| little help..not sure what to think about this. Parvo threat?
I just took missy in for her second round of shots.
she is 11 wks old.
I have been told on this board that after the second round of shots, that i can start her in Puppy K. My vet told me in no uncertain terms that taking her out ANYWHERE right now (in Austin) is potentially deadly because of a 300% rise in the amount of puppies coming in with parvo. she said it seems to be some sort of epidemic around here right now.
this is the vet at animal trustees, a non-profit organization with very forward-thinking ideologies. they also do fantastic things around here with adoptions, $18 shots and $30 neuters/spays.
She emphasized the importance of getting her into obedience training, but said (and this is what really made me worry) that i had to wait until AFTER THE 4TH round of shots to even start taking her out on walks, obedience classes, soccer fields, hike and bike trail, greenbelt, etc. That would put her at 17 weeks before anything formal started as far as training, as well as good exercise/socialization outside of our yard, cars and the occasional romp around a friend's house maybe. It seems too long, but it's what the vet told me. I am already doing clicker training and she is getting along very well.
1) Did anyone else have to get 4 rounds of shots? At animal trustees, they told me that they give all rots 4 rounds just to be extra-careful. apparently they are more susceptible to some things as puppies than others?
2) Is she right? I know you guys have said puppy k can start after the second round of shots, but how real a threat is parvo? is it worth gambling on? are there some kinds of areas where one would be VERY UNLIKELY to find parvo? Is it airborne? bloodborne, etc?
3) what would you do as far as training and socialization if you were in my shoes?
any advice is appreciated. NishasMom got me in touch with a great trainer here, but i need to get my calendar figured out as i leave town in june for a two week tour and would like to know whether i can get started before then, or just wait it out due to the threat of parvo.
holla
alex  |