Quarantine And Hygenic Practices In General - Thoughts?

[tdierikx]

The recent spate of puppy parvo cases we've seen here of late has got me thinking...

I'm thinkng of not only the quarantine practices of where they end up in care, but the whole process of them getting into rescue - temporary foster carers, transport, etc.

Any thoughts on how to minimise the possibility of infection when sometimes a pup (or litter) goes through quite a few hands and environments before reaching the rescue that has stuck up their hands for it/them?

T.

[koalathebear]

Good question tdierikx. To be honest, I can't really 'trust' anything or even know anything before the dog gets to my house so all I can do is assume the worst (possible parvo) and institute quarantine once they get here - which is what we did this time.

If we foster again and choose to foster a dog directly from a pound again, we will go and pick the dog up ourselves so that at least we can ensure that it's picked up in a bleachable vehicle, does not infect any other dog and also can't be infected during transport etc.

I know this limits where we can get dogs from, but there are plenty of pounds around the ACT/NSW area that have working dogs so I should imagine we won't find it hard to find a dog :p

Edited July 14, 2013 by koalathebear

[Podengo]

To those of you that quarantine a dog in your home, what sort of set up do you have? Do they toilet somewhere entirely different to where the rest of your dogs go? The logistics of it is quite mind boggling LOL. We rescued a dog once, that was not vaccinated, but luckily I was good friends with someone that owned a boarding kennel and they had a large quarantine set up so we were able to keep him somewhere until he was vaccinated...

[tdierikx]

Normally I have my fosters quarantined at our rescue's kennels before they come to me - but the last lot were not... and they had parvo.

They were contained to only the granny flat and the outside pen area - both of which are now unusable for at least 12 months due to wooden floors in the granny flat, and dirt/grass in the pen. The rest of my yard should be relatively clear, but still no fosters allowed for at least 12 months to be much more certain.

All crates/cages/playpens/bedding/toys etc they were in contact with have been bleached and F10'd or destroyed. My car has been F10'd also - but I'd still not offer to transport anyone's pups for at least 6 months in my car.

As soon as my pups were diagnosed with parvo, I contacted the people who transported them to me, and advised that they F10, bleach, or destroy anything those pups had come into contact with while with them - also gave advice that the overnight foster carer that had them should do the same.

But how can you ensure that everyone in the chain is keeping up with good hygeine practices so that diseases like parvo aren't spread far and wide?

T.

[kelpiecuddles]

Unless you implicitly trust everyone in that chain then you can't.

I used to quarantine birds for 4 weeks in cages in an unused bathroom which worked well for me. In the case of dogs I'd be looking to use a laundry that opens on to a concrete paved house side which is enclosed with olorbond fence at both ends(preferably with a second stand off fence at the backyard end as well) It's still not what I consider perfect but it's the closest most people in a home situation could get.

[Loving my Oldies]

But how can you ensure that everyone in the chain is keeping up with good hygeine practices so that diseases like parvo aren't spread far and wide?

T.

You can't and the subject has been discussed ad finitum. A search will find lots of questions about the transport of dogs straight from pounds.

[honeybun]

I transport regularly. and am always worried about what a new dog may bring with it.

Of course there are other worries apaert from parvo, but of course not as bad.

Like whip worm and contagious skin diseases, a couple I have struck recently.

I use F10, found bleach badly damages my crates.

Throw away any towels, mats etc.

[tdierikx]

But how can you ensure that everyone in the chain is keeping up with good hygeine practices so that diseases like parvo aren't spread far and wide?

T.

You can't and the subject has been discussed ad finitum. A search will find lots of questions about the transport of dogs straight from pounds.

But it never hurts to have a reminder topic every now and then, does it DD? Just so none of us becomes complacent...

Especially as we are seeing larger numbers of parvo popping up right now...

T.

[koalathebear]

But it never hurts to have a reminder topic every now and then, does it DD? Just so none of us becomes complacent...

Especially as we are seeing larger numbers of parvo popping up right now...

T.

Absolutely. And another outbreak at Orange :'( http://www.centralwesterndaily.com.au/story/1632135/deadly-dog-virus-hits-orange-shelter/?cs=12

[Loving my Oldies]

For sure, T, but probably just open the topic up again by referring to the outbreaks and linking past threads

[minimax]

For sure, T, but probably just open the topic up again by referring to the outbreaks and linking past threads

Who knew, all this time Troy is actually Danny's Darling.

[koalathebear]

We have been using bleach to clean the car, crates, some clothes and towels (we threw away some as well), flooring, shoes, puppy pen etc but bleach is awful for the skin so I bought F10 wet wipes and hand gel but was a bit concerned when this article indicated that perhaps F10 might not be as effective against parvo as I thought. Extract below:

F10?:

F10 is non-toxic and non-corrosive and minimally irritant but, like any strong disinfectant, should be used in well-ventilated areas and not breathed-in. According to the label, to kill parvovirus, F10 must be diluted to a 1:125 concentration and must maintain contact with parvo-contaminated surfaces for a minimum of 30 minutes. After use, the F10 should be rinsed thoroughly and the region dried well before reintroduction of an animal.

My concern with this product's parvo claims is that it contains quaternary ammonium compounds and biguanides, neither of which is particularly effective at killing non-enveloped viruses like parvo. A recent shelter vet conference I attended featuring a vet from UC Davis discussed this product and her recommendation was to avoid F10 for parvoviral disinfection as it was considered not highly effective.

Edited July 15, 2013 by koalathebear

[mita]

But how can you ensure that everyone in the chain is keeping up with good hygeine practices so that diseases like parvo aren't spread far and wide?

T.

You can't and the subject has been discussed ad finitum. A search will find lots of questions about the transport of dogs straight from pounds.

But it never hurts to have a reminder topic every now and then, does it DD? Just so none of us becomes complacent...

Especially as we are seeing larger numbers of parvo popping up right now...

T.

Couldn't agree more, T. There's even a name for the kind of learning which needs to become automatic....called over-learning.

And every time the subject comes up, I've noticed there's been variations and slightly different emphasis.

This thread has taken the topic from single location to moving often via a number of people/ cars/places, as dogs/puppies are transported from pounds. So the emphasis here, is on continuity & agreed upon procedures right along a chain.

It also highlights record-keeping - as any patterns in outbreaks might be traced.

The thread is about sharing information about procedural guidelines, not about witch-hunting anyone who transports dogs/puppies from pounds.

Edited July 15, 2013 by mita

[Maddy]

I think some people just honestly don't know what to look for.

I'll admit I've become wary of helping out other groups as the last transfer we accepted had tapeworm, ringworm and KC. The KC he was supposed to have been treated for (but he still had it) and because they didn't inform us of the ringworm, I had to boil/bleach/F10 everything he'd touched and then watch the other dogs like a hawk to make sure it didn't spread. It ended up being a VERY expensive exercise and could have been entirely prevented by the dog being quarantined before the rescue sent him down.

Personally, even though we don't have much space, I don't have too many problems. Greyhounds have always received at least a C3 so never had parvo here. I check for worms/fleas before the dog is allowed past the second gate and if they do have worms, they toilet on concrete until they've had at least two goes through on two different brands of wormer. KC is something we've only seen once and that was from the dog mentioned above (all the other dogs were C5 vacc'd so it didn't spread). Dogs generally stay on our property until we get the C5 done, even if they've had a fairly recent C3. I'm paranoid about contamination so I keep a calendar in my dog room with marked dates for worming/flea treatment and each dog has its own folder containing its vaccs card and any health notes.

Frankly, I'd be mortified if a dog I was transferring to another group was found to be carrying anything. I wish I could be surprised that other people don't feel the same way but.. I'm not that naive.

[stellnme]

I would say that we can never have too many reminders about parvo and infection control.

[tdierikx]

Virkon-S and Trigene are also effective against parvo... but pretty much ALL methods of removing parvo with a solution of chemicals is to have it in contact with the surface being cleaned for 20-30 mins, then washed off... very time consuming and a PITA - but what price the lives we are entrusted with, hey?

Porous surfaces are the worst to clean (but not as hard as getting it out of dirt)... and depending on the surface, it may just not be viable/feasible to get it properly clean. Travel crates and cages are the easiest to clean, as they are mostly non-porous (yay), but bedding, newspaper, etc, is just easier to destroy than to get properly clean. I've destroyed all bedding, toys, etc that were too hard to guarantee being clean enough for reuse.

mita has a great point there - we ALL need to be on the same page when it comes to getting dogs to and fro - if the chain of "cleanliness" and "isolation" (to the best extent we can anyways) between pound and carer is broken, there is a possibility that the dogs we care enough about to save may get sick and actually die... and for that reason alone we should all keep the issue foremost in our minds, yes?

Right now we are seeing a very early start to the "parvo season", and the number of infected dogs is rising daily. None of us wants to be thought responsible for adding to the problem, do we?

I'm not looking for a witch hunt to find and point fingers at anyone - the parvo problem itself supercedes that sort of mentality. All I'm looking for is a good educational reminding of the dangers out there, and hoping that we are ALL doing our absolute damndest to not contribute to the problem.

T.

[_PL_]

It's very very hard to have a standard protocol when you have to get several transport legs happening. Crates, are great but don't always follow the dogs for the whole trip. A pinned post for transport volunteers detailing disinfection and handling would be helpful.

Years ago pups were sent all over the place, flying. But as the parvo cases popped up, the offers of help disappeared. Really the only way is temp care quarantine before moving anyone. And that just hasn't ever been possible in all situations.

I have refused interstate poundies much to the confusion of people asking me to help.

And I had to bite my tongue and not take a gorgeous silky x pup from a rural (I personally consider high risk esp with pups) because the only way to get her was straight onto a plane.

So she got rescue anyway, went into the baggage hold with other people's pets, flew to QLD and went straight to the vet with parvo the next day. There has to be some common sense exercised to avoid some of these situations.

[mita]

It's very very hard to have a standard protocol when you have to get several transport legs happening. Crates, are great but don't always follow the dogs for the whole trip. A pinned post for transport volunteers detailing disinfection and handling would be helpful.

Really the only way is temp care quarantine before moving anyone. And that just hasn't ever been possible in all situations.

Agree with all this. Maybe the pinned post cautioning about disinfection & handling should always be given as a reference every time a volunteer is involved in a transportation 'chain'. Along with a reminder temp care quarantine would be best, if possible. But, if not.... then every care, as set out in the PP, should be exercised.

[the cat lady]

What a great thread.

I just wanted to add that some years ago I was assisting with transport of dogs from the pound to about 3 different rescue groups in sydney.

Being a bit nieve and just wanting to help the animals, I was anaware of the massive risk I was taking.

I know it was my responsibility and I should have been more aware and cautious, but these animals were transported just in our family car.

None of the rescue groups ever mentioned the importance of using crates that could be properly cleaned, or the risks involved with possible parvo.

I imagine there are a lot of people out there doing the same thing.

None of the rescue groups asked how I would be transporting (crates etc) or suggested any method of cleaning up, I guess they were just happy for someone to do it.

In hindsight it would have been great to have had information about possible risks and how to avoid them.

I'm not sorry I did the transport and would do it again, if I were in a position to do so, but it is always better to be informed.

[RuralPug]

It's very very hard to have a standard protocol when you have to get several transport legs happening. Crates, are great but don't always follow the dogs for the whole trip. A pinned post for transport volunteers detailing disinfection and handling would be helpful.

....Really the only way is temp care quarantine before moving anyone. And that just hasn't ever been possible in all situations.

.....

Yes.

I really would like to see more people organising transport and foster care thinking about holding periods and hygiene.

I always allow two weeks quarantine where the animal has been roaming or in kennels/pound prior to coming to me. Which means that I can only take in one at a time and frequently none, as I am holding in quarantine for another rescue, and I only have quarantine spaces for one dog and one cat (although in both cases I can hold a pair if they come in together).

In an ideal world, each rescue group would have some carers who specialise in initial holding periods with housing and toileting surfaces easily disinfected etc.