Hi, I just recently joined and mentioned I'm getting a new lab puppy. I'm getting her in under 3 weeks. So I have a 1 year old lab and I've been taking him for daily walks. Any advice on how I keep him from picking up the virus and bringing it home? Or do I have to keep from walking him until the puppy is fully vaccinated?
No, you don't need to stop walking your dog; you could just as easily bring the virus in on your shoes, so it makes little sense to stop walking your existing Lab. Since parvo can live for many months on the ground, to eliminate all risk, you would have to have never left your house with your existing dog So, back to a common sense approach, it's worth having a chat with your vet to find out how common it is in our area, and use that as your risk analysis. It may be very rare, in which case, you may choose to carry on as normal, or, if it's very common, you could choose to wash your shoes in chlorine bleach every time you come through the door. I don't know if you can use that on your dog's feet, so ask your vet what they recommend.
Yes, it's a difficult virus to avoid if it's in your area, especially with another dog around. Definitely talk to the vet and see what they recommend for people in your area. Both my previous pups got parvo, one was very sick and one not so bad as the first, but both survived, thankfully.
It's a difficult balance. I wash my boots and the other dogs' paws at the door when I have baby pups - not sure if this helps but it makes me feel better.
Thanks for the replies, I guess I will ask the vet what precautions to take and maybe I can at least wipe down my shoes and dog paws after walks. I guess I'm just being a little paranoid!
