Can I spread parvo to my car? How do I clean it effectively?

Parvo can live in the environment for up to 6 months without proper cleaning, so it can be carried in on your shoes and clothes if you come into contact with the virus. If Tiny is vaccinated, it likely isn't an issue, but if you are interacting with unvaccinated pets or puppies and are concerned, cleaning or changing out shoes/clothes is best to avoid spreading it.

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.

No, it is not necessarily safe to go home and handle your animals if you were handling the one infected with Parvo. For instance, in a hospital setting, Parvo infected animals are kept completely isolated from the others and anyone that is handling them has to wear special bioprotective gear to prevent spread of disease. I would recommend that you change out of anything you were wearing that could have come in contact with the dog or the dog's belongings, and clean yourself off thoroughly with a bleach product. The Parvo virus will not be killed by regular antibacterial soap, which is the reason that bleach is the best thing to use in the absence of a veterinary cleaner which the average person does not possess in their home. Hope this helps!

Bleach diluted 1:9 with water is enough to kill the parvovirus. So I would mix up bleach and water yourself and then as an extra measure you follow up with the Chlorox afterwards. I would also keep all other pets away from Max if possible until he has hopefully recovered and 7-10 days after resolution of symptoms, especially not fully vaccinated pets. I do hope that your pup is able to make a full and speedy recovery soon! Best wishes and take care.

The short answer is, "no." An adult cat is extremely unlikely to contract parvovirus from a puppy. In cats, Parvovirus is called "panleukopenia," and routinely cats are vaccinated for this as part of the FRCP (distemper) shot. The only way to difinitively kill Parvovirus is with bleach, which generally is not an acceptable answer for carpets. The good news is that the virus will no longer be infective indoors after a period of 4 weeks. Steam clean carpets thoroughly, then avoid bringing young and/or unvaccinated dogs into the home for the next month. Thanks for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

It is unlikely that your home will have parvo in the environment. It can survive for a long time in soil, but in the home you would be looking at approximately 3 months after an infected dog had been present. You would have to buy special cleaner that is sensitive to parvo, most vets have this. Luckily nowadays parvo is quite rare, it is good that you are so concerned but dont think it is necessary to clean your shoes all the time. You could just remove them in the porch.

It would be preferable not to leave the clinic in scrubs (not just parvo but it is possible to carry many diseases and parasites on clothing). Spraying scrubs would be effective as long as they were wet through, I would generally soak clothing if it was visibly soiled (aprons, shoe covers and disposable gloves should be used as a precaution to limit spreading infections outside of an isolation area)