Has anyone else got a litter of pups at the moment?  If so, what precautions are you taking, aside from the usual good practice, when it comes to reducing the chances of parvo transmission, particularly from visits from potential puppy owners? 

We have a few that will be coming that have dogs of their own already and I (more than hubby) am becoming more and more worried as more news about parvo comes out.  Would foot-dips be OTT or sensible?  Obviously not to bring their own dogs but anything else?

Ta!

I'm in Bristol and we've had an outbreak of parvo, we've had a foot dip at the front door, I make sure people use hand sanitizer before handling pups and always insist on pups sitting on a blanket on new owners laps.

I don't care if it seems OTT, I'm just being extra pre cautious!

I always soak a carpet sample in Parvocide and spray clothes and hands on entering the house.

Thanks for your replies.  Will hand santizer be enough for hands?  I.e. would that kill the virus???  I was actually advised once that bleach kills Parvo but not sure people will want to wash their hands in it!  I have a really good anti-viral disinfectant to use for foot dips...

I have 4dogs of my own and 1 of the is pregnant(my others are neutred), and Im scared sensless about this recent outbreak which is spreading within my area. My dogs are all up to date on jabs ect so that should offer protection to them and to mum ad pups. Parvo is one of those diseases that can and will survive anywhere! It lives for 3 YEARS in mud/dirt. And all it takes is for somome who have been walking in a park sat on a bench that an infected doghas been near and the disease is on them! Also your bitch or other dgs could pick the disease up on their wat home so there walk.

I wont use bleach around my animals AT ALL! What use is Formula H and at the moment Virkon both are VERY expensive FH is about 15 pound for 2 liters I think and the other is about 30 pound for 50 tablets. but 1 tablet makes up 500mls I think! and kills almost all diseases! I wash floors doors ect in the formula H and anything else that I dont prepare fod on, the virkon is good for food surfaces as once it dries theres no chance it will cause problems with any food! the virkon is also great for spraying your clothes after you have been out (although perspective buyers probably wont agree to this!). I have used it on my hands, as well! Although I dont think its supposed to be used for that lol, ask them to wash their hands in detol AND use hand sanitiser after they have dried them!
What I intend to do once the pups are old enough for viewing is insist that shoes are taken off before entering my home,(I have bought loads of slippers/flipflop lol) disentfect the room with formula H before and after they leave, I have hand sanitiser ect. (Theres no point in asking for vacc cards if they have dogs as they could be decitful and just borrow one! so I think its best just to keep everything clean!) Also the room I will be having the puppies in will have PLASTIC chairs so that I can simply wash any disease off them! Also they will have to wash thier hands before entering the room with the pups, I also think that a blanket on their laps may help as well, as someone here said!

I personally dont think you can go ott when it comes to care of pups or older animals for that matter! but some clients may take offense to this! But on the othr hand if I was going to a breeder now to buy a dog and they asked me to use hand sanitiser foot clips ect I would think they must care about their animals otherwise they would have just let me wade in!

Hi Samie,

Thanks ever so much for taking the time to write all that!  And a good few ideas you've given me... I'm planning to definitely use a Virkon soaked carpet and/or virkon foot dip for those not wearing flip-flops! 

I'm considering an idea that I've heard before and that is to get them to put carrier bags over their feet... I think it's feet/shoes that are going to be the most likely cause/risk of any transmission but I will also def insist on dettol/anti bac handwash aswell.

On another note, I have to make a vet visit today with a dog.... I'm even a little worried about visiting vets... am I being paranoid?  I am lucky in that where I walk my dogs it's completely private so no other people/dogs.

I'm even a little worried about visiting vets... am I being paranoid?
I think that's a reasonable fear.  It's the place where there is most infection and although I've seen Vets wipe the consulting table, I've never seen any spray the surgery of waiting room for air borne bugs, even after a dog was coughing with kennel cough! :(

When I take pups to be eye tested I transport them in (almost) solid cardboard cat carriers. I spray the consulting room with Parvocide before I take them out and give a puff into their travelling box before I put them back in.

Parvocide and some other disinfectants deals with bacteria, viruses and fungi, whoch your average sand sanitizer doesn't do.

Bought some Johnsons Clean n safe from Pets at Home a couple of weeks ago and notice that it states that it is effective against canine parvovirus, amongst other things.

Well spoke to the vet at the same time and she said that it's not airbourne, it is transmitted in faeces which can of course be the most minute amount on dog's pads or our feet etc.... shoes all sprayed with virkon now... can't really do much more than I'm doing and will just have to insist on what I've mentioned above for visitors...

she said that it's not airbourne
Many other nasty bugs that can harm puppies are..........

Oh yes sorry wasn't saying you were wrong, I was just referring in that reply to Parvo...

Some time back I had a litter of (and I quote the vet here) 7 beautiful,clean,healthy BC puppies which I dutifully took for their first vaccination. Two days later I was in the midst of a nightmare as one by one they all fell ill and were hospitalised by the very same vet. In spite of a £3000 vet bill trying to save them all, I lost two of them. I felt very strongly that the vaccination had caused them to fall ill and the vaccine company paid for an autopsy on one of my little ones. The results came back saying it was impossible to link their vaccine to my little one's untimely death. My dilemma then, was IF Parvovirus was now present on my property, how best to protect any other puppies in the future? I threw myself into researching Canine Health, switched all my dogs overnight to a raw diet, threw away every chemical wormer and chemical flea control that I had in the cupboard and took my first steps on the road back to ultimate health for my beloved Border Collies. (The alternative which I had also researched, would have been even more of a toxic and chemical onslaught on my frail little survivors - now the fittest healthiest and vibrant bunch you could ever wish to meet :) )

These days I do not vaccinate the pups I intend to keep and I do not booster my older dogs (They have only ever had their first puppy shots) and now have my first generation of completely raw fed, unvaccinated, chemical free BCs. I use Diatomateous Earth for worming and parasite control and I protect my puppies from 3 weeks old with Homeopathic Nosodes which I obtain from (the very wonderful) Christopher Day at the AVMC. This protocol allows my puppies complete freedom to be outside in the sunshine from 4 weeks old, to mix with the older dogs and I don't worry about my new puppy guardians visiting, holding and interacting with my babies. 

I believe very strongly that we are poisoning our pets with the toxic overload from monthly wormers, flea control, over vaccination, household cleaners, commercial diets and other environmental pollution.

I realise that my views may not be the mainstream but I intend never to lose a precious puppy ever again and will do everything in my power to ensure my dogs live a chemical free, healthy and happy existence, as Nature in her infinite wisdom intended.   

Visiting the vets shouldnt be too much of a problem, well I dont think it would be at mine becauses there floors are mopped frequently and if there is any diseases like parvo or a possible case there isolated and taken through a side door, so that theres less risk to other animals. In saying that I think your concerns are founded because some vets can be a disater! I wentto one some years ago where there was dried blood on the wall behind some chairs and I pointed it out to them and 1 week later it was still there! But if your vets hygine is very good there should be an issue!

Although vets can help a litte when it comes to giving owners some information of what diseases are present in the area, there has to be a large number of cases within a small area to warrant a "warning" so to speak! where all vets within the city/town are notified! Besides there are not enough "caring" breeders out there to contain the disease, Im not saying anyoe here is but puppy farmers are a good example! It would be easier for them to just let the infected dogs die, burn their bodies and just get other new dogs, than it would be for a vet t call and treat possibly over100 dog, also if a breeder has parvo on the premses nothing is supposed to go on or off until the disease is controlled or unless at a vets advice, which means they would be losing 1000s. But I think it would help if people hada rough idea of how close the disease is to them and if they should be extra cautious.

I live near Gloustershire and there has been cases here!

Can't you just have people remove their shooes, wash their hands then use hand sanitizer- I am sure they will undertsand its for the safety of the litter, well I no I would :-)