Protecting a New Puppy from Parvo

Have you considered rescuing an adult dog that is not so at risk for parvo?

If you have had parvo in your home, use a strong bleach/water solution to kill it. Soak the yard with it -- better to kill the grass than your next dog! Be careful using it on carpets and fabrics, though. Parvo can live up to 6 months or longer in your home or yard. Before you bring home another dog, be sure it has a strong immunity to parvo. You can have a veterinarian draw blood and run a titre to find out how well your prospective dog will fare in a parvo-infected environment. Adult dogs generally have a higher resistance than puppies do, but they need to be kept current on their vaccines. If in doubt, have your vet do the titre.

'Home Care: The virus is extremely hardy and resistant to common household disinfectants. The exception is household bleach, a solution of one part bleach to 30 parts water for at least 10 minutes will inactivate the virus. Recovering dogs should be isolated from other dogs as well as from cats, it has been shown that canine parvovirus is transmissible to cats. Fecal shedding can occur for up to 10 days. All feces should be disposed of and the area should be treated for 10 minutes with the dilute bleach solution.

All living areas, bedding, food and water dishes and toys should be either disposed of or cleaned with the bleach solution. Be sure they are washed thoroughly with soap and water before reuse. Although canine parvovirus has not been shown to infect humans, many dogs have concurrent parasitic or viral infections, and proper hygiene should always be used when handling fecal materials.

Dogs recovering from natural infection are typically immune to reinfection for up to 20 months and potentially for life. It is still highly recommended that they receive their regular immunizations, as the disease is easily prevented with proper vaccination.

Action/Prevention

Proper vaccination has been shown to be protective against parvoviral enteritis. Starting between 6 and 8 weeks of age, puppies should receive a modified-live virus vaccine every three to four weeks, until they are 14 to 18 weeks of age. They should receive a booster vaccine one year following their last puppy vaccine and every three years thereafter. Puppies that have not completed their entire series of vaccines should not be walked outside until they are fully immunized.'
This info copied and pasted from----
http://www.petside.com/health/protecting_your_puppy_from_parvo_virus.php