Parvo question #2?

Question

I want to know what the chances are my new puppy will get parvo. I wouldn't have gotten her if I'd known about this disease. I live in an apartment complex and she is only 6 weeks old. She has had her first vaccination shot, but it was just a day after she was taken from her mother and just two days before I started taking her outside. She has been exposed to many other dogs although they are supposedly vaccinated, but it is an apartment complex so who knows. My doctor told me that since I walk through the yard and then go into my house, that keeping her inside would not have prevented her exposure anyway since it is already being tracked in my house on my shoes. So he recommended that I take her out to start the potty training. But I spend every second I'm with her feeling like I shouldn't get too close to her since she is going to get Parvo. How does anyone raise a puppy in an apartment? If I had known about this before, I'd have gotten an older dog...

Answer 1

Was her mother vaccinated against parvo? If she was, then it's pretty likely your pup still has maternal antibodies to protect her against parvo at this age. The vet is right, you can't isolate her in a bubble, and if you train her to go inside now, it will confuse her when you want her to go outside later. Your BEST DEFENSE against parvo is to keep up with her boosters, make sure you do them on time. One of the reasons we do a series of vaccines is that you can never know when one individual dog will lose its maternal protection-it's hard for me to explain without drawing a picture, but maternal antibodies block disease, and they also block vaccines. As those antibodies decline, then the pup becomes vulnerable to the disease, but also receptive to the vaccine, this typically happens some time between 6 and 12 weeks, so that's why vets start at 6-8 weeks (to protect the dogs whose antibodies decline early) and finish around 16 weeks (to make sure the dogs whose antibodies decline late get at least 2 effective vaccines).

Be very cautious when getting vaccines from somewhere other than the vet: if they are handled improperly or stored at an improper temperature (even for a few hours) they lose effectiveness. I don't trust that the high school kid working in the stockroom at Quality Farm n Fleet will know, or care, about vaccine storage... because I've seen how these kids pack my groceries.

Answer 2

I am going to disagree with your doctor in part.Sorry but there you go.
A 6 week old is a bit young to have to bad it wasn't at least 8 weeks.You have gotten a first shot and that will kick in in about 2-3 weeks. That time period is really the only actual window you should try and keep her away from where other dogs have been. I know your doctor said something about shoes, and that is true. However you magnify whatever you could bring in on your shoes walking a 6 week old puppy where other dogs have been 100 fold.
That said, Parvo is basically a puppy disease, it is not probably that other adult dogs in the area have it. However being spring when everyone seems to be getting puppies one never knows what puppy may have been in the same area you exercise her in. So keep her away from those areas until she has had the shot for 2-3 weeks. It takes that long for their immunity to develop. Beyond that do not be paranoid about a disease. You could have a car accident but I bet you still drive and cross streets.

Answer 3

Your puppy should not be that much at risk. Most dogs are vaccinated for Parvo. Don't let her eat any poop outside and don't let her drink out of standing water outside. This will slightly lower her chances of getting certain diseases. Your vet is right when he said that you carry it in on shoes if anyone had it anyways. Parvo is a serious disease. But you shouldn't worry too much. Tons of puppies go through the series of distemper combo shots and never get parvo. Normally we see parvo in puppies from puppy mills/ pet stores and dogs/puppies from cities where no one vaccinates the dogs. So take a deep breath and try to relax. It's very unlikely she will get it while having such a compassionate and loving owner. Good luck!

Answer 4

Relax. Your neighbors most likely have had all their dogs vaccinated for Parvo as well as caronavirus and all the other dog disease too.

If your puppy was given a first vaccination she probably got her first dose of the parvo vaccine. She should have boosters every three to four weeks until she is 18 weeks old. While her full immunity isn't until this age, the doses she is getting in the mean time should help protect her from the virus during this time.

Answer 5

Take her to a vet and have her vaccinated with Neopar. Neopar is a booster vaccine that gives additional protection against strains of parvovirus, that her normal puppy shot may not cover. It can be given as early as 1 week after her other shot was given. My mom runs a kennel . and since she started vaccinating with neopar, she hasnt had any puppies get parvo, despite high dog traffic

Answer 6

Well, pay close attention to her. Crate her when your not home, and have a section of your apartment dedicated to shoes (FAR AWAYA LIKE THE DOOR) then maybe wear slippers so you dont drag anything in.
Also maybe buy one of those small gated circles, that you use as a pen and keep her in that in the house so she is secluded until all her shots are done. Also when outsidem stay away from tall grass. Also a 6 week old dog cannot hold their urine. Almost impossible. So potty training is impossible now. it took my dog 2 months to fully get it, so from 3-5 months he had to learn to go out. I got him at 11 weeks.... and he was fine no parvo and played with dogs...
JUST WATCH YOUR DOG and any symptoms go to your vet ASAP.... dont wait, a sniffle, a wheeze, some weird poop or excessive drinking or peeing,,, call the vet

Answer 7

She's not automatically going to get parvo. Granted, puppies are more succeptable to it, she it's definitely going to get it. The only thing I recommend is that you vaccinate her every 3-4 weeks, until she is about 4 months. You don't have to take her to the vet to get the vaccination...you can get it anywhere I think. I got mine from the pet place down the street.

Okay, as far as her getting parvo. It's spread through infected dog poop. If you think something has gotten infested with parvo-laden poop disinfect it with a bleach solution.

good luck!