Puppies Exposed to Parvo: When Can They Have Their First Shot?
by Nancy
We're very sorry about your outdoor puppies. Your vet's advice to disinfect and keep the indoor puppies separate is important. Bleach works on hard surfaces that have been cleaned first, but dirt and grass stop it working, so keeping the puppies off that ground matters just as much. Signs of parvo usually appear 5 to 7 days after exposure, but can take up to 14 days, so two weeks without signs is encouraging. Those two weeks count from the last time they could have been exposed, including on hands, shoes or clothing after contact with the sick puppies.
At 11 weeks, your puppies are overdue to start vaccines, so please ask your vet to give the first dose as soon as possible. A vaccine won't treat an infection that's already started, so your vet will check them first. They'll then need doses every 2 to 4 weeks until they're at least 16 weeks old, because antibodies from their mother can block earlier doses.
Until the series is finished, keep them indoors and away from the area where the other puppies were. Parvo can survive outdoors for months, especially in shady, damp spots. Clean shoes and hands before handling them, and take them to a vet straight away if either one becomes lethargic, stops eating, vomits or has diarrhea.
See the DHPP vaccine and parvo in dogs.
This is general information, not a diagnosis. Please follow your own vet's advice.
