How do I clean and disinfect my dog kennel to kill germs and viruses?

Hello, and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. This is a great question, and it's good that you're thinking about how to keep your animals safe. The difficulty comes from the fact that dirt and gravel are, by nature, nearly impossible to truly disinfect. We can talk about disinfecting hard (non-porous) surfaces with bleach, which is really the only disinfectant that is effective against parvovirus....but nothing will truly disinfect dirt and gravel, because you can't saturate and soak all sides of every piece of dirt & rock with the bleach solution, and parvovirus can remain in the environment for months to even years. So, with a big grain of salt to consider that it still won't be truly disinfected, but to do your diligence to try to sanitize the area as best as possible, I recommend thoroughly spraying the area with copious amounts of water first (the goal here is to dilute and wash away any remaining microscopic fecal matter). Let it dry, then I'd spray the top layer of dirt & gravel with a dilute bleach solution of 3/4 cups bleach in 1 gallon water. Also spray the barrier/walls. Allow that to dry. If possible, it may be worth buying enough gravel to add another layer on top of what's there, that you know is clean. That way, you know the surface that your pet is primarily in contact with should be safe and free of contamination. I hope this helps!

Hello. You can never go wrong with dilute bleach. One (1) part bleach to nine (9) parts water is effective for just about all viruses & bacteria. Wipe the entire cage down with the dilute bleach, let things sit for about 5-10 minutes & then just wipe dry. No need to rinse. Either replace the litter box with a new one or soak it in the bleach water along with all bowls & dishes. The dishes should be rinsed with water before drying. New bedding will kept your kitten healthy & safe. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello and thank you for your question on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Good question! A wide variety of disinfects will deactivate the common viruses repressible for upper respiratory illness in cats as will steam cleaning. Lysol or clorox products or a diluted bleach solution can do the trick. I hope this helps and best of luck

You can clean/disinfect hher toys, bedding , etc., however it will likely not make much of a difference as most of the germs that cause kennel cough are ubiquitous, ie everywhere. Kennel cough is self-limiting, so will likely subside within the next two to three weeks. She will be fine, even if you do not disinfect everything.

If you use a second hand crate, clean it very well with bleach. Let the bleach soak for 30 minutes and then rinse it well. Allow the crate to air out for 2-5 days before using it for your puppy. Make sure to clean all the surfaces. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

It is pretty likely that after Mila has gone through the course of kennel cough she is naturally immune to all these bacteria and viruses involved for quite a while. So you do not need to worry about her being reexposed. The antibiotic will kill the bacteria that are involved and may opportunistically superinfect your dog. Again once she has finished the course there is likely no chance she gets reinfected from residual bacteria in her environment. So you do not have to worry, just do not expose other dogs to her environment or let her come in contact with other dogs as kennel cough is very contagious.

I am sorry for your loss. Everyone deals with this type of loss differently. Here are some articles that may be helpful: https://www.avma.org/public/PetCare/Pages/pet-loss.aspx https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/coping-death-your-pet http://www.vetstreet.com/our-pet-experts/7-ways-to-cope-with-the-loss-of-a-pet 1:32 dilute bleach will kill parvovirus, but it is unlikely that you will be able to disinfect everywhere that Chico was during the last couple of months (think couches, carpets, rugs, etc). Since it can stay infective in the environment for many months, I would recommend not getting a young puppy for at least 6 months. If you do decide to get another dog, an older one that has been previously vaccinated or a puppy that is older than 4 months old and has already had 3 rounds of vaccines should be safe. Distemper does not last long in the environment.