Parvo protection.

Dr. Marie replied:

Thanks for asking such a great question!

Parvo is much more common in some areas than others. A great idea would be to phone a few vet clinics in your area and ask how often they see cases of parvo. This can give you an idea of how prevalent the virus is in your area.

Most likely, the risk of parvo will be very small. A dog gets parvo by ingesting the virus. So, usually where we see dogs getting parvo is if a dog has stepped in diarrhea (that has parvo virus in it) and then licks his paws. He cannot get it from just sniffing a parvo infected area.

In theory the virus can stick around for many months which is why we advise people to clean things thoroughly with bleach if they have had a parvo positive puppy in the house. However, the chances of your dog just randomly picking up parvo from the bottom of someone's shoe are small.

Here's another factor that is in your favour...parvo is much more common in certain breeds. For some reason black and tan breeds like rottweilers and dobermans are more susceptible. While any dog can get parvo, Goldens are not as commonly affected as other dogs.

To answer your second and third questions, you can lessen the risk by only taking your new pup to areas that you know are safe. Stay away from public parks or areas where you know that lots of dogs defecate. The pup will have decent protection within a week of the second vaccine (likely given at 10-12 weeks of age), and very good protection after the third vaccine which will be given a month later.

Thank you for being so concerned about your new pup. I hope everything goes well for you!

Dr. Marie.


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Dr. Marie replied:

Ah, yes, sorry for forgetting that part of your question!

An important question to ask your petsitter is whether all of her other clients are vaccinated (and whether she has seen proof of vaccines.)

If so, the risk is minimal.

An animal really can't be a carrier of parvo or exist asymptomatically. In theory, if Dog A stepped in Dog B's diarrhea (who had parvo) they could have virus particles on their foot and then if your dog licked that dog's foot then Max could get it. But there is a lot that has to happen in order for that to occur.

Going back and reading your question, I see that the pet sitter won't actually be taking Max with other dogs. What I would suggest is asking her to leave her shoes outside (in case she stepped in parvo-virus-laden stool) and that will virtually eliminate the risk.

Hope that answers the question for you!

Dr. Marie.

Dr. Marie replied:

Sorry for the delay..I had gone to bed after my last reply.

While it won't hurt to have her wash her hands it is probably a little bit of overkill.

You're very welcome!

Dr. Marie.