[TrioKIT]

Yea, it was a little late, but I didn't see all of the answers and updates. I know they are unproven, but if things get really serious I figured trying anything could be worth a try. Though labman you seem to have more experience :)

[doggie_poopie]

Parvo can live in the soil for 6-9 months after exposure. I would NOT recommend you getting another puppy UNLESS it was older and has had three series of vaccinations at the appropriate times.

[Lisa Blackburn]

I'm hosing my entire yard with the recommended bleach/water solution, and I'm also disinfecting EVERYTHING in my home that has been exposed to the dog as a precaution. Because Otto never had the trademark Parvo diarhhea, we're thinking it probably was some other variety of virus, perhaps even a canine influenza strain. I can't imagine waiting nine months before getting another puppy. It's all my kids talk about and the ony thing that's softening the blow of Otto's unfortunate demise. Do you really think it's such a risk even if I'm bleaching everything in sight? My understanding (with backing from the vet and dog-related Web sites) is that a bleach/water solution will kill the germs. I do have some concerns about certain furniture items, such as my burgundy couch. I don't want to bleach it. Do you have any other effective disinfectant recommendations for items not ideal for bleaching?

[Lisa Blackburn]

I just wanted to let everyone who was nice enough to offer advice that we've reserved a new pup from a litter of pure-bred German Shepherds. She's a female, and we've named her Minka, an old German name meaning "strong and resolved." The firstborn in the litter, she's nice and plump and absolutely adorable... like a little bear. Apparently, she's one fancy dog. too Her grandfather is a three-time national champ! The owners showed me the pedigrees for her parents to demonstrate that they weren't inbred. I met both the parents :D . The father is a big black and tan, and the mother is solid white... a beautiful female, larger than average. All the pups are black and tans.

I followed up with the animal shelter where I adopted Otto and inquired about whether they'd had a recent outbreak of Parvo or other illness. They told me know -- that they'd not had any dogs fall ill nor received reports from other adopters about sick or dead dogs. They actually were very nice, very apologetic, and offered me a full refund of the adoption fees. This information, and the fact that Otto never presented the trademark Parvo symptom of chronic diarrhea, pretty much rules out Parvo for me. I'm still taking the precaution of satitizing my home and yard with bleach, just to be on the safe side. Minka will be old enough to leave her mother after Thanksgiving. She'll have a thorough veterinary exam before we bring her home. We're so excited!!

[labman]

Even a puppy that leaves the breeder healthy can easily pick up something once it is home or even on the way home. The dog guide school has advised us, that are out of town, not to use the dog exercise runs at rest stops. Too many times they gave out a litter of puppies over a weekend, and one that had a long trip to its new home came down with parvo or something right away.

Treating your lawn will protect your new puppy from what the last puppy had, but not from what some loose running dog wanders in with. I feel better about having part of my yard fenced. And since they have service dog tags, I have places I can take my puppies where there aren't poorly cared for dogs. I also have outings I must attend that have other well cared for puppies.

Still, it is very important to get you puppy out around strangers and other dogs before it is 12 weeks old. More so with a German Shepherd with genetic tendencies of distrust of strangers. Try to arrange play dates with other people you know take good care of their dogs. Many younger dogs enjoy a chance to play with other dogs, and are surprising gentle with puppies. For strange people, choose high traffic areas with people where the elopes running dogs are less likely to survive to spread disease.

[Lisa Blackburn]

I have a lead on what may have afflicted my puppy. Lady, a dog that hangs out two doors from my husband's business fell ill a couple of days ago. (Otto had visited the shop and played with the pup briefly twice.) This dog is a yellow lab just a few months older than ours was. Thankfully, she's okay and is beginning to recover already. I got this info secondhand, but reportedly her vet diagnosed her with coronavirus. I am anxious to find out if this was merely a guess based on her symptoms or the result of a fecal test.

Coronavirus isn't something that came up while I was trying to figure out what was wrong. I've just found some info on the Web about it. It seems that the symptoms are similar to parvo (primary symptom chronic diarrhea) but that the virus is far less serious and rarely ever fatal. (I read some conflicting reports about the symptom details, however.) I'm skeptical about whether this is what afflicted Otto because, again, diarrhea really wasn't the issue. Also, the few dogs that die apparently do so because they dehydrate, and Otto got IV fluids two days in a row and was fed water, yet he succumbed anyway.

Has anyone had experience with coronavirus? Whereas I'm able to find plenty of info on the parvo germs and disinfecting methods, I'm finding little on disinfecting for coronavirus. I'm still disinfecting as though it were parvo, but I'd feel much more at ease with a new puppy coming in a few weeks if I thought it were a less-severe ailment. Do you know how long coronavirus lives in the home/yard?

[labman]

I don't have an answer on how long lived the virus is. I do want to say I appreciate your informative post. It is much better having an answer. The Corona virus is the C in DAPPLC combo vaccine puppies get several times. If you followed my link to the AVMA site, you saw shots are repeated hoping to hit window between when the mother's immunity wears off and the puppy is exposed.

[doggie_poopie]

For future knowledge Bleach will disenfect things in your house... It will not take care of Parvo in the yard! Period. It gets into the soil and that is why some recommend waiting on a puppy. Of course it is your choice. Just a recommendation. It would be horrible to lose another puppy.
Canine Coronavirus

Canine Coronavirus (CCV) is the second leading viral cause of diarrhea in puppies with canine Parvovirus being the leader. Unlike Parvovirus, Coronavirus infections are not generally associated with high death rates. Canine Coronavirus is not new to the canine population; it has been known to exist for decades. Most domestic dogs, especially adults, have measurable Coronavirus antibody titers indicating that they were exposed to canine Coronavirus at some time in their life. Its importance as an infectious disease and killer of dogs has probably been over estimated by vaccine manufacturers and some veterinary authorities.

Canine Coronavirus is a single stranded RNA type of virus with a fatty protective coating. Because the virus is covered in a fatty membrane it is relatively easily inactivated with detergent and solvent type disinfectants. It is spread by virus shedding in the feces of infected dogs.

What are the symptoms?
The primary symptom associated with canine Coronavirus is diarrhea. As with most infectious diseases, young puppies are more affected than adults. Unlike Parvovirus, vomiting is not common. The diarrhea tends to be less profuse than that associated with parvovirus infections. Although canine Coronavirus is generally thought of as a milder cause of diarrhea than Parvovirus, there is absolutely no way to differentiate the two without laboratory testing. Both Parvovirus and Coronavirus cause the same appearing diarrhea with an identical odor. The diarrhea associated with Coronavirus usually lasts several days with low mortality. To complicate the diagnosis many puppies with a severe intestinal upset (enteritis) are affected by both Coronavirus and Parvovirus simultaneously. Mortality rates in puppies simultaneously infected may approach 90 percent.

What are the risks?
As previously stated, canine Coronavirus has been widespread among the canine population for many years. Many dogs, especially adults, are either naturally immune and not susceptible or develop a very mild, oftentimes unnoticeable, case of the disease. Puppies less than twelve weeks of age are at the greatest risk and some especially weaker ones will die if exposed and infected. Most puppies, however, will recover after several days of mild to severe diarrhea.

Most puppies don't die of Corona, so maybe the puppy had something else wrong in addition to the virus. However, I ran a shelter for 5.5 yrs and just because a dog doesn't have diarrhea isn't a reason to not suspect Parvo. It just could have been atypical.

Please make sure your new puppy is current on vaccinations and you continue to get the appropriate vacs at the correct intervals.
PS. Has the parents been OFA cert.

[Lisa Blackburn]

Thanks, again, doggie_poopie. It's a pretty safe bet that corona is what ailed our pup. Like I said, a lab test confirmed it's what infected the dog that interacted with ours. (She's fully recovered, now, BTW.) Plus, an employee of the animal shelter where I adopted Otto confirmed that they've seen no Parvo cases there nor received reports of adopted dogs turning up parvo positive. Certainly had Otto contracted such as highly contagious and dangerous illness there would have been others infected there as well. (I personally saw them pull Otto out of tight quarters with three other pups.)

I've not inquired about OFA certification. I'll have to ask the owners about that.

[Lisa Blackburn]

Oh, okay. I have to admit, I didn't even know what OFA certification was until I Googled it just now. I do recall the owner telling me that neither the nor the sire, nor any puppies they've produced have ever been found to have hip dysplasia, elbow problems or any other heriditary complications. He was rattling off all kinds of data and even showed me the parents' pedigrees to demonstrate that they aren't related (i.e. inbred). The sire is a Heidelberg, and the grandfather dog a three-time national champ. That much I remember. The owners may have mentioned OFA certification, but since I'm not schooled on these issues, a lot of what they said went in one ear and out the other. I'm going to get the complete lowdown on the puppy before I bring her home. I'm sure this all makes me seem like an idiot to someone who works with these types of dogs every day.

I guess I've got a lot to learn. I was just glad to find a beautiful baby shepherd available. Remember, I was willing to settle for a shepherd mix with an unknown past from the pound before. Obviously, that didn't go so well, but I figure this one's got a lot more going for her... with a pricetag to match. :rolleyes:

[Lisa Blackburn]

Interesting feature of this site? Or was it moderation? I see my usage of the common term for a femal dog (in this case, what was meant as the literal meaning) was edited out.:D

[darlene v]

I adopted a puppy from our local pound two days ago. He's about nine weeks old. At first, he was relatively playful, ate a bit (although not as much as I though he should), pooped once (solid) and seemed generally okay except for a hacking cough. I brought him to the vet yesterday, and he was found to have a temperature about a degree and a half above normal. The vet put him on antibiotics (Clavamox) and also gave me some tablets for cough and instructed me to administer one half tablet every eight hours. At about 3:45 a.m., the puppy's wimpering awakened me. I let him out of his kennel, and he went out and peed in the yard. Then, I put him back in his kennel. At about 7 a.m., I awoke to find a good bit of foul-smelling mucousy goo on his face, ears, etc. I cleaned him up, put him on his doggie bed and covered him with a soft towel. He has been lethargic all day, refusing to eat or play. I have been able to get him to willingly lap up water from time to time, and by the hardest I spoon fed him chicken broth mixed with a little puppy chow. I reported his condition to the vet today via phone and was told they'd done all they could really do to treat his illness ... I'll just have to wait and see. I'm so worried! I have little experience with dogs. (I've had cats.) I don't want to just sit and watch this sweet little thing die! Any advice on what to do or ideas on what could be afflicting him? My kids (and I!) will be crushed if this ends badly! Help!

My dog about 3 weeks ago was sleeping and not eatting and drinking took him to the vet he said he was healthy . 10 days later I noticed maverick was not right so I called another vet emergency at 2 am not drinking and sleeping seemed not with it. He started to vomit smelled terrible Test were ran that is when I found out my dog had parvo he was hospitalized for 3 days and then passed. Mav also had all his shots also. So please have your dog tested for parvo Immediately don't wait and I hope its nothing but do this for your piece of mind and the dogs life darlene

[Lisa Blackburn]

Um, that puppy died like four months ago. You'll see that if you read the whole thread. (LOL, although it's really not funny.) Thanks, though. I know you were just trying to help. We have a new dog now. She's a three-month-old German Shepherd... healthy as a horse and getting big fast! We love her!