posted 01-10-2004 08:41 PM         

An adult dog should be safe from getting parvo, if it has been vaccinated or previously exposed to the disease without coming down with it (or having it and recovering).

BUT if you are thinking of getting a new puppy, I would wait at least a couple of months and bleach EVERYTHING including the yard. An older puppy that has had all of its shots would also be safer.

If you do a search on parvo in this forum, you will find more info. A search on the web also yields a lot of info.

I'm so sorry for your loss.

posted 01-11-2004 08:27 AM         

Yes, if your dogs step on ground harboring the parvo virus and then come inside, they can bring the virus back into the house. Parvo can live for years in the dirt.

All the recommendations I have seen say to bleach not only your house, but your yard as well - anywhere the pup went. Your vet should be able to give you more specific recommendations, or look at some parvo sites on the web.

Your other dogs should be well-protected from the disease.

It sounds like your vet is partially at fault for your puppy's death, along with unfortunate circumstances that prevented her from getting her shots. I know it is not good (and potentially dangerous) to give immunizations to a sick dog, since their immune systems are compromised. But I would think a few days would have been sufficient to wait and recheck the pup then, instead of waiting two more weeks.

posted 01-11-2004 11:22 AM         

I got this from a web site about parvo:

"If you had a dog die of parvo we recommend thorough cleaning with diluted bleach (1:30 with water, or 4 ounces of Clorox in a gallon of water) and waiting 1-2 months before introducing a new dog to the area. Spray the yard as best as possible with a hose and keep new dogs away from the area for 1-2 months. Never put bleach on your dog."

Another says:

"If you have had parvo in your home, use a strong bleach/water solution to
kill it. Soak the yard with it -- better to kill the grass than your next dog!
Be careful using it on carpets and fabrics, though. Parvo can live up to 6
months or so in your home or yard. Before you bring home another dog, be sure it
has a strong immunity to parvo. You can have a veterinarian draw blood and run a
titre to find out how well your prospective dog will fare in a parvo-infected
environment. Adult dogs generally have a higher resistance than puppies do, but
they need to be kept current on their vaccines. If in doubt, have your vet do
the titre."

Check out this thread as well. The last entry says that person sprayed bleach in the yard. I don't know what dilution he/she used.
http://www.auspet.com/ubb/Forum2/HTML/001655.html

I hope this helps!

Jamiya

posted 01-11-2004 06:03 PM         

"Even after the host has appeared cured from this virus, the virus may linger around the enviromenet to infect another host. The virus is extremely hardy and survives for long periods outside its host. The virus will live in the environment up to 6 months and survives winter nicely under a blanket of snow where the temperature is usually around 25-28 degrees F. Extremely cold temperatures prior to snow fall will kill the virus. Sodium hypochlorite (bleach) is the only effective disinfecting agent. "

posted 01-12-2004 04:44 AM         

Even though both of your dogs are up to date on their vaccinations, its still very likely they can get it. I hate to scare you but its true.

One of my last puppies in our litter had all 3 rounds of her shots and still caught it. Luckily she was saved, but its possible. Once a dog gets it, and is treated, they can't get it again. Thats one good thing. Their bodies become imune to it after the infection.

posted 01-12-2004 07:23 AM         

One thing I read said a dog could get it more than once, but most things say they cannot. Common sense would say they cannot.

I think the real tragedy is that from what I have read, we created the parvo virus by contaminating dog distemper vaccines grown in cell culture medium based on cat cells that harbored feline distemper. (Or something like that - the book is at home.) The contamination was not caught, and vaccinating our pets with this distemper vaccine created parvo.

Now don't rush out to refuse the distemper vaccine - this was in the 1970's.

Supposedly, it is thought that several "modern" diseases were created in a similar way, even HIV. Scary.

Jamiya