Worried about possible parvovirus exposure at the vets yesterday, any vets or nurses about?

[MinkyMoof]

Am looking for some advice please.

Yesterday my dog was at the vets all day for some tests. We went to pick her up early evening and there was a dog in the waiting room at reception. The owner was talking to the receptionist and was in a dog pram.

I noticed something dripping from the pram and thought at first the woman had spilled a smoothie.

My husband brought it to her attention and unfortunately it was blood :(

The pram was full and there was a good hand sized puddle on floor.

Vets took dog back into consult room and the receptionist ran a wet mop over the floor.

My dog came out not so long after and walked through the area.

Today they call to say they are letting all patients from yesterday know that they had a a confirmed parvo case and advised us to wash all clothing and shoes on a high wash. Wash floors etc.

I asked if it was the dog in pram at end of day and they confirmed.

A while later after googling a bit I was terrified and called back asking what cleaning products they used and she said they didn't know it was parvo at that time so it was just normal high strength disinfectant, mopped about.

I told them Inwas really worried as my dog walked over that area right after and she licks her feet a lot due to allergies.

They said I could do a parvo test for £40 on Wednesday so I have booked that but I am just so scared.

I have washed my dogs collar, all our clothes. The cushion covers, floors.

And her feet repeatedly.

I have other dogs in the house and they didn't say to seperate, but google seems to think I should?

Or is it too late now as they been together 24hrs anyway?

I feel so stressed :(

Is your dog vaccinated

She had her puppy injections and honestly has never been offered any more since.

She is regularly at the vets due to allergy/anal gland issues and is now 6 and I swear to you, the vets have never asked or offered her any boosters.

She also was a the 'pet plan' thing for a few years which I now see includes boosters but she still wasn't offered any at any appointment??

I honestly didn't know it was a thing to have boosters as I would never have refused them

I would talk to the vet in the morning and start again with her vaccinations then get them done annually. My vet plagues me with reminders until mine go in! I also keep a bottle of hibiscrub in the house for washing their paws with over the winter or if we've been on a crop field that has been sprayed with anything.

its up to you to remember and book vaccinations for your pet. Vets generally won’t remind you, some might but most don’t. Unfortunately then she’s only had puppy vaccines. The likelihood is she probably won’t catch it. But there is still a risk. All you can do is keep a close eye on her and take her in straight away if you notice any symptoms.

I would also get her vaccines restarted

I didnt know she needed more! I thought the boosters were just for dogs that go abroad or something. If the vet ever offered them I would have said yes. How can I ask for something I don't know she needs?

They always offer flea and worm treatment at every appointment, in that case why do they do that if its up to me to ask?

I can't do anything about her vaccines now :(

I will get her a booster as soon as she is allowed

I wish mine had. I promise you. They have never offered them. I feel so stupid :(

Thabks for the hibiscub idea. Just ordered some

How can I ask for something I don't know she needs?
They always offer flea and worm treatment at every appointment, in that case why do they do that if its up to me to ask?

Every dog owner should know about vaccinations. It’s a key fundamental of dog ownership and a basic part of dog ownership research (part of yearly costs). Any website about pet ownership (KC, even Pets4Homes) mentions it. The onus is on the owner to factor this in.

Lots of people now are anti vax (the same way people are for their kids) and get incredibly aggressive with vets who offer it, based off my experience as a frequent flyer at my vets! My vets very much take the ‘you’re the owner, this is your responsibility’ thing these days because it’s one less thing for customers to get aggressive over and there’s an understanding that owners will manage their own admin.

On the flea/worming many items require a prosecution, which is why the vet asks - you can’t get the vets stuff without it. Even if you go to petsdrugsonline, you need a prescription from your vet.

Ultimately, there’s a good chance even if your dog catches it she’ll be fine (not as good as if it had vaccinations but still good). That puppy on the other hand, if it was parvo, is probably going to die - which is very sad.

The dog at the vet wasn't a puppy, it was an adult.

Ah. Probably unvaccinated. So horrible for the dog.

Terrible situation.

I can see why you’re worried, particularly if you have other unvaccinated dogs. Best thing to do would really be to keep them separate, and get them all vaccinated asap. Keep them away from public areas as well, would be awful for a puppy (even a vaccinated puppy can be susceptible to parvo up to six months) to die as a result of contracting it from your dogs feces, should yours be infected.

We're with petplan and they always require proof of vaccine. You should have been given a puppy vaccination card which should have the date when the next boosters were due..

I'm with PetPlan. I have made multiple claims over the last 5 years and they have never once asked for proof of vaccinations. I thought they just excluded illnesses that could have been vaccinated against.

You'll need to re-start your dog's vaccinations as they'll have lapsed.

You need boosters annually, for some diseases, and tri-annually for the others. If you allow them to lapse you need to re-start again. Get your vet to explain.

If your dog hasnt had vaccinations since they were a puppy they will need restarting, if your dog is insured and gets parvo they wont be covered as they havent been vaccinated, they need boosters every year.

@SpanielsGalore it's an interesting one:

https://www.petplan.co.uk/pet-insurance/pet-care-and-advice/petplan-insurance-is-vaccination-microchipping-and-neutering-covered.html

"Remember, as part of your Petplan insurance, you must keep your pet’s vaccinations up to date."

There's an old thread about it and OP discovered her insurance was invalid because she had not been vaccinating her dog...

Dogs need annual vaccinations, your pet plan includes that but it’s your responsibility to keep them up to date

Try not to worry, I know that’s not easy.

Our old dog had only his puppy vaccinations. When he was 7, he was admitted to a veterinary hospital for a surgery to remove something he’d swallowed. He had a blood test prior to admission to test his immunity. Despite only having had those puppy vaccinations, his blood work showed evidence of full immunity to everything he’d had the vaccinations for, and that included parvo.

This . It’s inconceivable to me that the vet doesn’t diarise and send booking reminders for annual boosters . I hope your dog is ok it’s a frightening situation.

P had puppy vaccinations and the booster at 14 months old. She's not been vaccinated since and Petplan have paid out every claim. Fortunately.
They asked for a full print out of her vet records last year, so they should be aware.

I have an elderly housecat who I don't vaccinate as she gets so stressed at going to the vets and as she doesn't roam is pretty low risk. I don't get reminders for her. My other animals who I do get vaccinated I get reminders for. All the same vet practice.

My vet sends reminders to book about a month before they are due, but if you try to book they don't have appointments available that far ahead 😆! (I also have to change my dogs' medication a month prior to their vaccinations, so it's a bit of a guessing game when I can't book the appointment.)

OP, I hope all of your pups stay well, it sounds like such a worry. That poor dog; how sad if it was preventable through routine vaccinations.

I don’t get reminders, I just know that one is November and the other is February

Vet nurse here, the likelihood is that the disinfectant used was anigene or similar which is very efficient against parvo.
Your dog is more likely to not catch it but i'm sure you know what symptoms to look out for and that prompt action is vital, i can't see the reason for a random parvo test if there are no symptoms present , we would only use the test to rule parvo out if presented with a dog with gi problems.
If you have multiple dogs then all have them have been at risk of parvo since their last vaccine expired, just walking them in public puts them at the same risk of parvo as much as the incident at the vets , so separating them is pointless.
You are unfair putting the responsibility of vaccine onto the vet , you have more than one dog so i just can't believe you do not know about their vaccine needs.
When you were given vaccine certificates at the time of primary vaccine it clearly tells you on it -regardless of the vaccine manufacturer -when the first booster is due.
You mention getting your dog a booster , that won't suffice she will need to re start primary vaccines .

Titre testing confirms whether or not a dog needs a booster at the 3 year mark following initial puppy jabs. I had mine titre tested at 3 years, before going ahead with jabs, and vet confirmed a booster wasn't required. I wouldn't take it for granted, though, and just assume nothing needed without vet confirmation. Parvo is a horrific illness.

Just to add , i have never known a vet to not send reminders , before computers we used to send hand written ones out !
I suggest you check with your vets reception team to make sure they have your current contact details if they don't you won't get reminders from them.

When my puppy had her vaccinations, they made the next appointment for a year's time on the day. Then they send out email and text reminders nearer the time.

I opted out of the reminders for the older dog. She's on daily pain medication though and they send reminders to order more of that when their system says it's nearly run out.