Peter D Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 (edited) We have planned to go on holidays after Christmas with our new puppy. We are renting a dog friendly holiday house. Our puppy (Golden Retriever bitch) will only be 9 weeks old. Our main concern is that unvaccinated dogs may have stayed at the house and that Parvo may be present in the backyard. Do you think our concern warranted? I'd appreciate any informed opinions and/or experiences. Edited December 21, 2008 by Peter D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisy Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 (edited) Your concern is greatly warranted. At 9 weeks old your pup is NOT PROTECTED against parvo virus, and the virus can live in the environment for up to 12 months. Also, a dog that has the virus can be shedding the disease even before they appear unwell, so often the disease is spread quite unwittingly. As well as surviving in the environment for such a long time, the disease is also quite readily spread on shoes, clothing etc, so even if there has never been a dog with parvo on the property there is no guarantee that the disease is not present. DO NOT take your pup on holidays, there is a very high risk factor, and the chance of a pup surviving parvo is less than 50% :D Edited December 21, 2008 by Daisy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gareth Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 Is the yard enclosed? I would not be too concerned. Just don't take the pup out in public places. Can you check with the agent re past tenants and if they had dogs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisy Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 (edited) gareth I amazed at your cavalier attitude! have you ever lived in a town with a parvo outbreak like we had here last summer? where the vets were seeing approximately 20 new cases per week and the survival rate was less than 50%? where breeders had entire litters of puppies wiped out despite living out of town and even having the vet go out to them to do their initial vaccinations so the pups did not have to come in to town and risk infection? Have you ever seen a baby puppy suffer with parvo, which is a very nasty disease? It attacks their internal organs and the blood that comes out in the diorrhea and vomit is actually their organs beginning to break down :D I had to have two baby rescue puppies put to sleep a few months ago, as two days after they arrived at my place they became sick and were confirmed with parvo (they would have been infected before they even got to my place). It is horrible to watch such cute and active little babies go downhill so fast and watch them suffer There is no way I would be taking that risk with my own puppy. Edited December 21, 2008 by Daisy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixie's mum Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 I wouldn't take a new puppy to a holiday rental however you may be able to ask your breeder to look after the pup for you if you can't postpone your holidays. I'm sure they would rather board your pup (for a fee) than put it at risk. Our 2 year old female got parvo as a 10 week old pup even though she had never touched the ground outside our house and we hadn't had parvo in our yard in the time that we had lived here (3 years). Unfortunately it is extremely contagious and according to the vet a bird could land in the virus and fly into your yard and touch the ground infecting the area. Good luck with your decision and enjoy your new puppy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fifi Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 I agree with Daisy, from what Peter D says, there is a strong possibility of recent exposure to parvo in the yard. Peter D, better to wait until your pup is over 12 weeks & had her third vaccination. Not worth the risk at nine weeks. fifi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmolo Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 Parvo is a nasty disease- but where do you draw the line with regards to keeping the puppy safe? Is it riskier to send the puppy elsewhere to stay, what about taking the puppy to vet clinics- where all the sick dogs go?! Do you walk through any park and then return to your home where the puppy is? I would check with the property as to whether they require vaccinations from previous dogs as some places do, ensure your puppy does not come into contact with any faeces from other dogs anywhere and check with the area where you will be staying as to when the last parvo case was seen- some areas have not seen parvo for 10 years, some have more frequent outbreaks and this would affect your decision. Enrol in a quality puppy pre school to make sure your puppy receives safe socialisation- vital at this age- without exposure to disease. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gareth Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 gareth I amazed at your cavalier attitude! have you ever lived in a town with a parvo outbreak like we had here last summer? where the vets were seeing approximately 20 new cases per week and the survival rate was less than 50%? where breeders had entire litters of puppies wiped out despite living out of town and even having the vet go out to them to do their initial vaccinations so the pups did not have to come in to town and risk infection? Have you ever seen a baby puppy suffer with parvo, which is a very nasty disease? It attacks their internal organs and the blood that comes out in the diorrhea and vomit is actually their organs beginning to break down I had to have two baby rescue puppies put to sleep a few months ago, as two days after they arrived at my place they became sick and were confirmed with parvo (they would have been infected before they even got to my place). It is horrible to watch such cute and active little babies go downhill so fast and watch them suffer There is no way I would be taking that risk with my own puppy. Thanks for the lecture :D but I don't need it thanks. My attitude is not cavalier, it's realistic. If the pup is from a good breeder, is healthy, and started life out with Mum's antibodies and has one vaccination under it's belt, it should be reasonably well protected. Parvo is everywhere at this time of year and unless you want to wrap the pup in cotton wool and stay home with it for 3-4 months, for fear of bringing parvo home to infect it... how realistic is that? Unless there was KNOWN Parvo in this yard, like I said, I would not be concerned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelpie_Pup Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 Since it is a house that is specifically designed for holiday makers with dogs, one would have to assume that there is a constant stream of dogs coming in and out. I doubt the owners would be able to have any control over the vaccination status of the dogs in the yard. Your concerns are warranted IMO. Can you organise to keep your dog with the breeder for another week or two? I would also consider the double whammy the puppy will get with yet another 2 different environments, routines in regards to settling in and toilet training.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisy Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 (edited) gareth I amazed at your cavalier attitude! have you ever lived in a town with a parvo outbreak like we had here last summer? where the vets were seeing approximately 20 new cases per week and the survival rate was less than 50%? where breeders had entire litters of puppies wiped out despite living out of town and even having the vet go out to them to do their initial vaccinations so the pups did not have to come in to town and risk infection? Have you ever seen a baby puppy suffer with parvo, which is a very nasty disease? It attacks their internal organs and the blood that comes out in the diorrhea and vomit is actually their organs beginning to break down I had to have two baby rescue puppies put to sleep a few months ago, as two days after they arrived at my place they became sick and were confirmed with parvo (they would have been infected before they even got to my place). It is horrible to watch such cute and active little babies go downhill so fast and watch them suffer There is no way I would be taking that risk with my own puppy. Thanks for the lecture but I don't need it thanks. My attitude is not cavalier, it's realistic. If the pup is from a good breeder, is healthy, and started life out with Mum's antibodies and has one vaccination under it's belt, it should be reasonably well protected. Parvo is everywhere at this time of year and unless you want to wrap the pup in cotton wool and stay home with it for 3-4 months, for fear of bringing parvo home to infect it... how realistic is that? Unless there was KNOWN Parvo in this yard, like I said, I would not be concerned. ok I am sorry for sounding like I was lecturing you, but I was very concerned that Peter D might not understand the risk - and whether or not you believe it is a high risk, the risk is definitely there, especially, as kelpie pup has said, as there would be a stream of different dogs coming in and out of the holiday house. Personally, if it was my pup I wouldn't be taking it on holidays, but cosmolo has given some excellent suggestions as to how to assess the level of risk to help Peter D make a considered decision Edited December 21, 2008 by Daisy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clyde Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 would also consider the double whammy the puppy will get with yet another 2 different environments, routines in regards to settling in and toilet training.. This alone would be enough to put me off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsrules Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 I know of a someone who has taken her pup everwhere, although she was only vaccinated once at 6 weeks. The dog are still alive & well, I think now is around a year old. But this could be just pure luck Personally, I wouldn't take the pup for holiday, just to risky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo Baggins Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 As a breeder I am more than happy to take young pups back for holidays. I would definetly not advise going to such a holiday destination at this point. If you want to know about parvo. Go to Show Ring and read about Hef. http://www.dolforums.com.au/index.php?showtopic=152943 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandgrubber Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 The more information you have to work on, the better your decision. On a wild guess, I'd say that you have something like a 1/20 chance of a horrid outcome . . . but it might be 1/1000 and it might be 1/3, depending on what other dogs have been around the yard and whether or not the pup's first jabs developed an immune response. As others have said, parvo is truly horrid, and it is worth asking the breeder if they'd be willing to look after the pup for a little while. Another bit of research you could do is to call a vet near the holiday house and ask if the area has had parvo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter D Posted December 28, 2008 Author Share Posted December 28, 2008 Hi All. Thanks for your responses. On the basis of your concerns, more research and the advice of the breeder we have cancelled our stay at the dog friendly house. At the end of the day we have no idea of how many dogs have been at the house and therefore have no idea of the probability of Elsa picking up Parvo. Again thanks for your advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixie's mum Posted December 28, 2008 Share Posted December 28, 2008 Sorry you miss out on your holiday this time but I'm sure you will have many great more holidays with your new family member. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ceilidh Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 Glad you cancelled your holiday. I can't understand why someone would pick up a puppy at 8 weeks knowing they are going away a week later? Would have been better to organise to pick your puppy up AFTER you come back from your holiday. Life must change when you take on a committment! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MyMolly Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 I can't understand why someone would pick up a puppy at 8 weeks knowing they are going away a week later? Would have been better to organise to pick your puppy up AFTER you come back from your holiday. Life must change when you take on a committment! Somtimes things change and there is no other choice.....We were told one date as a collection date for Molly, planned a holiday and then 3 weeks before the date we were told to come and collect her because her mum was not doing to well with all of the pups. We tried to change her collection time until she was older however we were unable to. Although pet disease is serious I really don't think people should be so anal about the do's and dont's of pet ownership based on the what if's...what will be next? not taking your pet to a park because it could be bitten by an ant? because many years ago ants used to live at the park? If anything happened to my babies I would be shattered and go through the what ifs but really I would go insane if I did it every day. Yes, Life must change when you take on a committment but think of all of the boarding kennels that would be out of business if... people took their committment to the extreeme?? cotton wool anyone?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelpie_Pup Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 Hi Peter I am pleased to hear you won't be taking your pup there. It would certainly be a great place to take your new puppy once she has had the vaccinations to protect her againast the diseases that were HIGHLY likely to be present !! Unlike ants, I believe parvo has the potential to be a little more life threatening... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ceilidh Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 I can't understand why someone would pick up a puppy at 8 weeks knowing they are going away a week later? Would have been better to organise to pick your puppy up AFTER you come back from your holiday. Life must change when you take on a committment! Somtimes things change and there is no other choice.....We were told one date as a collection date for Molly, planned a holiday and then 3 weeks before the date we were told to come and collect her because her mum was not doing to well with all of the pups. We tried to change her collection time until she was older however we were unable to. Although pet disease is serious I really don't think people should be so anal about the do's and dont's of pet ownership based on the what if's...what will be next? not taking your pet to a park because it could be bitten by an ant? because many years ago ants used to live at the park? If anything happened to my babies I would be shattered and go through the what ifs but really I would go insane if I did it every day. Yes, Life must change when you take on a committment but think of all of the boarding kennels that would be out of business if... people took their committment to the extreeme?? And this means?? cotton wool anyone?? hmmmm, thanks Molly, very nice person indeed, I will take your advice and stock up on the cotton wool and any you can send my way will be appreciated. You go ahead and put yourself first every step of the way and I will continue to care for my animals and to advise other responsible people to do the same. And while we have irresponsible people, because their circumstances changed! we will continue to have diseases. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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