One of our top concerns for you as a puppy parent (or want-to-be puppy parent!) is making sure you know how to protect your puppy from Parvo.
What Is Parvo?
If you didn’t know, Parvo is a deadly virus most common in puppies in the delicate stages from 6 weeks to 20 weeks old, before they have completed their last round of puppy shots.
If you’ve ever watched a puppy suffer from Parvo – it is truly so heartbreaking!!
The Symptoms of Parvo Are:
- Watery or bloody diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Lethargy
- Fever
- Won’t eat (and sometimes won’t drink)
- Rapid weight loss
If puppies who have the virus don’t get immediate care from a vet, Parvo will be fatal.
That’s is why it’s so critical you know how to protect your puppy from Parvo!
How Do I Protect My Puppy from Parvo?
So how do you protect your puppy?
Well, first you need to know how the Parvovirus is spread.
According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, Parvovirus “is spread by direct dog-to-dog contact and contact with contaminated feces (stool), environments, or people.”
Basically, your puppy can get Parvo by coming into contact with any contaminated surface.
This includes your floors at home if your shoes could’ve been contaminated by walking in public through grass, on sidewalks, in pet stores, and especially at your vet clinic!!!
If there’s a chance another dog has been there, Parvo could also be there.
Unfortunately, Parvo is very hard to kill and can remain in the ground and on surfaces for years.
It IS preventable with the Parvo vaccine – one of the core vaccines your puppy will get when you take them to the vet for their first round of shots. (Although, if you get a Sunnybelle puppy, our vet will give the first round of shots at 9 weeks old before they come home with you.)
However, what many puppy parents don’t know is just because they’ve gotten one round of shots does NOT mean they are safe from contracting Parvo!!
Your puppy has to build up immunity to the virus and that takes time.
It’s always best to wait until at least two weeks AFTER their third round of shots before you consider them safe from Parvo.
Don’t Do This….
So what does this mean for you?
Until your puppy has had their third round of shots, DON’T do these things:
- DON’T take them for a walk in the dog park (or ANY public place)
- DON’T let them potty outside unless you are 100% sure your grass is Parvo-free
- DON’T set them down on any surface where an unvaccinated dog could have been in the past few years or where people have walked with shoes that have been worn in public
You will have plenty of time to enjoy walking your dog in public for the rest of their lives once they are fully vaccinated, but while they are young puppies, it’s not worth the risk!
Some Pro Tips to Make Protecting a Puppy from Parvo Easier:
We know it’s hard waiting to do a lot of normal things (like going on a walk) in order to protect your puppy from Parvo.
After all, you’ve FINALLY got them in your arms and you’re SO excited to do all the fun things you’ve been dreaming of with them!!
Thankfully, we have some pro tips we’re sharing in our next blog post to make this season of life easier for you, since we have lived through it MANY times over the years we’ve been raising dark chocolate Shih Tzu puppies.
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We are cheering you on in your puppy raising journey, and we hope these blogposts are so helpful for you!!
Keep exploring our blog for more tips on how to enjoy your puppy and keep them healthy.