Parvo clean up question

Hey everyone! I'm a new (puppy) mom to a mix shelter 9 week old puppy. He's black lab and Aussie and a hearty boy! Lucca's been diagnosed with parvo and by the grace of god, has been experiencing a very mild occurrence. He's been at the vet yesterday, last night, and today and he's home tonight since he's kept water down for 12 hours. We'll take him back to the vet in the morning and start mild bland food and if he keeps it down then he'll be home tomorrow night. So, my problem is this: the vet is insistent on clean up and disinfectant and I'm a bit confused about it. We won't have any other dogs or puppies here that would contract the virus so I'm curious about the extent of the needed clean up. I'm not against it in the least and have bleached bedding & floors. But what about things like carpet and my yard where he's defecated? I have purchase a product called Kennel Kare and it kills the parvo virus but I can't use it on the carpet and such. After I handle the dog do I have to bleach my hands? The vet says just wash them, but if that doesn't kill the virus then what's the point. I do understand the severity of the virus and I don't want to sound flippant, but I'm so overwhelmed! I have read all sticky notes and links and still no answer. Is the cleaning up to prevent Lucca from getting sick with parvo again? Is that possible/typical?
Thanks for your help, ya'll are so great.
Brenda
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Hi and welcome, glad to hear your pup is doing okay, I got this from the parvo sticky here at teh top of teh threads

I copied this from another post from Sargesmom

Here is the a VERY detailed listing of disinfecting after Parvo-

The choice of what disinfectant to use is dependant on ones circumstances. Chlorine Bleach is the most highly recommended, and is used in a 1 to 10 ratio with water, (1 cup bleach, 10 cups water). It is readily available and economical. It is also corrosive, produces fumes and can burn skin. Bleach must be left on the surface being disinfected for 10 minutes.

Another option is a Parvocidal Disinfectant. The most widely used is Vikron S, manufactured by Farnam. Veterinarians may have other suggestions for Parvocidal Disinfectants. In the case of Vikron S, it is not corrosive, gentle in relationship to washing hands and skin in general, and produces no fumes. In some situations products such as this, though more expensive, may be a better choice. Vikron S costs approximately $1.60 per gallon when used as a soak or hand application product. When used in fogging or wet mist application the cost is doubled. A ten-pound container of Vikron S is sold for $77.00 and will be sufficient for 123 gallons of mixed solution. The manufacturer states that one-gallon is sufficient for 135 square feet of surface for wipe on applications. It must be left on the surface for ten minutes, or until it is dry. To insure the safety of the dog being cared for, it must be wiped off as well. It must be mixed with warm water, as it will not dissolve in cold. AS you can see, there is more to it than simply adding some to your water.

The biggest problem, aside from cost, when choosing these products, is that the directions on the labels must be read carefully. Do not rely on memory or the advice of experts. We recently came across a post, written by an expert, stating that Vikron remained an active disinfective agent for two weeks after being combined with water. This is not so according to the information given by the manufacturer, which states that Vikron is only effective when mixed with water for one week.

With Parvocidal Disinfectants read the label carefully for strength needed to kill Parvo viruses, ratio of water to product, length of time product must stay in contact with surface being disinfected, and length of time it remains a viable disinfectant when mixed with water. Store the product as per instructions to assure its potency


Preparing Yourself For The Down And Dirty
The first thing to remember is that everything that goes into a potentially contaminated area is possibly infected when it leaves. Skin, hair, clothing, cleaning apparatus. So one wants to be assured that one is not taking the virus out with it. Here are some tips.

•Have a bucket or other container inside the doorway on a rubber mat with cleaning solution inside.

•Wear a shower cap, latex gloves, plastic boot covers. Some people are sensitive to latex. If you are one of those, there are latex gloves that are made for the sensitive. Check with your laboratory/medical supply person. Also have goggles on hand to protect your eyes from the cleaning solution. The more you cover, the less contaminated you will be when leaving the room.

•Have "Clean Clothes" that are specifically used for this job. There are disposable scrubs that can be purchased and worn for this task. These can be worn when caring for quarantined Animals as well

•Another choice would be coveralls that go directly from quarantine room to wash, using one cup of bleach for each ten cups of wash water. But remember, if the virus is on the clothes and the clothes are placed on a surface, the surface is then potentially contaminated, and then will need to be disinfected immediately.

•Even if using plastic boot covers, getting in and out of the room can be tricky. We would suggest that rubber or latex boots or rubber boot protectors be worn in the room. One can then place cleaning solution on the mat, stand on the rubber mat, remove the plastic covers, place them in bucket of solution, step out of boots into a foot bath of solution, a large plastic dishpan would suffice, placed outside of the door of the room. Yes we are being anal.

•All clothing and cleaning paraphernalia, (rags, sponges, whisk broom, dust pan, etc.), would best be placed in the bucket of solution when finished.

The How To's
Once you have created an environment that is workable for disinfecting procedures and chosen a product to use, dressed for the occasion, the next step is planning and implementing the actual procedure. Here are some guidelines that would be best considered.

•Start by washing all surfaces off with warm water and detergent to get dirt and other organic material off of the surfaces if necessary.

•Allow all areas to dry before using disinfectant product or you will be diluting it's strength.

•Start from the top and work your way down to disinfect all exposed areas. Leave the cleaning solution on the surfaces, and we are talking every single one thousandth of an inch here. Leave no area unclean. Pay special attention to cracks and small holes in surfaces.

•According to some experts, and we agree, the above step should be repeated.

•Place all clothing and cleaning paraphernalia in disinfectant solution, letting it soak for at least, we repeat, at least, ten minutes and then wash nondisposable items in warm water thoroughly.

•Before removing the buckets or pans of clothing, cleaning utensils, feed dishes etc, wipe the outside of the container with disinfectant solution and allow to sit in same on mat for necessary time. Remember to wipe down the mat, both sides, as well.

•After necessary time, which for both bleach and Vikron is 10 minutes, rinse all surfaces you have cleaned thoroughly.

•Allow entire area to dry before restocking.


Are There Stones Left Unturned?
We have prepared the above guidelines very carefully. We are not Scientists or Medical people, though many of us have worked in Wildlife Rehab and Veterinarian Hospitals. It is possible that we have left some crucial step out. We are open to your Feedback.

In the meantime, many may be thinking that we are going overboard here. Please note, an APHIS Doctor who is considered an expert was recently quoted as saying that a sufficient quarantine would require a Level 3 Bio Security facility. To the best of our knowledge there are two in the country. That gives you some idea of the degree to which potentially contaminated items and surfaces must be cleaned.

 

Dogs that get parvo can get parvo again. If your puppy recovers and you do not remove the parvo germ from your area it is likely the puppy will contract parvo again. It lives for months on just about any surface. A mild bleach and water solution is the best way to disinfect your home and yards.

I guess that kennel clean up would be ok in the home but bleach is cheap and it is easy to mix for the yard. I think it is 4 ounces bleach to one gallon of water. When I had the problem I mixed 50/50% for my front and back yard and used a garden sprayer.