Quote:
Originally Posted by ChantalB  Ya.
You have to wait after the 3rd shot. You can take the puppy to your backyard but not for walk or to a park before that. |
Unless your backyard is fenced, it's not even safe to take him out in your own backyard.
We had a little Maltese on another forum get parvo from his own backyard even after getting all three shots. Neighborhood dogs were using his backyard for a bathroom and he had gotten his vaccinations too young so they didn't take. Beware of breeders who start the shots too soon so they can sell the puppies at only eight weeks old.
Puppies get maternal antibodies from nursing that interfere with vaccinations if given too soon after weaning. Puppies should not get the first shot until they are 9-10 weeks old and the last vaccination should be between 16-18 weeks.
In one study of a cross section of different puppies the age at which they were able to respond to a vaccine and develop protection covered a wide period of time. At six weeks of age, 25% of the puppies could be immunized. At 9 weeks of age, 40% of the puppies were able to respond to the vaccine. The number increased to 60% by 16 weeks, and by 18 weeks of age, 95% of the puppies could be immunized. Parvovirus: Serious Diarrhea in Puppies & Dogs