Does having contact with a parvo puppy make you contagious?

I think I already know the answer to this, but I wanted to see what other people thought. I've been asked to take a foster puppy recovering from parvo. The vet says he needs to be away from other dogs for about three weeks.

The rescue group is having a hard time finding a foster because most foster homes have their own dogs. He could be in a home with other dogs, but would need to be kept separate, which isn't ideal for a young puppy.

I don't have a dog, but I'm going into shelters to walk dogs almost daily. My feeling is that I couldn't do that anymore if I took the foster puppy, not just because I wouldn't want to leave the puppy alone, but also because of contagion. I would never ever want to be the cause of a parvo outbreak in one of the shelters. An important factor is that most Spanish shelters don't vaccinate dogs until AFTER they are adopted.

Am I correct that I would need to completely stay away from other dogs if I took on this puppy? How long would I pose a danger? Or if I just washed all my clothes (and myself) after he went to a new home, would that make me "safe"?

I feel like I've made a commitment to do shelter dog walkies and am not ready to give that up, even for what would be a very good cause. Also feeling way too shaky emotionally to take on an adorable puppy I'd have to say goodbye to in a few weeks, but that's another story entirely.

Very conflicted.

 

@Emily_BabbelHund - I don’t know you but feel somehow I do a bit and I would say not to take on the puppy with parvo but to continue your shelter dog walking.

 

Parvovirus can stay in the environment for a long time. I was reading something recently where a owner had had a parvovirus pup and it died. They couldn't have another pup for a year because of the risk of potential infection to another dog from the contamination left by the parvovirus pup. I'll see if I can find it. I don't think I'd take the risk if I was looking for a pup.

 

Found it it's just a short piece in dogs today about puppy farmed dogs and Lucy's law in the uk. The owner can't have a new pup for a least a year due to potential parvo infection

 

OK, thank you. Definitely something that doesn't make a case for doing a foster in this case. The puppy is out of the woods and doing really well - he's been hospitalised but was discharged today, so maybe less contagious but still. My contact can find another home for him - he's not going to be in any danger if I don't take him - she just knows that as I don't have any other dogs, he'd be allowed in the whole house instead of being quarantined.

 

Jet was in obedience classes when she got Parvo. The club allowed me to continue classes using my instructor's pup (Jet was far too weak to continue) but I had to change my clothes and take a container of bleach, pour the bleach on the parking lot and walk in it before entering the building for class. Jet had just been boarded at a local Lab breeder's place and of all things her breeder was there at the time helping with a whelping and both breeders had to disinfect their kennels.

 

It really is very contagious so you definitely are best to steer clear of the poor little foster pup.

"The virus affects dogs' gastrointestinal tracts and is spread by direct dog-to-dog contact and contact with contaminated feces (stool), environments, or people. The virus can also contaminate kennel surfaces, food and water bowls, collars and leashes, and the hands and clothing of people who handle infected dogs. It is resistant to heat, cold, humidity, and drying, and can survive in the environment for long periods of time. Even trace amounts of feces from an infected dog may harbor the virus and infect other dogs that come into the infected environment. The virus is readily transmitted from place to place on the hair or feet of dogs or via contaminated cages, shoes, or other objects."

https://www.avma.org/public/PetCare/Pages/canine-parvovirus.aspx

 

Just heard from the rescue person that the poor little guy had to go back into the clinic tonight, less than 24 hours after being discharged. They will need to find someone with medical experience for him, but for now, he doesn't need a foster and is being cared for my the vet staff.

I appreciate the info and personal experiences on parvo, though. A very good reminder of how much of a devil disease it is!

On the rescue front, I agreed to take a cat for a few days instead of the puppy - my rescue contact was quite happy about that. She's an excellent negotiator.

It should be interesting, as I know nothing about cats and I'm allergic to them. But it's only for a few days and at least this way I can do my bit for fostering but still get to walk the shelter dogs. Plus who knows, maybe I'll really like this cat. At least as he's strictly indoor only, he won't be leaving me dead bunny parts like that cat I took care of last year for my neighbours. That was horrifying.

 

Horrible disease - hoping the pup makes it.

 

They're optimistic that he'll do well with a few more days medical support.

 

Poor pup. Please do not foster a parvo pup and continue the shelter walks. I worked in a vet clinic, and we had to keep any parvo pups isolated, and only the vet handled the pup, changed her medical gown before seeing patients, disinfected her hands...it is horribly contagious. Anything in your house, your yard, your garden that the parvo pup has been around has to be disinfected with a bleach solution, or a wait before another pup can safely be there. I saw far too many puppies die a painful death from this stuff.

 

Thanks for that information. Yes, I've understood now that taking the pup would have meant no more shelter walks. I think the little pup will be better off where with someone who is equipped to keep her safely isolated and has experience with this. I can help the rescue group in other ways, like taking the recovering kitty.

 

Parvo is such a horrible disease. When i was working at the dogs home we had a particularly nasty outbreak one year - a couple of dogs died and several were extremely unwell. Most of the dogs had been in their kennels or conrete exercise paddocks so these were relatively easy to disinfect but one had been in a grass paddock and we were told we werent allowed to use it for a minimum of six months - and that was only because it was over the winter and the frost in the ground would have killed the parvo. If it had been summer it would have been longer.

 

How effective is the Parvo Vaccine?

 

I thought it was very effective. Usually the cases I've heard of are unvaccinated dogs or puppies who don't have full immunisation yet. Here it wipes out the shelters because they usually don't vaccinate dogs against anything until they are adopted. Not all private shelters are like that, but certainly the public ones.

Found this on dailypuppy.com about vaccine effectiveness - sounds like it's not foolproof:

"Puppies begin their lives protected by their mothers’ antibodies. The vaccines are only effective after their mothers antibodies begin to fade from their system. No specific vaccine exists for the CPV-2c virus. However, the vaccines for the previously known types of parvovirus are also effective for the CPV-2c virus. Although vaccines can protect a puppy or an adult dog from the parvovirus, not every dog is fully protected even when fully vaccinated."

 

We became very concerned one summer. The local shelter was holding a dog contest during a festival in the late summer. We had to ask them to cancel it. People were bring pups of all ages, including just weaned, to enter into the "cutest dog" part of the contest. It was hot out, and the shelter put water containers out for all the dogs...we saw the ad in the paper and immediately went into a panic, having just lost the 8th parvo pup of that summer. Thankfully, they listened and did cancel the contest. I so want to get Moose to the park, but it's not going to happen until he's had his last 5 way vx.

 

My two previous dogs, both raised from pups (not at the same time) both contracted parvovirus. First pup nearly died, second one was very ill. It’s a nasty disease.

 

Interestingly, when I was thinking about getting my puppy in Germany, I asked my vet there about how to manage housetraining because I don't have a garden. I was thinking I'd have to use wee pads for the first three months until completely vaccinated, then teach the pup how to eliminate outside. The vet said no way - that I should get the puppy out and walking all around town from the first day (eight weeks), including elimination in the nearest bit of dirt/grass next to my apartment. I was completely shocked, but she said "We don't have parvo here - ever. And it's important for the puppy's development to get out walking on his own feet."

With my background of not only carrying my puppies everywhere but also making people walk through bleach before coming into the house, I don't know if I could ever be so relaxed about exposing a puppy to everything from day one. But I thought it was interesting - and also understood more why I had seen so many tiny puppies tumbling around the old town without a care.

 

I don't think carrying pups is common in the US either. All of ours have been on the ground from the time we got them. We carried them up and down stairs when they were small, but not outside. We did not let them interact with other dogs, unless we knew they were fully vaccinated and healthy.

 

Parvo is currently doing its deadly rounds in Porirua, and the information that the SPCA is releasing says that it can live in the environment for 5 years! One of the local vets has said that she's never come across a vaccinated dog who got parvo, but that it's possible. So at least in my corner of NZ it's highly unlikely for a fully vaccinated dog to catch it. I'm shocked that German vets would be so cavalier about the risk of parvo to young pups. You're in Europe...with people travelling from different regions and different countries with ease...I can't even with that mentality.

And *cough cough* kitty photos?