Question by April D: How far do you need to go to protect your puppy between vacinations?
I have read all your lovely responses to peoples queries about the suseptiability of puppies to desease before and shortly after their second vacinations. The problem I have is I live on a sail boat in England. I have no back yard! I planned to train the dog to go ‘outside’ or on designated aborbent matting in a litter tray (for long sailing trips). The litter tray training will not be a problem, but how am I to train the puppy to also go outside if I have no protected yard? If no other dogs are using the dock beside my boat, will that be safe enough for an ‘outside’ area to start? What about shoes? Are they potential pathogen carriers? I can not afford to take 3 weeks off work and I have built a puppy run in my workshop. I will use a carrier crate to bring the puppy to the shop and back, but how safe do I need to keep the shop? Do I need to bring a change of shoes? Do I need to keep all helpers and customers away from the puppy run? Just how far do you need to go?

Best answer:

Answer by Kirsten R
Yes, disease can be carried in on your shoes, if you step in poo, even melted old poo. I believe parvo can remain viable for up to a year in old feces.

On the other hand, can you really have, or do you really want, a bubble puppy who lives in a hermetically sealed world? There will always be a risk of catching a disease from other dogs no matter what you do short of complete isolation from everyone including you.

Vaccinated dogs can catch different strains of a disease they were vaccinated against. We’ve recently had a problem with a new strain of Lepto going around killing dogs vaccinated against Lepto. New strains emerge. Sometimes the vaccine prepares the dog’s immune system enough to fight them off, sometimes it doesn’t. A vaccine isn’t a guarantee a dog won’t get something. It’s just supposed to boost his chances of fighting it off by teaching the immune system how to build antibodies for something similar.

If your vet considers your pup appropriately vaccinated (had the right shots at the right ages) to be out in public, then his risk is minimal. Don’t let him sniff, lick or eat obvious waste from other dogs. Don’t let him play with possibly unvaccinated dogs until he has had his year-old boosters.

On the other hand, you still need to socialize him. An immunologically protected dog who is under-socialized is still at risk from dog fights, and from fear-biting (which can be a death sentence to a dog in some areas where one bite to a human results in euthanasia). So enroll him in a good puppy kindergarten class where the instructor demands proof of vaccination as a condition of joining the class.

Once your vet has cleared your pup for public (some vets want one set of shots, others want two or more) you should encourage interaction between your pup and as many people as possible, especially at your shop.

The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior has released their new position statement on puppy socialization which can be found here:

http://www.avsabonline.org/avsabonline/images/stories/Position_Statements/puppy%20socialization.pdf

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by djwhelan

Question by Sir Hoochalot: How does one transport a mother and how newborn litter to the vets?
Mother on a collar and lead? Puppies in a pet-carrier? Wrapped in towels?

Is it more convenient to get a call-out vet to come to you?

All completely hypothetical by the way. I have a neutered male.
Sorry, typo in the title. Her, not how.
People need to read the question properly. “Completely hypothetical”. I have no plans to stud my male. Would be kind of impossible anyway, seeing as he’s been neutered.

Best answer:

Answer by CindyRVT
If it is a small dog and you have a large enough carrier, mom and pups should be in the carrier together to help mom be more settled about what is happening to her pups.

If the carrier is not large enough for mom and the pups, then mom should be on a leash and the pups in the carrier.

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Question by Russell_N: Flying with a puppy?
So this June i am traveling to Utah, and i will be adopting a puppy and bringing it back with me on the plane. I have never flown with a puppy before and need as much info as i can get on it. I will be flying on delta, from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles, then from there up to Anchorage, Alaska.

And i need as much info as i can get on it, including if its going to go to the bathroom in the carrier and everything i need to do. Also, will i need to call the airlines and tell them i will be traveling with a puppy or what?

Best answer:

Answer by Dorna
i actually have the same question. i know this much that you need the puppies medical papers and stuff.

What do you think? Answer below!