You only need 1 oz of Clorox to 32 of water to kill parvo virus when cleaning indoors. I don't know what concentration would be effective in the ground. About parvo vaccines (VERY IMPORTANT) 1. Fort Dodge parvo vaccine is the only one I used, based on dog show people's advice. I understand that feed store vaccines are not always reliable. 2. Vaccines are only effective once the maternal antibodies are gone. I did not know this until tragedy struck. If a puppy is vaccinated for parvo while the maternal antibodies are still present, it will not be effective and the puppy will not be protected yet. It is impossible to tell at what point in time the antibodies are gone, so I urge you to read below and give a lot of thought about what was recommended to me. 3. Fort Dodge veterinary scientists recommended to me: Puppies should be vaccinated for parvo once a week starting at 3 weeks until 8 weeks of age. Then every two weeks until 4 months of age. I've had veterinarians say that wasn't necessary, but I stuck with the Fort Dodge advice. I vaccinated my puppies myself as I had a good source for their vaccines. I saved a lot of money doing it myself. 4. I am an experienced dog breeder (seven Shih Tzu champions), and have learned much about parvo. The information I am sharing with you comes from advice given to me by the Fort Dodge veterinarians. It began with an outbreak of parvo in our home. I could not understand why the following happened: My mothers were so well-protected by vaccines, and the puppies were vaccinated when 6 weeks of age. We had a couple who had first gone to a pet shop to look for puppies (unknown to me). There were none there, as they had all died from parvo. They then came to my home and purchased a puppy. They also brought the air-borne virus with them. We lost almost an entire vaccinated litter + two 4-month old show-potential puppies. The puppy we sold to them also died from parvo. We refunded the couple's money and vet expenses ($1200), plus we had $1800 in vet expenses trying to save our puppies. I called Fort Dodge, frantic. I was given some very sound advice from their scientists, and after following that, I never had another parvo outbreak. It was only later that the couple's daughter phoned me and revealed what her parents had done, or I would never have refunded their money. Since our puppies were all in our home, and had never been outdoors, we did not have to deal with a yard infection. After that tragedy, I began furnishing a written guarantee for all my puppies for one year against parvo, provided the new owners followed my schedule as recommended by Fort Dodge. We never had another problem. Be careful where you buy a puppy! Nancy

There is still hope! I've been in touch with the rescue group that has her and have filled out an application with them. I'm not "local" to them, but they'll consider us with a strong vet reference. The foster mom said that she never broke out with parvo symptoms, so they plan to watch her for about another week just to make sure she is through the woods. Keep your fingers crossed!

I'm in NY so my cats needed an initial shot and then they get a 3 year booster. Mine go outside too so I wouldn't want to chance it. Two are in a kennel, but my other one hunts. I was just wondering if everyone was following the protocol. It does look the frequency is debatable. Thanks for that link, Ladybug. I've read a couple of stories similar to your experience, Lisa. Not only biting but you have to worry about them slobbering on you too! My kitten-mill kitty, when she was finally healthy enough to vaccinate, developed a bump at the site. I was freaking out that I was going to have yet another medical emergency but it was just normal swelling and she was fine. My other kitty puked when I brought her home after her first shot. I think it was totally related because she'd never been sick before. I was hesitant to get the booster but she didn't have a reaction to it. I read on a site it's best to rabies vaccinate alone and get the other shots on a different day. That sounded like rational advise but 2 trips in :) What do you do about pets that can't be vaccinated, Ladybug? Do you just keep a note on hand from the doctor?

Awww Stacy! Puppies! My passion...puppies! I am so jealous! We had an unplanned union of Mic(Min Pin) and Emmie(Chi) 3 yrs ago...resulted in 6 beautiful babies! I was so picky about new owners that I ended up keeping 3 of the boys.We lost one of them....but still have the 2.They are my Ricky and LilBuddy...my babies.2 of Emmie's pups got glown to PA and have great homes. 1 female has a lousy home here in El Paso,I gave her to someone I thought would be great,then they gave her to a woman that keeps her outside,lets her have litter after litter that all die from Parvo...makes me sick.I deliberatly made sure I didn't give my babies to certain people and one ended up with one anyway...I hate that part.But my boys...wouldn't give them up for anything.I did get Emmie and Mic spayed and neutered afterwards,so no more pups here.But I know you love your pups like I do and will make sure they have good homes or keep them.Good Luck and I want to see pics of the new family when it gets here! Can't wait!