i keep mine off the ground for 4 months befor they touch the ground, i have had no problems with loosing pups. and i do give the there shots.
Thank you for the info mine is gettin about that old and did not wanna take any chances
That is what I do as well and is why I asked early on about whether it was in the ground.
The shots are a preventative, it doesn't mean they cannot get it. Working from my own experiences if you give one a shot and then turn him loose on infected ground the chances of him getting it are much higher / almost a death warrant.
I keep our puppies up until they are a minimum of 5 months, I haven't given a parvo shot in almost two years but rather let them build their own immunities from us going in / out of their pens and interacting with other dogs and have not had a problem since.
In the past I would give them their shots and still wait until they were 5 months old before turning them out and had the same results. The only time I have lost a pup (even those that were vaccinated regularly) was when I misjudged their ages and turned them out way too soon.
A friend of ours is religious with his shots and only gives them in the afternoons before dark, my husband was talking to him last night and every puppy on his yard has came down with parvo in the last few days so it just goes to show that because you vaccinate them doesn't mean they cannot catch it.
Puppies in pens are a pain in the butt to take care of but it is the only sure way to keep them safe until they can built their own immunitites.
