Hello!

About a year ago (almost exactly a year ago) we found a little pup on our street and brought her home. She was around our three adult dogs for 3 days before we found out she had Parvo. Once we discovered this we took her to the vet and she was put into the hospital until she got better. We then brought her home and let her play with our other dogs almost immediately. None of our dogs had had their parvo booster shots in a long time before this happened, but none of them got sick.

So now, almost exactly a year later, we have another pup we found and just rehabilitated ($4000 later... ) and while we don't plan on keeping him we do want to give him the opportunity to play with the other dogs (and also, it's really sad to have to keep him quarantined). So, my question is, am I just being overly protective by not allowing him to be around the other dogs this time around? I mean, if they were going to get Parvo they would have last time right? Or will having the still infectious dog around possibly make them sick, even though they've already been exposed?

I'm not sure what to do... help!

I was told by my vet that parvo is contagious to other dogs for about one week after they have recovered. Under no circumstances should you allow an unvaccinated dog near a Parvo dog or the environment it has been in. Dogs become infected with parvo through contact with the stool of an infected dog or through the environment as well. Just because your dogs did not contract it last time is no assurance they have an immunity to it. However, Most adult dogs, even ones who have never been vaccinated, have developed some immunity to parvo throughout their lives. A dog, vaccinated or not, who is stressed or already ill could contract it far more easily that at a former time. Your dogs may not be in the same condition they were when you had the other Parvo dog.

When I had a distemper dog in my house, he stayed in a separate room. He went to the toilet out front and not out back where the other dogs go. When he came through the house to go out front, the other dogs were put up and the floor was mopped with bleach before they were allowed to return to the area he had walked through. I has separate shoes inside and outside the door where he was kept so as not to track anything out of the room.

When I took the dog to the vet, I did not let him sit in the waiting room so as not to expose other dogs to him.

These are such horrible diseases, I would never take a chance of another dog contracting it.

Oh, they're all vaccinated now, I was just unsure if that was enough... I'm guessing they'd be fine, but I'm not taking any chances... they've met him, briefly, but no bottom sniffing or real possibility of contamination. I guess I'll just wait it out, even though they are all adults and vaccinated, it's still not worth it...

Thanks for the reply!