Should I clean my floors to protect my new puppy from parvo?

Question

Hi, we are bringing an 8 month old puppy home and I am concerned about the potential for our floors to be contaminated with parvovirus as we live in an urban area. Do you recommend cleaning our floors and/or shoes prior to bringing the puppy home, and continuing to clean our shoes until the puppy is fully vaccinated? If so, do you have a recommendation for hardwood floors, as it appears bleach would be damaging to the floors? Thanks!

Dr Stafford, BVetMed, MRCVS · Accepted Answer

It is unlikely that your home will have parvo in the environment. It can survive for a long time in soil, but in the home you would be looking at approximately 3 months after an infected dog had been present. You would have to buy special cleaner that is sensitive to parvo, most vets have this. Luckily nowadays parvo is quite rare, it is good that you are so concerned but dont think it is necessary to clean your shoes all the time. You could just remove them in the porch.

Should I clean my floors to protect my new puppy from parvo?

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