When should I visit a vet???? I want to make sure that I do all check-ups on him. I recently lost two of my precious dogs to parvovirus, something I never heard of. I want to learn and protect my pup, so I please beg anyone that knows all the right things to do, I appreciate it.

Well, the easiest way to start is read all the related articles and ebooks on this site at these links - http://www.leerburg.com/dogtrainingebooks.htm and http://www.leerburg.com/articles.htm

That will keep you busy for a while.

Mike

how recently did you lose your other two dogs to parvo, which, by the way i am very sorry to hear about, its never easy to lose our furry friends.

for your new pup
Id take her in as soon as possible, for a check-up and to let the vet know the situation
but i dont recommend vaccinating for anything at this age, its innefective and does more harm than good IMO.

At the first sign of illness... vomiting, diarrihea, loss of appetite, general listlessness, straight to a vet, even if its the middle of the night. With pups that little there is no time to waste if they are ill, and parvo is most easily treated when caught very early. Keep parvaid, pedialyte and the Emergency and regular vets number on file.

When we have brand new pups everyone take there shoes off at the door and washes hands as soon as we come inside if we have been to a park or . In the spring and summer If we've been to a high risk area we change clothes in the garage before coming inside. drastic yes, but Im not willing to risk the health of my family members furry or not.

If it was within the last 6 months I would not allow the new pup any exposure to areas the dogs may have shed the virus such as the back yard rooms in the home where they slept or had accidents. For indoor surfaces I do hope everything was cleaned with a bleach solution or other appropriate disenfectant.
If your home wasnt disenfected i would do so immediately while keeping pup confined to a crate in a single room until everything has been sanitized.
Also you dont want to expose her to places like petsmart or dog parks or heavily wooded areas until she is older and either vaccinized against parvo or has built a natural immunity to it.
Your vet should be able to give you more information.

I always take pups for a basic check-up and fecal test for worms within a few days even if its to a generic vet that i dont normally use.

We have had our current pup for a month and he has his first check-up next wednesday with what i hope to be our new vet. He was very shy and afraid of everyone but us so I waited much longer than normal so he wouldnt panic and always associate that fear with the vets office.

5 weeks is very young to bring a pup home so she will be very tiny and unsure and also needs to sleep nearly all the time. Make sure you practice proper leadership skills from the beginning as she didnt have time to learn this from momma and her siblings. Lots of love and positive experiences and calm soothing enviroment to let her adjust.

Generally you don't need to rush to the vet unless the dog has a symptom (excessive scratching, watery/pudding poop, won't eat, low energy, listless, dehydrated, etc). Places that dogs congregate (i.e., the vet, pet stores, your front yard) are going to have a greater occurrence of bacteria which could be harmful to your pet. So, don't take him to any of those places unless you have to, for the first several months.

You can take him to the pet store for socialization (after he is a few months old, please), but carry him, and don't let anyone touch him. Also, avoid touching things yourself, while there. The sidewalk outside of the pet store is just as dangerous as the pet store itself. When you take him on walks for the first several months, walk where dogs are less likely to be. If you live in a city, walking in the middle of the street (if you're in a residential area) is a great and relatively safe experience for a young dog.

There are a lot of different opinions on Vaccination, and you should read the articles that Ed has written on Vaccinosis. There's a video linked somewhere that's worth watching. A lot of the people on this forum have made the decision to avoid most or all vaccinations. That's a personal decision that you'll need to make in the coming weeks.

How is it that you have this dog so young?

EDIT: What Jennifer says about parvo in your home is dead on. Please take every precaution possible.

ok another long one but I know how important it is to keep this new baby safe and healthy.

I forgot to add that the best way to ensure the health of your dogs is to provide them with the best diet you possibly can, either do the research and feed a raw species appropriate diet or buy the best corn, wheat, low or no grain kibble you can afford.
I like Innova EVO, Solid Gold Wolfking and cub, Chicken soup is a good and more affordable choice, and even Diamond Naturals large breed puppy is better than most like Purina or Iams.

The high end kibbles are more expensive but they eat much less so it works out in the end.

Also i am a firm believer in probiotics, generally from plain yogurt or Kefir my preference as its chocked full of different probiotics. These promote a healthy bowel full of productive flora and fauna which is the core building block of a good strong immune system IMO. Everyone in my family either eats yogurt or takes a probiotic capsule everyday the dogs and cats both love kefir and yogurt and one dog prefers banana strawberry yogurt over all others, but plain unsweetened yogurt is what you should be adding to any food.

If you are feeding kibble I would probably moisten it at that age with a little bit of puppy milk replacer as the litters i have known would still be occassionally nursing at 5 weeks and wet warm food is more enticing.

If your other dogs shed the parvo virus (pooped, vomited, drooled, peed) in the yard you must either bleach the yard or keep your pup totally off of it.
I would use puppy pads and confine her to the kitchen only or some other room with hard floors that can be reliably sanitized. Parvo can live for months and months in the grass.

I dont mean to sound alarmist but the thought of such a young pup in the same location as recent known parvo is a scary thing.


Loki has only had his rabies vaccination and has good titers to distemper and parvo. Puppy will be getting a parvo shot because we are coming up on spring and he is still young.

Thank You! Appreciate your generous time!!!

11 months In January, my two precious one left me. I'm no longer there, so the puppy never been exposes to anything at that house. I'm planning to keep him with me until he is strong and hopefully visit my family there. I just don't know if he will ever be able to go. I just posted my puppy stool had 1 roundworm and a tapeworm!! He is only 5 weeks and 2 days old. From what I read I should take him when he is at six week! Which is on Friday! What should I do? Wait?

 Quote: tannya zurita

11 months In January, my two precious one left me. I'm no longer there, so the puppy never been exposes to anything at that house. I'm planning to keep him with me until he is strong and hopefully visit my family there. I just don't know if he will ever be able to go. I just posted my puppy stool had 1 roundworm and a tapeworm!! He is only 5 weeks and 2 days old. From what I read I should take him when he is at six week! Which is on Friday! What should I do? Wait?

Just call the vet tomorrow morning. :>

Yeah...if he has an actual medical issue (worms) you need to take him in.

Once again im so sorry to hear about your other pups, its a good thing though that the pup wont be exposed at your old house.

Worms are fairly typical, so dont panic, Id call the vet and i bet they either bump up your appt or ask you to bring in some poo for them to exam.