Parvo questions

[KittyNyanNyan]

I'm a dog trainer at PetSmart and received a phone call from one of the dogs in my puppy classes. The puppy was in class last week but would be missing this class because of Parvo. Evidently the puppy was feeling better, however it was still being treated. The puppy was in class last week, and the owner had only had the puppy for less than a week before enrolling into classes (against my better judgement). The puppy was vaccinated, but had been in a shelter situation with her littermates after being thrown onto the side of the road. The puppy also had a large black spot on the back of her leg where she had no fur (which was scraped, but did not have any diseases).

I know that parvo has an incubation period of about 7 days, but the virus is shed during then correct? What would you guys do in my situation?

The beginning age for puppy classes is 10 weeks (which in my opinion is too young), and we have classes multiple times a day. Hundreds of puppies have gone in and out of that room. In that specific class, there is a ten week old yorkie. I have already notified the pet parents, but what should be done as far as the room goes? I know that we need to bleach it, but I think policy will not allow us to? We have a cleaner called Watchdog which PetSmart believes disinfects properly.

I will be calling the pet parent of the sick puppy today and advise them to not come to class until 6 weeks has passed until the puppy is deemed "healthy" to prevent the virus shedding. Is there anything else I should do?

This is not what I want. I'm not ready or willing to have a puppy's death on my shoulders.

[Mooresmajestic]

Unfortunatly every dog in that building that day (and likely after that) has been exposed. All (and I work with 8 ) vets I work with say the only way to kill parvo virus is with bleach. You should (if petsmart let's you) inform all of your training clients that a puppy in classes on that day has tested positive for parvo.

[MissKitty]

If MissKiwi doesn't post on here I would PM her, she can give you more details on the length of time the virus sheds and such.

I would contact all the dog owners who have taken classes during that time. Their dogs may not be puppies and in as much danger but they could still be carriers and need to be contained.

And I agree with Mooresmajestic, that I would not trust anything but bleach.

[Amie]

There are other products that kill parvo & other viruses. My shelter is using one called Accel because it remains effective for up to 30 days, where bleach is only effective for 24 hours or less (sometimes as little as half an hour if it comes into contact with organic matter). So I would hope that the product that your company uses is also effective against parvo (and others).

[Kingsgurl]

Watchdog will kill Parvo, but only at the proper dilution level. You have just the regular training ring, right? You aren't in a Hotel store where they have the Foam Guns? Check the box, the dilution levels should be on there if you don't have access to one of them. Did the puppy potty in the ring at all?

[KittyNyanNyan]

I told the Pet Parents in the class that the puppy was in, and one Pet Parent was unfortunately irate at me for allowing a sick dog in class. I tried to explain to her that no one could have known and I'm not allowed to deny a seemingly healthy puppy in class. I will be calling the other Pet Parents as well, and leaving a note for the other dog trainer.

I actually do have my classes in the Hotel Play Rooms, which I hope works in my favor. I can't remember specifically if the puppy had peed or not - it was chaotic as it was the first day of class. I will be calling to check on the Pet Parent again, I'm hoping that she'll pull through. It's their first dog :/ She survived being thrown from a moving car, and now she's fighting parvo. This poor pup.

[Kingsgurl]

Put the foam gun on C when you clean. It's on the label. The sealed concrete floors give no place for the virus to live either. If you mopped up any messes the pup might have made while in the ring and none of the other puppies came in contact with it before you did, their exposure is limited.

It sucks that in order to capitalize on a puppies socialization window that they aren't fully vaccinated yet, but that ring is about as sterile a place as you can get. Hope the little mite pulls through.

[Leslie H]

It seems like you're really being responsible and taking a lot of initiative as well. I'm sorry if the puppy owner complained, I imagine they were distressed by what they heard. I'm surprised that PetSmart doesn't have a set policy, but if I was your boss, I'd give you a raise.

[Misskiwi67]

I broke out Greene's infectious disease to make sure I had everything right before posting...

-Most common detergents and disinfectants fail to inactivate CPV (canine parvovirus). One common exception is sodium hypochlorite, or common household bleach. It should be diluted to 1 part bleach to 30 parts water, and exposure should be prolonged (a minimum of 10 minutes) and thorough.

-The incubation period in the field is 7-14 days, but has been seen in 4-5 days experimentally.

-Active excretion of virus begins on the 3rd or 4th day after exposure, generally before clinical signs appear.

-The virus spreads rapidly from dog to dog via oronasal exposure to contaminated feces.

-Parvovirus is know to persist on inanimate objects, such as clothing, food pans and cage floors for 5 months or longer. Dogs may carry the virus on their hair for extended periods of time, and people, instruments, insects and rodents may serve as vectors.

[Kingsgurl]

The dilution is 4 oz per gallon, and it specifically can not be mixed with bleach. We switched to this because it does kill parvo.
http://www.buckeyeinternational.com/pro ... index.html

[Misskiwi67]

I checked my veterinary only boards on the topic, and there is a virologist who states that quaternary ammonium compounds (like the one used at petsmart) are only minimally effective against enveloped viruses like parvo.

His studies have shown that despite the claim of the company, it only reduces virus numbers by a single log, which is not good.

[KittyNyanNyan]

Thanks for the replies everyone!

I've done all that I can so far It's against policy to clean with anything other than PetSmart approved cleaners. All I can do is hope for the best for the pup and keep my ears pealed for any other puppies that may be sick.

[Misskiwi67]

Thanks for the replies everyone!

I've done all that I can so far It's against policy to clean with anything other than PetSmart approved cleaners. All I can do is hope for the best for the pup and keep my ears pealed for any other puppies that may be sick.

If any other puppies get sick, I would raise hell with management AND management above your store. Until then, cross your fingers all the pups have immunity and all will be well.