me a few more weeks and when she gets another shot then you can come over.


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## Feralpudel (Jun 28, 2010)

Kim, your puppy is very young, right? The issue just isn't how many parvo shots she's had--it's whether she has had one that hasn't been "blocked" by maternal immunity. Puppies don't get three shots because they need all three shots--they get the series because you need to find that window when the maternal immunity isn't there anymore. However, according to this article, modern parvo vaccines are "high titer," designed to overcome maternal immunity. 

Given your level of concern, you might want to ask your vet to do a parvo titer (I would wait ~2 weeks after the first parvo shot). As the end of the linked article explains, that will provide some useful information about whether your pup is now protected from parvo. 

Puppy Shots


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

I do not care how crazy people think I am, I have a full de-contamination process at my front door if people wish to see the puppies. Purell, Lysol and Javex are my friends. If we need to go to the vet's, the pup are carried in one at a time, never set anywhere (parking lot, scale, ZIPPO) except the table, and only after I ask if it has been disinfected.

I ask my puppy buyers not to take their puppy anyywhere where it may be exposed to dogs they do not know are fully vaccinated, or other dogs poop or pee until two weeks after their third shot. I would much rather err on the side of caution and not go through or have someone else go through the heartache of losing a puppy to parvo or distemper. My Mom's very first Spoo puppy died of distemper picked up at the vet's office after it went for it's puppy shot. I will never forget it.


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## 1Jurisdiva (May 4, 2010)

Since this thread is about Parvo already - do you mind a quick threadjack? How exactly does one disinfect an apartment for Parvo? All of my prospective apts are dog friendly, so I would go in assuming that a dog has lived in the place and want to disinfect it.


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## Cdnjennga (Jul 30, 2009)

I think the answer re: parvo depends on how high risk of an area you are in. But in general terms, you need to balance vaccination versus socialization. Obviously your pup contracting parvo and dying is a horrible thought. But so is undersocializing your pup during a critical time and having to live with it for the next 10 to 14 years.

It's all about your comfort level. I live downtown and didn't want my pup peeing all over my condo. So the first few weeks I had him (at the time he had 1 vaccine), I only allowed him to walk on pavement and took him to the most dog free area I could to pee. I also wouldn't allow him to sniff anything for too long when we were out. I had a puppy carrier that he also spent time in during that period.

After the 2nd vaccine I would walk him in the park (usually along less dog visited paths), and let him meet dogs who were vaccinated (I just asked the owners). I'm lucky to live in a city where vaccination is the norm. But I didn't take him to dog parks of course or any of the unofficial areas where lots of dogs hang out. He also went to puppy pre schol during that time, with other pups who had had at least 1 vaccination.

And then from the 3rd vaccine on he has spent a lot of time around dogs and goes wherever. He has blossomed through this time - based on his only puppy status and the fact that he came from the country into a city environment, I think the steps I took were critical. The puppy I would have right now would be very different had I not exposed him to as much as I could.

However, if I lived in an area where vaccination was less common/ parvo was rampant I probably would have carried the pup for longer and done car exposure and invited people over to my house to meet him (as long as they washed hands/ removed shoes).


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## Cdnjennga (Jul 30, 2009)

ArreauStandardPoodle said:


> My Mom's very first Spoo puppy died of distemper picked up at the vet's office after it went for it's puppy shot. I will never forget it.


Of course, not surprisingly, the vet's office is the place pups are most likely to pick up things. I never let Darcy's feet touch the floor until he was fully vaccinated, and watched to make sure the examination tables were thoroughly cleaned before our appt.

One thing people can do to be safe is ask their vet how many cases of parvo/ distemper they've treated in the last year. My vet had treated 1, which kind of told me a little about how common the issue is in our area. Distemper is on the rise though, but frankly they can catch that in your own backyard from raccoons etc, so you can only be so careful.


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## neVar (Dec 25, 2009)

my vet is great that if they have had any possible parvo's in- they let all other puppy owners know- and are very careful about any suspected "I have upset tummy' dogs get carried in and go into a room that dogs don't go into (IE the cat exam room) until tests come back parvo or not


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## Purley (May 21, 2010)

My son's puppy had Parvo just over 8 weeks old and a week after he had his first shot. We were told that one/third bleach to two/thirds warm water - wash all hard surfaces. Wash dog blankets etc. in water with added bleach.

I got some disinfectant called ENVIRO CHEM Neutral Disinfectant - which is for use in kennels and good for Parvo virus.

As someone else said, you can't do things 100 percent -- the virus could be anywhere, but what Arreau says is what responsible breeders tell their owners - don't have the puppy in public areas until it has had all three shots - 16 weeks. 

If I hadn't had a puppy with parvo on my property, I would bring an eight week old puppy home after it had its first shot and keep it in my house and yard until 16 weeks. I am only using the disinfectant because I had the puppy here. Once you have had a puppy with Parvo, believe me - you do not want a repeat! The puppy lived. His littermate died. I paid the vet bill and it was around $1,800 - but its not the money - you could pay more than that and still have the puppy die.

And no - you are not being paranoid.


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