My dog survived parvo. How do I know he's fully recovered and immune?

Hi there. If the puppy previously had parvo and is now recovered, she should be fine - there is really no need to "prove" she's now negative, as it's not a chronic disease. Once the clinical signs have resolved and the dog is acting normal again, they've recovered and can go on with normal life. They will also be immune to parvo going forward, much like human kids with chicken pox. :)

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Pet Coach. I am sorry about Kyra. Stephanie was exposed to parvo, and survived. She should have a strong immune system to fight off any future infections at this age. She should be immune to parvo. I hope she continues to do well.

It would be extremely unlikely for a dog that has survived parvovirus to be affected again - the virus provides such excellent immunity that some veterinarians will take serum from recovered dogs to give transfusions to those affected with the disease (although this may or may not help). There are many other diseases that could cause diarrhea with that distinctive parvoviral smell. If the diarrhea is severe I'd recommend seeing your veterinarian who can run some tests to determine what might be causing his diarrhea this time around and start some treatment.

No, Doria cannot be infected with [parvovirus](https://www.petcoach.co/article/spaying-ovariohysterectomy-the-benefits-in-dogs/) a second time after having survived [parvovirus infection](https://www.petcoach.co/article/canine-parvovirus-7-things-to-know) once. A dog or puppy that has recovered from parvo infection cannnot get infected a second time. Studies have shown immunity lasts at least 3 years, but the pup may be considered immune for the rest of its life due to natural antibodies towards the virus.

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. The best information that we have for Parvo immunity is that puppies are immune from the virus for a very long time. We do not know if the immunity lasts a life time, but unless there is something seriously wrong with the puppies immune system, they should not get the virus again. This does not mean you should stop or skip any vaccinations. Continue with them for the rest of ChaChi's life. Take care.

I would not recommend to get the puppy who did not get Parvo. It’s possible that he may still break with this highly contagious virus. For the puppy that survived Parvo, he will likely be fine. Long term, most dogs experience no organ damage or side effects. This puppy is still shedding the Parvo virus and will continue to shed the virus for 6 months in it’s feces. The virus will live for roughly 1 year in the soil. That means you cannot take this puppy out in public where it may expose other puppies who are not vaccinated for at least 6 months. That also means your yard will be contaminated for at least 1.5 years minimum so you cannot have any dogs over to play who are not fully vaccinated or else they run the risk of contracting the virus. You don’t want to harm any other pets. He also cannot play with any dogs who are not fully vaccinated for 6 months. The vaccine is highly effective and it’s unlikely that a fully vaccinated pet will get sick (but keep in mind nothing is a 100% guarantee). I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Thanks for using PetCoach. Depending on the severity of the couse of disease, it can take some puppies several weeks to fully recover. Be sure to feed the food her vet recommends and offer small amounts of food frequently. Do not allow her to eat all she wants at one time. Zoe may be contagious to other puppies for up to 3-4 weeks so should be kept away from other dogs and pups. Depending on how she is doing the vet may recommend vaccination anywhere from 1-3 weeks after she starts eating. She cannot contract Parvo again but does need to be vaccinated against other diseases. Some more info. https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951465