Parvo Transmission

[seld]

Hello,

I was just wondering if anyone know whether an older immunised dog can carry Parvo after exposure, much the way an immunised child can still carry whopping cough for 14 days after exposure without having symptoms.

We have a older do who has daily romps around our local dog park and sniffs everything on walks. We are soon to add a puppy into the mix who will obviously waiting at hime until he's all needled up.

Basically, I dont want my older immunised dog bringing home any nasties, should I keep him at home too prior and during the dangerous time for the little miss?

[Just Andrea]

Simple answer - yes, your older dog can pick it up if it is in the environment and bring it home into your yard, house etc. There is alot of it around at the moment around NSW and ACT I am aware of, however I don't know how prevalent it is in your state or area.

Where you buy your pup from, when they were weaned from their mother (maternal antibodies), their age and how many shots they have had etc etc will also denote how much protection your pup will have against anything your dog brings in if there is something nasty in the environment

Hopefully you are going through a registered ethical breeder or rescue group who should be giving you a pup with at least one vaccination under its belt and clear health status/health check first...............in an ideal world it would be two or three vaccinations done and full immunity acquired.............but most people want pups less than 14-16 weeks old so there will be some risk in taking your pup or other dog in public until your pup has had its full course (2 or 3 vaccines depending on which vets you talk to and what age you give your first and second one etc).

Good luck.

[kelpiecuddles]

Could you maybe just walk your dog on the footpath for a few weeks until pup has atleast a second vacc. It's still not a iron clad guarantee but probably less chance there than at a dog park.

[DeltaCharlie]

Our adults don't leave the house until puppies have had at least one shot, but in all honesty they have probably been trampling parvo into our yard for years and it is making no difference other than to our peace of mind. Parvo clings to everything- your shoes, dog fur, car tyres, etc so chances are you already have small quantities in your yard anyway.

It stands to reason that every time another agent is added to the equation the amount of parvo decreases. What I mean by this is a dog that makes direct contact with an infected dog is going to get a much more concentrated exposure than a dog that plays with a dog that walked on a grass that had been rolled in by a dog that had touched an infected dog. Does that make sense? So taking your puppy out is a high risk, taking your adult dog out is a lower risk, simply going out yourself and then playing with the adult dog who plays with the puppy is an even lower risk again. It is up to you where the risk falls that you are happy to accept. Some people are happy with the risk posed by taking the puppy out (I did it with Delta as the socialisation was of very high importance to me given the issues I had with Cody), while other people will take adults out but not puppies. I am not as carefree now as I was with Delta, our pups are currently 9 weeks old and after a flyball comp yesterday I washed all my clothing and showered before I interacted with any of the pups. I borrowed a crate rather than take one of my own to the grounds, and only took the one dog who wasn't allowed to play or share water with anyone else (more due to kennel cough going around than parvo).

If it was me, I would be avoiding dog parks with the older dog. Its not worth the risk for the sake of a few weeks.

[Salukifan]

Hello,

I was just wondering if anyone know whether an older immunised dog can carry Parvo after exposure, much the way an immunised child can still carry whopping cough for 14 days after exposure without having symptoms.

We have a older do who has daily romps around our local dog park and sniffs everything on walks. We are soon to add a puppy into the mix who will obviously waiting at hime until he's all needled up.

Basically, I dont want my older immunised dog bringing home any nasties, should I keep him at home too prior and during the dangerous time for the little miss?

Yes. Your dog doesn't have to be infected with Parvo to transport it into your home on his feet (and you on yours). I'd be staying out of high dog traffic areas like dog parks until your pup is fully immunised. I'd still walk your dog but in less dog populated areas.

[seld]

Thanks for the great responses! Looks like I will be keeping my old boy entertained at home for a few weeks. I didnt realise Parvo was so easily spread about!

[tdierikx]

Older immunised dogs can still get Parvo and be non-symptomatic... and thus shed it via the normal means.

Your best bet is to just make sure that your new pup isn't taken anywhere lots of other dogs congregate until after he/she has had all of it's vaccs and they have had time to take.

T.

[fluff1234]

I was going to enrol my pup into puppy preschool which is from 8 weeks, I thought after a shot they would be safe, how come they do puppy pre school from that age, if they are not

[Leema]

Risk from puppy preschool is far outweighed by the benefits.

http://www.dogstardaily.com/blogs/dr-ian-dunbar/puppy-classes-and-canine-parvovirus

Life is just about weighing up pros and cons and making what you think is the best decision.

[aliwake]

our first week at puppy preschool was when Nixon was 9 weeks, and it was brilliant - there were older pups that came for the first time that had already developed some issues, due to not having that socialisation. There were 2 boxers from the same litter that came, but one started maybe 3 weeks later? She was very dominant with other dogs, and it looked like something that could potentially be a big issue if not managed carefully. The pup that had been there longer was much better adjusted.

Puppy preschool was the only risk we took - Nixon was only just allowed out and about last weekend at 15 weeks after his 3rd vaccine. Our vet friend had seen 13 cases of parvo this year already, which is huge, so we were extra careful. Puppy preschool was still totally worth the risk - hopefully all the other pup's owners are being careful where they take them too...

Edited June 5, 2013 by aliwake

[tdierikx]

There are a couple of new strains of Parvo out there at the moment too... that don't have the "normal" presentation until the pup is too far gone. I just had a whole litter of rescue pups with one of the new strains... sadly we had to euthanaise the whole litter.

T.

[Dogsfevr]

Vaccinated dogs can still get parvo but avoiding high risks areas whilst the pup is home is advisable but keep in mind you can bring it home on your shoes.

Common sense should be used

We do not recommend puppy pres schools to our puppy owners not due to the risk but due to numpty staff running them & causing bigger issues in puppy behaviours & we see alot of bad manners in dogs we board that have been to puppy preschool.

[fluff1234]

Spoke to the breeder and she said not worth the risk, too many nasties going around, so will hold off until the vet gives me the go ahead. We have 4 kids, friends coming around, 2 cats and chickens, so will make sure he meets as many as we can before puppy classes after his shots :)

Risk from puppy preschool is far outweighed by the benefits.

http://www.dogstardaily.com/blogs/dr-ian-dunbar/puppy-classes-and-canine-parvovirus

Life is just about weighing up pros and cons and making what you think is the best decision.

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

much the way an immunised child can still carry whopping cough for 14 days after exposure without having symptoms.

Did you mean "catch" whooping cough, not "carry" it?

Do you have any references for "carrying" and spreading the infection from a vaccine? I thought the vaccine would prevent infections in other people. It's the best method to prevent the spread of whooping cough. Most vaccines contain a version of the virus that is not infectious but designed to provoke a body's immune system into making antibodies (which is why we can sometimes feel a bit ill after a vaccination).

It would be true to say that anyone who gets the vaccine - would not be immune until two weeks after the vaccination - so they could still catch ordinary whooping cough from "the wild virus" and spread that. Same as you keep puppy at home and away from unvaccinated dogs for two weeks after the last booster shot.

http://www.abc.net.au/health/talkinghealth/factbuster/stories/2011/02/16/3140458.htm#.UbMQ3L4iPX4

[seld]

much the way an immunised child can still carry whopping cough for 14 days after exposure without having symptoms.

Did you mean "catch" whooping cough, not "carry" it?

Do you have any references for "carrying" and spreading the infection from a vaccine? I thought the vaccine would prevent infections in other people. It's the best method to prevent the spread of whooping cough. Most vaccines contain a version of the virus that is not infectious but designed to provoke a body's immune system into making antibodies (which is why we can sometimes feel a bit ill after a vaccination).

It would be true to say that anyone who gets the vaccine - would not be immune until two weeks after the vaccination - so they could still catch ordinary whooping cough from "the wild virus" and spread that. Same as you keep puppy at home and away from unvaccinated dogs for two weeks after the last booster shot.

http://www.abc.net.au/health/talkinghealth/factbuster/stories/2011/02/16/3140458.htm#.UbMQ3L4iPX4

I probably didnt phrase that well. I meant as in a child who had been vaccinated (against pertussis)can carry it after coming into contact (without developing whooping cough) with an infected kid, not from the vaccination.

For example, my older dog is all up to date with his vaccines, but can he still spread the infection if he is exposed to it, even though he probably wouldnt exhibit symptoms.

[Mrs Rusty Bucket]

I meant as in a child who had been vaccinated (against pertussis)can carry it after coming into contact (without developing whooping cough) with an infected kid, not from the vaccination.

I guess that's like getting the flu vaccination - then getting a different strain of the flu perhaps less severely than if you were unvaccinated - and then passing that on to other people.

With parvo - I think it's more like any dog (or human) can track it in with the dirt on their feet or coat. They don't actually have to be infected to spread it.