Will volunteering at a dog rescue spread germs to my own pets?

It would be preferable not to leave the clinic in scrubs (not just parvo but it is possible to carry many diseases and parasites on clothing). Spraying scrubs would be effective as long as they were wet through, I would generally soak clothing if it was visibly soiled (aprons, shoe covers and disposable gloves should be used as a precaution to limit spreading infections outside of an isolation area)

There is less risk for an adult fully vaccinated dog to develop parvovirus, but it can be a very hardy virus and live for a long time on clothing or shoes. To be safe I would change clothes after coming in contact with the puppy and wash hands thoroughly. You can clean shoes in a mixture of bleach and water (1:32).

No, it is not necessarily safe to go home and handle your animals if you were handling the one infected with Parvo. For instance, in a hospital setting, Parvo infected animals are kept completely isolated from the others and anyone that is handling them has to wear special bioprotective gear to prevent spread of disease. I would recommend that you change out of anything you were wearing that could have come in contact with the dog or the dog's belongings, and clean yourself off thoroughly with a bleach product. The Parvo virus will not be killed by regular antibacterial soap, which is the reason that bleach is the best thing to use in the absence of a veterinary cleaner which the average person does not possess in their home. Hope this helps!

Hi there. I would recommend washing your hands thoroughly after handling the puppy, and don't allow any close physical contact with your clothing, etc. if possible. Scabies mites do not survive very long off of the host, so there is likely not much risk of infecting your dogs by touching them when you get home - but if you want to be extra safe, you could take a shower and change your clothes before petting or snuggling with them. Alternatively, if your dogs are on an oral flea/tick medication like Nexgard or Bravecto, you shouldn't need to worry about sarcoptic mange at all because these meds will protect them against this.

Yes, you should be worried, but if your dog is vaccinated against parvo, then there is no worry. If your dog isn't vaccinated, I would keep a change of clothes to change into in your car when you get home from your boyfriend's place.

If your dogs are vaccinated against parvo, they will be fine. Should they not be vaccinated, get that done asap. It's good that she is changing her shoes, and have her keep clothes at her dad's house and separate clothes at your house if the dogs are not vaccinated.

Sherlock would certainly be at a higher risk as most of the intestinal parasites are usually transmitted via contaminated soil or by ingesting feces or contaminated food or water. I would recommend that you pick up Jasper's feces and anything that has contact with it as soon as possible and you are likely ok. Jasper is likely to be parasite free soon. Best of luck with your cuties!

There are intestinal parasites that are contagious to humans. These are hookworms and roundworms. They are contagious via fecal oral contact. Cleaning with regular cleaning products should take care of the problem. And also washing your hands before you eat. I have been in the veterinary profession for 16 years and have never gotten parasites myself. More than likely as long as you're cleaning regularly and washing your hands, you should be OK. Good luck!

I would recommend you carefully investigate the organization that is fostering the dog you wish to have at your grandmother's house. Make sure you ask them whether the dog will be fully vaccinated and dewormed, to ensure that your other dogs aren't exposed to any diseases. Also consider whether you will be able to spend sufficient time with this foster dog in order to take care of it, train it in basic behavioral commands, etc, if it's living at your grandmothers. I think it's awesome that you want to help more dogs, but since this sounds like a pretty complex arrangement, and your parents don't really sound like they're on board with your plan, maybe you would be able to help animals easier if you volunteered your time at a rescue or shelter.

This situation is generally fine! The main things to make sure you do is keep her up to date one vaccines and her heartworm prevention. Ask you veterinarian about a vaccine called Leptospirosis which is commonly found in rats and can be transmitted to humans. Keep her on a monthly heartworm prevention will also deworm her once monthly (although it may not get all kinds of worms). You won't get worms from sharing the bed with Miku but you could wake up to an unpleasant surprise. Lastly, keep her up to date on her flea prevention so you don't get that in your bed. Otherwise you should be fine. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.