New puppy - when can we take her outside?

FabSascha

Thanks very much. I see what you mean as I've got to weight it all up - but what is the absolute worst case scenario if she does pick up something? Obviously based on the assumption that I'd rush her straight to my vet, would she be OK as long as she got the right attention etc or am I putting her at serious risk? As if that's the case then I'm thinking I'd be best risking the socialisation issues as apposed to the death risk! I've found a pre-jab puppy group so I'll definitely take her to that. I can't really find out about the other dogs as they're owners aren't very friendly and I doubt would be forthcoming with such knowledge.

tango

FabSascha wrote: »

Thanks very much. I see what you mean as I've got to weight it all up - but what is the absolute worst case scenario if she does pick up something? Obviously based on the assumption that I'd rush her straight to my vet, would she be OK as long as she got the right attention etc or am I putting her at serious risk? As if that's the case then I'm thinking I'd be best risking the socialisation issues as apposed to the death risk! I've found a pre-jab puppy group so I'll definitely take her to that. I can't really find out about the other dogs as they're owners aren't very friendly and I doubt would be forthcoming with such knowledge.

Do you have any friends who have a garden ,maybe you could take her there to have a run etc and let off some steam ?

devildog

I have posted a link that gives you a rough indication of parvo and it's afffects
http://vetmedicine.about.com/cs/dognz/a/parvodog.htm
At the bottom of the first page there are some 'readers responses' may be worth taking a look at those too.

I don't want to scare you, but just be aware.
Also are you having the puppy insured(or is she coming with 6 weeks breeders/Kennel Club ) if so check all the small print-may not cover if puppy been outside/mixing with other dogs prior to vaccination.

On a personal note, I would never take a puppy to a pre-jab puppy group. Imho too many puppies from god knows where,pet shops (back street breeders)puppy farms, and even if she comes from a reputable breeder the chances are that the breeder will also show their dogs(travelling all around the country and being exposed to thousands of dogs)
I know that my local vets does hold 'puppy parties' but they are for vaccinated puppies.

The chances are that people will pet your puppy, it will come into contact with other dogs and be absolutely fine but sadly this isn't always the case.

suki1964

devildog wrote: »

Although I agree that socialising is oh so important I wouldn't take a puppy out until all it's vaccinations have been completed.
Parvovirus is a particularly nasty disease and although the main source of infection is through infected faeces the virus can also be spread via shoes/clothing.
Why take the risk??

I'm assuming you are advising that the op also does not leave the house nor have anyone come to it until all the vacs are done? I mean why take the risk

Op your pup has natural immunity from it's mother from birth. Its potent enough to get them through their first weeks. It starts fading from around 8 weeks which is when we start to reboost it

Not taking a Pup out carried in your arms will be doing more harm then good

little_miss_muppet_face

I have a 5 month old pup, we got her when she was 12 weeks and had only just had her first injections, we let her out in the garden for 2 weeks, carried her about when we wanted to go anywhere, put her in the car almost straight away, firstly on the back seat sitting next to someone, and then moved her into the boot, she then had her second set of injections 2 weeks later and we were allowed to take her out 7 days later, she was petrified, used to sit down every few steps and refuse to budge, we were very patient with her and now she loves it outside but did take us a few weeks to get to that point, i would defo recommend taking her out and about with you in the car and put her down for the toilet every so often but not walk about with her, i also let her play with another puppy in my back garden that already had his injections..
I didnt housetrain my puppy on newspaper, i just took her straight outside every hour, we had a few accidents on the kitchen floor but it was manageable, i would also recommend trying crate training, we did and it worked very well, pup has access to the kitchen, we leave the crate door open now and she can roam the kitchen when we are out, but she sleeps in the crate during the day and at night.. well recommended, we didnt use it properly as we didnt close the gate on it as we felt that keeping her confined to the kitchen was okay,
Hope that info helps, im new to this also but learning day by day..

devildog

suki1964
That is exactly why I have stated that op is in a catch 22 position!!
It is also why I have stated that the likelihood is that people will pet the puppy and it will come into contact with other dogs and the chances are that she will be fine.However I do not feel that anyone can outright say let it mix with other puppies/dogs/people and there will not be any problems.
The pup may very well have some immunity)(if of course the mother of her is up to date on her jabs) It is also fairly typical for pups as young as 4 weeks to be diagnosed with this illness(where was their immunity I ask you)
I am not saying to op that she and the pup must remain housebound, but giving her things to think about(as in there will always be a risk)
Imho the absolute worst thing she could do is to take it to a puppy class!!

libra10

We have just started taking Barney, our 11 week old pup out for walks. Generally we walk for 2 to 3 miles most days, which is too much for our little fella, a cross West Yorkshire terrier/Pomeranian.

Inevitably I end up carrying him for most of our walk, and he loves the ride! He loves people and other dogs, lying flat on his back for them to welcome him. He's slightly nervous of loud traffic but gradually getting used to wagons and heavier vehicles.

He seems a little slow with puppy training, but we are taking him outside very often, and I've noticed that when I tell him to be quick, he is starting to respond.

My husband and I are both pensioners and Barney has company for most of the day.

The MSE pet forum is a mine of friendly help and information and I visit each day, reading various threads.

Good luck with your pup, ours' is a real charmer.

suki1964

devildog wrote: »

suki1964
That is exactly why I have stated that op is in a catch 22 position!!
It is also why I have stated that the likelihood is that people will pet the puppy and it will come into contact with other dogs and the chances are that she will be fine.However I do not feel that anyone can outright say let it mix with other puppies/dogs/people and there will not be any problems.
The pup may very well have some immunity)(if of course the mother of her is up to date on her jabs) It is also fairly typical for pups as young as 4 weeks to be diagnosed with this illness(where was their immunity I ask you)
I am not saying to op that she and the pup must remain housebound, but giving her things to think about(as in there will always be a risk)
Imho the absolute worst thing she could do is to take it to a puppy class!!

And both the PSDA and the RSPCA report on maybe one case of parvo a month - unless there is an outbreak - last one reported in Bristol last year

I totally agree - parvos is a nasty illness, but you have to weigh up the odds. If you are so paranoid about taking a pup out - then go the whole hog and dont go out the house unless you are going to sterilise yourself when coming back into contact with the pup

The likely hood of a pup catching parvo through contact with humans when being carried is negligible. General hygiene will kill the parvo virus

I would say unless the OP is living on a sink estate where dogs are roaming free and easy all day and owners never bother with the vets, or planning on allowing the pup to wander fields at want - there is very very little risk.

suki1964

libra10 wrote: »

We have just started taking Barney, our 11 week old pup out for walks. Generally we walk for 2 to 3 miles most days, which is too much for our little fella, a cross West Yorkshire terrier/Pomeranian.

Inevitably I end up carrying him for most of our walk, and he loves the ride! He loves people and other dogs, lying flat on his back for them to welcome him. He's slightly nervous of loud traffic but gradually getting used to wagons and heavier vehicles.

He seems a little slow with puppy training, but we are taking him outside very often, and I've noticed that when I tell him to be quick, he is starting to respond.

My husband and I are both pensioners and Barney has company for most of the day.

The MSE pet forum is a mine of friendly help and information and I visit each day, reading various threads.

Good luck with your pup, ours' is a real charmer.

Pups should only be walked for 3 mins for every month of their lives until they are fully grown. So if pup is 3 months - no more then 15 min walking at a stretch, so good on you for carrying xxx

devildog

http://www.pdsa.org.uk/about-us/media-pr-centre/news/1166_parvo-virus-outbreaks-in-parts-of-the-uk-_-pdsa-urges-dog-owners-to-act

http://www.celiahammond.org/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=3&MMN_position=3:3
(for this one you need to scroll down to bottom-parvo East and South London)


I think that basically we agree in principle but I feel that no-one should say it is ok to do whatever without pointing out that there will be some risk-that way a person can make an informed choice weighing up the pros and cons depending on their circumstances/where they live etc.
To state that pups immunity starts to fade at around 8 weeks is partially true but if it was the case absolute then why would younger pups die? Surely it would be more reasonable to state that although in general pups have some immunity it is not enough generally to protect them from such things as parvo and to actually say take an un-vaccinated puppy to mix with other un-vaccinated puppies is totally irresponsible.