Would You Take Your Pup To The Vet On A Leash?!

[Guest donatella]

It is all very well to outline what infectious controls should be in place in vet surgeries and hospitals - what actually happens may be different if my recent stay in a major hospital is any indication. The nursing standards were truly appalling and would be a real eye opener for most people. Medication handed to patients with bare hands, no cleaning of hands etc. So yes I would be cautious about taking unvaccinated pups to the vet and placing them on shared surfaces.

How are you to know the nurse didn't use alcohol foam which dries in seconds and is outside every room? They could have done it out of your vision. Do you want your meds given with gloves on? You do realise they aren't sterile gloves and are actually just a barrier between staff and patient.

People have no idea when it comes to hospital practices.

Oh c'mon - I expect a nurse to not hand me a tablet with her bare hands. I have plenty of ideas thank you. Proper practice is to place it in a small plastic container and hand to the patient - and I observed from the corridor nurses going from one room to another without cleaning their hands in any way. I am sure that it would be news to many in the medical profession that the gloves they are using are not considered sterile.

:laugh: you have no idea love. But keep up with the bedside warrior observations.

[Guest lavendergirl]

It is all very well to outline what infectious controls should be in place in vet surgeries and hospitals - what actually happens may be different if my recent stay in a major hospital is any indication. The nursing standards were truly appalling and would be a real eye opener for most people. Medication handed to patients with bare hands, no cleaning of hands etc. So yes I would be cautious about taking unvaccinated pups to the vet and placing them on shared surfaces.

How are you to know the nurse didn't use alcohol foam which dries in seconds and is outside every room? They could have done it out of your vision. Do you want your meds given with gloves on? You do realise they aren't sterile gloves and are actually just a barrier between staff and patient.

People have no idea when it comes to hospital practices.

Oh c'mon - I expect a nurse to not hand me a tablet with her bare hands. I have plenty of ideas thank you. Proper practice is to place it in a small plastic container and hand to the patient - and I observed from the corridor nurses going from one room to another without cleaning their hands in any way. I am sure that it would be news to many in the medical profession that the gloves they are using are not considered sterile.

:laugh: you have no idea love. But keep up with the bedside warrior observations.

I suggest you don't have much of an idea either sweetheart.

[megan_]

Given that she is a nurse she might know a thing or two about nursing.

When did people become so obsessed with germs that someone touching something *with bare hands* was such a drama? No wonder infections are running rife..

[AussieDog]

Yep both my dogs as pups walked/bounced in on a leash. I was proud as punch of my dogs and was happy everyone could see them. If i had a small dog it may have been different - not sure. Depends how fast they walked with their little legs.

Only the cat goes in a cage - and that's only because she would probably scratch my eye balls out otherwise.

[Rebanne]

Oh c'mon - I expect a nurse to not hand me a tablet with her bare hands. I have plenty of ideas thank you. Proper practice is to place it in a small plastic container and hand to the patient - and I observed from the corridor nurses going from one room to another without cleaning their hands in any way. I am sure that it would be news to many in the medical profession that the gloves they are using are not considered sterile.

you do know that there are hand cleaners inside each room don't you? So easy to clean your hands inside one room before exiting into the corridor then going into the next room, where you can again clean your hands.

[Guest lavendergirl]

Given that she is a nurse she might know a thing or two about nursing.

When did people become so obsessed with germs that someone touching something *with bare hands* was such a drama? No wonder infections are running rife..

Its a hospital environment - of course you don't want to take a tablet that has just been handed to you with bare hands. It wasn't "something" it was medication. I am amazed that people think this is acceptable in a hospital. The procedure in this particular hospital was to place the tablet in a plastic cup and hand to the patient - this was told to me by the senior nurse - and many nurses were ignoring that procedure is all I am saying. Why have any infection control protocols then? Anyway this is all OT and the point I was trying to make was that vet practices may have all the protocols in the world but don't take it as a guarantee that they are carried out and use caution.

[piperspal]

AFAIK, the local vet who runs the puppy school will not accept pups that have not at least started on thier course of vaccinations, and prefer them to be completed. They want to see your vaccination book at the time of booking if you are not thier client.

[Tralee]

AFAIK, the local vet who runs the puppy school will not accept pups that have not at least started on thier course of vaccinations, and prefer them to be completed. They want to see your vaccination book at the time of booking if you are not thier client.

Yes, that's usually the case.

But shouldn't you also be pointing out that pups are not fully covered until about week 14, after their third vaccination, but are being admitted to puppy school as young as eight weeks.

[Rebanne]

AFAIK, the local vet who runs the puppy school will not accept pups that have not at least started on thier course of vaccinations, and prefer them to be completed. They want to see your vaccination book at the time of booking if you are not thier client.

Yes, that's usually the case.

But shouldn't you also be pointing out that pups are not fully covered until about week 14, after their third vaccination, but are being admitted to puppy school as young as eight weeks.

and not all pups have 3 vaccinations either, mine only ever get two

[german_shep_fan]

AFAIK, the local vet who runs the puppy school will not accept pups that have not at least started on thier course of vaccinations, and prefer them to be completed. They want to see your vaccination book at the time of booking if you are not thier client.

Yes, that's usually the case.

But shouldn't you also be pointing out that pups are not fully covered until about week 14, after their third vaccination, but are being admitted to puppy school as young as eight weeks.

Yep, i guess that is the risk though, socialisation vs illness ect. My girl was out and abt seeing the world at 9wks and went to puppy school. Now she is in juvenile classes at 20wks and they did ask to see her vacc record. We were just discussing this in the gsd thread. It seems in many places the norm is just the 2 vaccs, here it has always been 3. I got the 16wk one done as well as KC as there was a recent outbreak with the local vet seeing at least 2 cases a day

[Ben and Jerry]

I was under the impression from some other posts I've seen here that it wouldn't matter if you crate/hold your dog or take it on leash because if there was anything in the environment you would take it home with you on your shoes or clothing if you sit in a seat?

Edited January 25, 2012 by Ben and Jerry

[rotts4ever]

I was under the impression from some other posts I've seen here that it wouldn't matter if you crate/hold your dog or take it on leash because if there was anything in the environment you would take it home with you on your shoes or clothing if you sit in a seat?

I guess it's not about stopping anything happening just reducing the risk, I spray my shoes etc with F10 etc and leave at the front door until my pups have atleast had their 2nd vac (14days after)and all my visitors spray and take shoes off at the front door as well. It takes 30 min for F10 to kill Parvo virus.

When I have a unvaccinated litter I don't even go near them after work (I'm a dog groomer) until I have sprayed,washed,and changed my clothes.

You can never completely guarantee that a puppy wont catch something and no you can't put puppies in a bubble as even vaccinated dogs can still catch something and become ill or be carriers, it all depends on the level protection the dog has aquired from their vaccination. But I think if there are ways to reduce the risk I will try especially after seeing the results of puppies with parvo in the past and it's something I hope mine never have to go through.

Cheers Lee

[mita]

Scaremongering anyone??!

I think while precautions should be taken with animals, especially young ones, telling people to not go to the vet unless it is an emergency is ridiculous.

Parvo is horrible yes, it can stay around in the ground for years and can even be spread by bird droppings,

Yes, as I understand it, people's shoes can become a carrier because the parvo is in the ground. As someone else said, the grass & carpark outside the clinic would give them more concern...no one scrubs them like the clinic floors are!

And people's shoes are marching over exterior surfaces all the time.

Registered breeders I know exercise great caution in that regard & will ask visitors to either remove shoes or they disinfect the soles.

Edited January 25, 2012 by mita

[Tralee]

AFAIK, the local vet who runs the puppy school will not accept pups that have not at least started on their course of vaccinations, and prefer them to be completed.

They want to see your vaccination book at the time of booking if you are not their client.

Yes, that's usually the case.

But shouldn't you also be pointing out that pups are not fully covered until about week 14, after their second vaccination, but are being admitted to puppy school as young as eight weeks.

Yep, I guess that is the risk though, socialisation vs illness ect.

My girl was out and about seeing the world at 9wks and went to puppy school.

Now she is in juvenile classes at 20wks and they did ask to see her vacc record.

We were just discussing this in the gsd thread. It seems in many places the norm is just the 2 vaccs, here it has always been 3.

I got the 16wk one done as well as KC as there was a recent outbreak with the local vet seeing at least 2 cases a day

My girl too.

But she was my first dog in decades and I was in here like a flash to get help, because the Vet was taking dogs as young as eight weeks for puppy school.

The consensus is still the same, much to-ing and fro-ing between safe and risky.

I was left with the same conclusion, risk versus socialisation.

The turning point for me was the vouchsafe that the dogs would not be in the clinic but in an adjoining building where dogs/animals were not taken.

Anyway we went socialising all over the area, not that she needed it.

Atypical temperament for a Maremma, she was born dog friendly and people friendly.

That was seven years ago, almost to the day, and the practice or discussion really hasn't moved on at all.

Px

Edited January 25, 2012 by Tralee

[Dame Aussie]

AFAIK, the local vet who runs the puppy school will not accept pups that have not at least started on their course of vaccinations, and prefer them to be completed.

They want to see your vaccination book at the time of booking if you are not their client.

Yes, that's usually the case.

But shouldn't you also be pointing out that pups are not fully covered until about week 14, after their second vaccination, but are being admitted to puppy school as young as eight weeks.

Yep, I guess that is the risk though, socialisation vs illness ect.

My girl was out and about seeing the world at 9wks and went to puppy school.

Now she is in juvenile classes at 20wks and they did ask to see her vacc record.

We were just discussing this in the gsd thread. It seems in many places the norm is just the 2 vaccs, here it has always been 3.

I got the 16wk one done as well as KC as there was a recent outbreak with the local vet seeing at least 2 cases a day

My girl too.

But she was my first dog in decades and I was in here like a flash to get help, because the Vet was taking dogs as young as eight weeks for puppy school.

The consensus is still the same, much to-ing and fro-ing between safe and risky.

I was left with the same conclusion, risk versus socialisation.

The turning point for me was the vouchsafe that the dogs would not be in the clinic but in an adjoining building where dogs/animals were not taken.

Anyway we went socialising all over the area, not that she needed it.

Atypical temperament for a Maremma, she was born dog friendly and people friendly.

That was seven years ago, almost to the day, and the practice or discussion really hasn't moved on at all.

Px

OT.... but she is GORGEOUS!

[smisch]

I think it's fairly safe to say that those who attend puppy classes at the vets are clients of the vet, and therefore the grand majority of pups would be vaccinated.

Most puppy classes require vaccination certs anyway so it's fairly safe to say that pups going to classes are. Vaccinated, even today the average agility and obed class request vaccination certs just to make sure there's no one carrying anything potentially around

[Mason_Gibbs]

I think that this day and age we go overboard. In the old days we took our dogs put from day dot, fed table scraps and our dogs lived longer lives with less allergies etc. I kept mine home to be on the safe side until 12 weeks but then they went everywhere.

[Cavamum]

I think it's fairly safe to say that those who attend puppy classes at the vets are clients of the vet, and therefore the grand majority of pups would be vaccinated.

Most puppy classes require vaccination certs anyway so it's fairly safe to say that pups going to classes are. Vaccinated, even today the average agility and obed class request vaccination certs just to make sure there's no one carrying anything potentially around

A vaccinated dog can still carry diseases in. We can carry them on our shoes.

[aussielover]

I think it's fairly safe to say that those who attend puppy classes at the vets are clients of the vet, and therefore the grand majority of pups would be vaccinated.

Most puppy classes require vaccination certs anyway so it's fairly safe to say that pups going to classes are. Vaccinated, even today the average agility and obed class request vaccination certs just to make sure there's no one carrying anything potentially around

A vaccinated dog can still carry diseases in. We can carry them on our shoes.

Do you disinfect your shoes and clothes before touching your pup at home???

I think it is good to exercise some caution, but I think some people tend to go over the top, often to the detriment of the socialisation of the pup.

While parvo is horrible, the risk of getting it from a vet clinic or puppy school is minimal. Vets have strict disinfection and isolation protocols for any infectious disease, are cleaned at least twice daily (often more) with strong disinfectants and its not like they leave faces, vomit or other bodily fluids lying around in the waiting room. Usually suspected kennel cough/parvo/cat flu cases are asked to wait outside and if they do come in, the waiting room and any areas the animal has been in (consult rooms, treatment rooms etc) are thoroughly disinfected.

[Dame Aussie]

I think it's fairly safe to say that those who attend puppy classes at the vets are clients of the vet, and therefore the grand majority of pups would be vaccinated.

Most puppy classes require vaccination certs anyway so it's fairly safe to say that pups going to classes are. Vaccinated, even today the average agility and obed class request vaccination certs just to make sure there's no one carrying anything potentially around

A vaccinated dog can still carry diseases in. We can carry them on our shoes.

Do you disinfect your shoes and clothes before touching your pup at home???

I think it is good to exercise some caution, but I think some people tend to go over the top, often to the detriment of the socialisation of the pup.

While parvo is horrible, the risk of getting it from a vet clinic or puppy school is minimal. Vets have strict disinfection and isolation protocols for any infectious disease, are cleaned at least twice daily (often more) with strong disinfectants and its not like they leave faces, vomit or other bodily fluids lying around in the waiting room. Usually suspected kennel cough/parvo/cat flu cases are asked to wait outside and if they do come in, the waiting room and any areas the animal has been in (consult rooms, treatment rooms etc) are thoroughly disinfected.

Exactly, anything on the floor of the clinic is on your shoes anyway.