My dog plays in sand at our new home. Is it harmful? What about parvo?

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. The type of worm and how it lives/breeds/life cycle will determine if the sand pit has anything to do with the parasite in Fig or not. I recommend asking your vet what parasite, and if the sand pit is related/part of the life cycle. The biggest concern is likely that cats like to poop in sand pits, and worms are carried in cat poop, so ask your vet if cat poop is part of the cycle. To prevent cats pooping in it, you can get a cover for the pit when it isn't in use. Best of luck with Fig!

There would be a problem if Rocky ate sand, as it can lead to sand impaction. Living in sand isn't the best place for him either, he should have a proper dog house with bedding inside of it if he is to be living outdoors.

Hi there! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I understand your concern. However, the likelihood of Luna developing parvovirus just from being walked in a heavily trafficked area is low unless she directly had contact with feces from an infected dog. I would not be too concerned at this time. Just work with your primary care veterinarian in starting her on a vaccination protocol and avoid contact with other dogs with an unknown vaccination status until she is fully vaccinated. I will tell you what to look for in terms of parvovirus symptoms though again it is unlikely that she has parvovirus. Symptoms usually include lethargy, vomiting and/or diarrhea. Contact your veterinarian to get her set up to start a vaccination program soon. I think she will be fine. Nothing like getting a new pup! I bet she is adorable! Good luck!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If she is playing with healthy vaccinated dogs and is current on her puppy shots then she is unlikely to get parvo. Parvo is transmitted fecal-oral or from fomites (touching objects that have the virus on it). Be sure that Coco gets her DHPP every 3-4 weeks until she gets 2 past 12 weeks. If she has lapsed between vaccines then there is risk. As for tick control she is old enough for Nexgard which is a monthly oral chewable as well as Frontline which is topical. Be sure to start heartworm prevention as well. I wish you the best!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! In theory, she has not mount a response to her vaccines yet so she can still get infected with like parvovirus if those feces were infected with parvovirus. However, that is very unlikely so I would not worry about that too much as the chance of that is very small. Good luck and have a great day! She is likely going to be just fine.

Hi, thank you for reaching out to Pet Coach. Chloe may have ingested enough sand to cause an intestinal problem. Not only can sand cause a large amount of irritation, but I have treated several dogs for obstruction caused by sand ingestion. We call it sand impaction in the small intestines and it can be very serious. The sand absorbs a large amount of water in the intestines and can a form cement-like obstruction. For Chloe, I would recommend that she is seen by a veterinarian as soon as possible if she is uncomfortable, vomiting, and/or has a decrease in appetite. Luckily sand will show up on Xray so the doctor can assess Chloe and may take an Xray to determine if her sand ingestion is causing a serious problem. Best of luck to you and Chloe.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This can sometimes point out the possibility of a gastrointestinal condition and just like you pointed out it can be some lack of a nutrient or something in the diet. I think a good place to start would be changing his diet to something else to see if that makes a difference. If no difference is noted, I recommend that you have him evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Otherwise, start by changing his diet to something like a Purina Pro Plan or Hill's Science Diet product that tend to be very complete diets. Also, try to avoid him eating the sand as that could result in gastrointestinal upset or obstruction. Good luck!