Avoiding Parvo

[Annie OG]

The new puppy guide that was put up on the site yesterday says to wait 3 months before taking your puppy outside!!!! Does anyone actually do that? I can't do that but I am wondering about how to avoid places where other dogs are pooping and peeing when you are traveling with a puppy who hasn't completed his parvo shots?? Any suggestions?

[Julie Savolt]

Wow, 8 hours is a long time. Maybe you could break it up a bit with someone holding the puppy for a while and then putting him/her in a crate for a time. I'm sure you'll be stopping for potty breaks and to play for a bit. I think when you stop you should try to run him a bit to make him tired. Our puppy loves car rides and does just fine sitting on a lap. We put his bed on our lap and then he sinks right down in. We have only been on short rides with him though.

[Missi]

The parvo vs. socialization balance is a hard one!!! My puppy got parvo at 13 weeks, (She's now a fat and healthy 9 month old) and we have NO IDEA where she picked it up. My best guess is from a gas station when we stopped on the way home from the breeder, even though I tried to take her to what I thought was a low-traffic area (She had had two of her shots too) . And, unfortunately, Parvo can live in soil for up to a year so it's super scary! My best recommendation is no taking puppy to petsmart and public places, as everyone else said. Do start puppy class once shots are all completed and go to puppy classes at a private trainer/facility in your area. For socialization it is okay to have visitors to your home as long as they remove shoes/wash hands. You can also visit friends with dogs as long as they have shots, no other dogs have been around, and they have had normal stools. Adult dogs can get parvo and not really get sick, just have loose stools. This is really infectious/dangerous for puppies. I also took Lizzie on car rides (to no where) to get her used to the car too.

Trust me, from someone who has been through parvo, it is the SCARIEST thing in the world, the vet gave Lizzie a 50/50 chance at survival. Many days of ICU care and many more days of close care at home, she manage to pull through and has turned into the best dog in the world. But my point is that YOU CAN'T BE TOO CAREFUL!!!!

[Annie OG]

This is really difficult also because it seems like many dog owners I meet haven't even heard of it. I just took Rico out for a short walk around our neighborhood which is really secluded and ran into one of my neighbors. When I told her Rico couldn't socialize yet because of parvo (I said it in a nice way) she looke at me like I was one of those crazy dog moms, I could tell she thought I was being over protective and of course Rico wanted to socialize in the worst way. Yesterday we made an 8 hour drive home from the breeder and it was truly difficult to find a place along an interstate highway that hadn't been visited by many dogs. I will be really glad when this part is over!

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

I think it also depends on the area you live. Nashville has had quite a few cases and most people I know have heard of the sickness. A friend of mine lost her puppy to parvo a few months ago. I didn't step foot in her house until Peri was completely vaccinated and cleared from our vet to be able to roam free. It will be okay Annie. I think if you are just aware of it and keep Rico more protected the first 8-10 weeks (or until your vet says okay), you will be fine!

[Annie OG]

Thanks, we're going to the vet today and will get his opinion. His puppy classes start the end of the month if the vet gives the all clear. He is doing great with walks, housetraining, sitting,sleeping all night in the crate. I don't want to jinx it but this is my first labradoodle and he is the best puppy I've ever had and soooo smart.

[Missi]

Good idea! I know my vet said not to have any young puppies around my house for at least a year since the little parvo bacteria could be anywhere in my yard still. So no baby puppies here!

[Missi]

I hate the "crazy dog mom" look. I get it all the time! And then I think: "If you've been through what I've been through with this dog, you'd be crazy too!"

[Lori]

I think I am going to get a big box for the back of the car & put some pee pee pads in it...I am not sure about other animals - such as raccoons & opposums which we do have in the yard occasionally. (I do know that the raccoons carry Lepto...) So I don't want to walk him on the way home where other animals might have been - I guess...he'll be 7 - 8 weeks & I don't want to take a chance.

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

I think that is a good idea Lori. And for socialization, I took Peri to my parents house to let her play with their terriers. I know they don't go to pet stores or to dog parks, so I felt safe socializing Peri that way. Plus I have another dog and my sister has one also. We had 5 dogs between my parents and sister alone! :)

[Lori]

I'd talk to your vet. My vet said absolutely no public places, we can only go in our own yard, and I had to make sure to schedule his third round of shots (which is not the end of the line for shots) before he can start puppy school. She sad that with puppy school you're all sort of in the same boat because they are all the same age (this one is for puppies under 16 wks old) so we should be all right there.

[Mona & Lilly's Page]

Oh boy... We live in a townhome with NO yard whatsoever and there are soooo many dogs around here. She'll have her second set of shots right before I pick her up but now I'm a nervous wreck (I hadn't even THOUGHT about the whole shoe transfer thing) and now I'm kind of feeling like a paranoid, nervous wreck. Do I just use piddle pads since I don't know if I'm willing to risk trusting that I can find a parvo free low traffic flow "spot"?

[Allyson, Peri & Taquito]

I might consider the piddle pads, but talk to your vet first to see if parvo is predominant in the area. I was in a somewhat similar situation; however, we had a much lower traffic area outside of our townhome where only one or two dogs walked (that I knew were vaccinated). We now take her to the big greenway area where most of the dogs that live near us go. We couldn't take either dog to that area during the first 8 weeks.