# Parvo - are people stupid or what?



## Purley (Sep 7, 2009)

When my son got his puppy at the beginning of August, he met the owner at a store in Regina. A littermate was also picked up at the same time. They both got Parvo. The rest of the litter - the ones that didn't get picked up at that time - were fine!

So the breeder gave me some money towards the vet bill and said she was going to give a handout to every person who adopted a puppy - warning them not to let their puppy walk anywhere in public until after the third parvo shot.

So the last litter - she gave them the handout. She also warned them about Parvo. So what did they do -- they took their puppies for a walk on a very busy street in Edmonton. They both got Parvo. They both survived. It cost one of them $1,500 and I said "Too bad - you warned them. I wouldn't give them any money towards the vet bill."


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## Poly (Sep 19, 2007)

Parvo is extremely contagious and the virus remains on environmental surfaces for many months. Regular disinfectants have no effect on it - only specific parvocides and even these are only effective on hard surfaces. In fact, on common surfaces such as grass, soil, unsealed concrete, etc, it is essentially impossible to get rid of the virus by surface treatment until it dies off on its own. Also, keep in mind that insects which may feed on dog feces can carry the virus, and human visitors can passively transport the virus on their shoes and other clothing.

On the other hand, dogs need to socialize. It's important that puppies start to meet other dogs, new people, and new experiences starting by about twelve to sixteen weeks old - even if they have been well socialized in the litter. 

So the only thing to do is to keep to the vaccination schedule for puppies, avoid _unknown_ dogs and places where _unknown_ dogs may have frequented, and be careful of insects and visitors until the your pup has built up immunity. 

Fortunately, once the immunity to parvo has been acquired, it lasts for a _very_ long time - at least three years. So you don't have to repeat the vaccinations any more often than that.


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## ChrissyBz (Aug 10, 2007)

Yes.Yes they are.


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## Cracker (May 25, 2009)

Yep, humans are not as smart as they think they are.

I'm curious though..how soon after purchase/adoption did the puppies get sick? Parvo has an incubation period of almost 2 weeks so it IS possible that the parvo is at the breeders and that the puppies left behind got protection through the mother's milk that the puppies that left did not.
Just a thought....


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## agility collie mom (Jan 26, 2008)

Just curious were the puppies vaccinated prior to being picked up?


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## Purley (Sep 7, 2009)

All the puppies in the litter, including Cooper, got their first set of shots, including Parvo on July 27th. My son picked him up on August 1st. Our vet told us the incubation period for Parvo was 3-10 days. I seriously doubt Cooper and his littermate got Parvo at the breeders, because there were eight puppies in the litter and the only two that got Parvo were the two that came to Regina on the same day!! 

Sadly, the other puppy died of Parvo on about the fifth day after getting sick. They both got sick on the Wednesday. Cooper was fine on the Friday, but then had a relapse on Sunday and was back in the vets from Sunday until the next Wednesday. So about a week after they got sick, he was fine. 

I don't plan on getting another puppy any time soon, but if I did, I wouldn't care about socializing, I would not take the puppy outside anywhere but my own yard until maybe it was 18 weeks old.

That is the advice our vet gave us. It should be two weeks after the final Parvo shot, and in Canada they generally get one Parvo shot around 2 months, and then another at 3 months and the last one at 4 months.

I am sure other vets have different advice, but that is what ours said and that is what I would do in future.

Of course, I wouldn't get another puppy under 5 months old for two years at least because Cooper was here also, and he pooped in my yard - and I have no idea where - so I can't be pouring bleach all over my lawn.


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## agility collie mom (Jan 26, 2008)

So glad Cooper is alright. It's so sad that the other puppy died. I never took my pups out to public places when they were still in the process of being vaccinated. I agree with you and your vet the risk is just too great. The consequences can be deadly.


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## Labsnothers (Oct 10, 2009)

The period between 6-12 weeks is a dangerous time. One sniff where a sick dog relieved itself in the last 6 months can bring on parvo or another life threatening disease. Fail to expose it to strangers, including men, women, children, noise, etc. and you could end up with a misfit you can't take out in public. They also need continuing contact with other dogs, but it must be limited to ones you know are getting good care.

Here are some good links for anybody getting a new puppy, http://www.apdt.com/po/news/docs/Messer_Nov06.pdf http://www.avma.org/animal_health/brochures/canine_parvo/parvo_brochure.asp
http://www.akc.org/enewsletter/akc_breeder/2008/winter/puppy.cfm


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## lulusmom (Nov 12, 2008)

Unless you live like a hermit, you don't have to take your dog out in public to solicialize them. I'm well over a half century old, have shared my life with more than twenty dogs and I never took any of them out in public until they were fully immunized, that being about four to five months old. I'm happy to say that none of them contracted any horrible diseases and lo and behold, none of them turned out to be misfits either.


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## Stelladog (Aug 18, 2008)

Labsnothers said:


> One sniff where a sick dog relieved itself in the last 6 months can bring...


I don't know anything about Parvo and am not trying to be argumentative, but don't viruses only live for a day or two outside of a living host?


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## Labsnothers (Oct 10, 2009)

I think it varies. I have read parvo can persist as long as 10 years in the soil. My 6 months may be optimistic. 

Back when I was lower on the learning curve, I took very young puppies out in places where I wouldn't now, and none of them ever got parvo. Still it is a horrible nasty disease killing many young puppies.


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## Purley (Sep 7, 2009)

According to my vet, you can wash floors, cupboards etc in the house with water and 30 percent bleach. Bleach is the only thing that will kill the parvo virus. However, outside in the garden - obviously you can't wash the lawn or shrubs, and so from what I understand the virus can last up to seven months, and that doesn't include months where the ground is frozen. 

Where I live, the ground is frozen from maybe late October to some time in April, so I figure I would not have a puppy that had not had ALL its Parvo shots - in my house for at least two years. 

If you want all the info on Parvo, check here --

http://www.marvistavet.com/html/canine_parvovirus.html


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## Poly (Sep 19, 2007)

Purley said:


> According to my vet, you can wash floors, cupboards etc in the house with water and 30 percent bleach. Bleach is the only thing that will kill the parvo virus.


Bleach is OK but not the best. There are better parvodical disinfectants (e.g., _Trifectant™_). They are more expensive, however. 

Parvo *is* very dangerous and it *is* a good idea to be _cautious_ with a young puppy until it has developed its own immunity. However, if you are conscientious about taking the right precautions, you should not neglect your pups early socialization because of fears of parvo. Deferring his initial socialization until later is just not the same thing.

While an unsocialized puppy probably won't die from a puppy disease, too often as an adult it may end up in a shelter or surrendered to a rescue or even just abandoned, and those are not a good outcomes either.


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