When I went on a vacation to visit my cousin, unfortunately I witnessed 2 of her puppies die from parvovirus. I was staying at her place so I was extra careful upon returning home. Although my dog is already 2 years old and is up to date with her vaccinations, I was extra careful.

Did you know that you can be carrying the parvovirus after being exposed to an infected dog?

I had fresh clean clothes and a pair of shoes left for me in our lobby that I could change into before coming up to our unit where my adorable dog was waiting for me. The luggage I brought along on my vacation, I immediately had sent to the laundromat. Call me paranoid, but I didn’t want to take any chances.

Although humans can not get infected with the canine parvovirus, we can act as carriers, spreading the virus to our canine pets.

What to Do If You Were Exposed to a Dog with Parvovirus

Here’s what you should do if ever you were exposed to a dog with parvovirus.

• Before petting any dog, make sure that you have washed and disinfected your hands.
• The virus can also stick to the soles of your shoes and even your clothes. So it’s best to have the soles of your shoes disinfected and your clothes as well.

Parvovirus Can Be Really Tough to Eradicate

Parvovirus is a tough one. As of the moment, there is no medication that can actually kill the virus. It can live for months in the environment which is why you’d have to do some serious cleaning and disinfecting in your house and yard if your dog gets infected with parvovirus especially if you have more than one dog. Although even with excellent cleaning, parvovirus can be really difficult to eradicate.

A Solution for Disinfecting Parvovirus

Parvovirus is resistant to many typical disinfectants. But you can use a solution of 1 part bleach and 32 parts water to disinfect areas where organic material is not present. You should also make sure to have the toys, food dish and water bowl of the infected dog thoroughly cleaned and then disinfected with the solution for about 10 minutes. You can also opt to just throw these items away and just buy new ones. You can use this solution to disinfect the soles of your shoes.

Grassy areas, carpeting and wood are much harder to clean. You may need to spray them with disinfectant or even do some resurfacing.

How to Protect Your Dog from Parvovirus

Sadly dogs can get infected with parvovirus. And when a dog, especially a puppy is infected, it can be fatal. Young dogs who do recover from the disease can suffer from lifelong health problems. The good news is you can protect your pup from parvovirus by having her vaccinated. The 5 in 1 vaccination covers parvovirus, distemper, hepatitis, parainfluenza, and leptospirosis. This must be considered as a core vaccine for puppies and adult dogs.

Share this to all dog owners you know via Twitter or Facebook and you might just save a dog’s life!

We’ve listed down the 7 Common and Potentially Fatal Dog Diseases in our book Dog Food Secrets 6th Edition. You might want to grab a copy and learn about the symptoms, treatments, and preventive measures of these 7 deadly dog diseases.

Image Credit: pets4homes.co.uk