Question
# 1886 |
At our shelter we want to have organized play groups for the dogs that have completed their holding period and that have passed a standard behavior evaluation. My question is what specific guidelines would you recommend for this to be successful behaviorally and medically, with kennel cough in mind.
Should dogs be fully vaccinated, as in 2 boosters for adult dogs, 3 for puppies? Keeping in mind that 21 days apart for vaccines is a long time for stress levels to go up in dogs and socialization to decrease, also our dog runs are only big enough to house one dog. If post-kennel cough how many days until a dog could return to a play group?
Our shelter is in WA state and the dog kennels are all inside, but play yards are outside. I have come from CA where we had outdoor runs and kennel cough was virtually non-existent. At this shelter it is heavy even though runs are cleaned daily and we currently use kennelsol. The vet seems to think kennel cough is not air-born, right or wrong? |
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Date question was answered: 2010-04-27 |
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Answer |
Thank you for your questions. In order for me to best answer your questions, I have divided your questions into three sections: playgroups, vaccine protocols, and canine infectious respiratory disease complex.
Playgroups:
I am happy to hear that you are taking steps to enrich the lives of the dogs in your care.
Playgroups that are planned and executed properly can positively impact the lives of the dogs in your care. In this situation, it seems like the risk of kennel cough is not going to be significantly increased by having asymptomatic dogs interact in playgroups compared to the risk of the dogs being housed within an indoor shelter facility. Of course, dogs chosen for the playgroups should be healthy, free of internal and external parasites, and have been vaccinated with a modified live DAPP vaccine (distemper virus/ adenovirus-2/ parvovirus / parainfluenza) or a recombinant distemper vaccine at least seven days prior to joining a playgroup. It is unlikely that an adequate immune response can occur earlier than 3-5 days after the first vaccination, so waiting a week before direct contact with other dogs should provide the animal enough time to begin to respond.
We do not recommend dogs under 6 months of age being in a playgroup with unrelated puppies in a shelter environment because the risk of diseases such as parvo and distemper outweighs the socialization benefits that the puppies will receive from the playgroups. Puppies can and should be able to interact and play with their own littermates.
When playgroups are established the groups should be divided by: age, size, energy level, and play style. The adult and juvenile dogs that are chosen for the playgroups should have even temperaments and be well socialized or fluent in communicating with other dogs. I would avoid placing dogs that are overly excited or not well socialized into any playgroup. The playgroups should be constantly monitored by a staff member or senior volunteer who is fluent in the language of dogs and feels comfortable handling dogs that may become too excited or cannot appropriately disengage from play. I would also limit the size of the playgroups to two dogs. This means that you will have more playgroups, but it will make it easier for the dogs to interact with each other and for the staff to assess the compatibility of the dogs. If the dogs are not compatible with each other, then a different pairing should be tried.
Ideally, your playgroups would be held in an environment that can be cleaned and disinfected between the different groups of dogs. This may not be possible. If you cannot disinfect the environment, it is still important to keep the environment clean by removing feces promptly and not sharing toys or water bowls between groups of dogs.
Vaccine protocols:
Puppies in a shelter environment should be vaccinated with the modified live DAPP vaccine or recombinant distemper vaccine that is given subcutaneously every 2 weeks until at least 4 months old because we do not know when maternal immunity will wane enough for the immune systems of these animals will respond to the vaccine. Puppies can also be vaccinated once with modified live respiratory disease (Bordetella bronchiseptica, parainfleunza, adenovirus-2) vaccine that is given intranasally after 6 weeks of age. Puppies should be routinely de-wormed
throughout their vaccine series.
The vaccines that we recommend for dogs greater than 6 months of age in a shelter environment are a modified live respiratory disease vaccine and a modified live DAPP vaccine or a recombinant distemper vaccine. These vaccines should be given to every dog prior to or immediately upon presentation at the shelter. Both juvenile (6 months+) and adult dogs should receive a second DAPP vaccine at a minimum of 2 weeks after the initial vaccine was given.
Canine infectious respiratory disease:
Multiple pathogens can cause respiratory disease in dogs or the clinical syndrome called "kennel cough". Unfortunately, a dog that is infected with any of these pathogens will often shed infectious material prior to showing any signs of illness.
Depending upon the pathogen(s)
involved, an infected dog may also be contagious to other dogs for weeks to months after recovering from his own illness. If you are able to perform diagnostic testing and determine the source of the infection you can adjust your isolation and quarantine protocols accordingly. Without a definitive diagnosis, a dog with a respiratory disease should be isolated from the general population for a minimum period of 2 to 3 weeks Isolating sick animals, quarantining exposed animals, maintaining excellent hand hygiene and sound cleaning and disinfection protocols are instrumental in keeping your population healthy. Respiratory diseases can be transmitted in the air by coughing and sneezing dogs. A dog's cough can spread infectious aerosol droplets over 20 feet. Unfortunately, these pathogens are also easily spread by fomites such as people, bedding and toys. Fortunately, the cleaning product that you are using is an effective disinfecting agent for upper respiratory disease pathogens.
Please see the following webpage for more information on canine infectious respiratory disease complex.
http://www.sheltermedicine.com/portal/is_infectious_tracheobronchitis_canine.shtml
http://www.sheltermedicine.com/portal/is_infectious_tracheobronchitis_canine.shtml
I hope this helps. Enjoy play time!
Catherine McManus VMD, MPH, DACVPM
Shelter Medicine Resident
Maddie's Shelter Medicine Program
College of Veterinary Medicine
University of Florida |
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Question
# 1869 |
We have had a recent outbreak of Panleuk in both the shelter and a few foster homes. How long do you recommend we keep the foster home "empty" before it is safe to bring new cats - adults vs. kittens - in to the homes? What is the best way to disinfect, considering this is a home environment that is not as easy to thoroughly clean (carpet, furniture, etc). |
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Date question was answered: 2010-02-05 |
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Answer |
Thank you for submitting your question to the UC-Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program. I am very sorry to hear that you are experiencing panleukopenia outbreaks in your shelter and foster homes, and you are right to be concerned about proper disinfection methods in a home environment.
I am going to steer you to an excellent article written by Dr. Kate Hurley in Animal Sheltering with specific advise on how to handle cleaning the environment after a parvo outbreak in foster homes. The recommendations that are made for puppies & dogs apply similarly to kittens & cats with feline panleukopenia.
http://www.sheltermedicine.com/documents/controlling_parvo.pdf
You can also find the link to this information and more specific cleaning protocols on our Feline Panleukopenia Information Sheet.
Sincerely,
Jyothi
Jyothi V. Robertson, DVM
Senior Resident, Koret Shelter Medicine Program
Center for Companion Animal Health
UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine
www.sheltermedicine |
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Question
# 1798 |
Our shelter manager recently attended a talk presented by Dr. Hurley and returned with some information on canine parvovirus that I am questioning. She says she was told that canine parvovirus has mutated into a form that is contagious to cats and that dogs/puppies with parvo present a source of infection to cats and, therefore, should not be quarantined anywhere near the cats. I know that feline panleukopenia is a parvovirus, but my understanding of both panleukopenia and canine parvovirus is that they are species (or at least family) specific and do not cross between dogs and cats. I also know that there is or was speculation that canine parvovirus had mutated from feline panleukopenia when it first appeared in the '70s. Has the canine parvovirus mutated into a new form that is contagious to cats? Is there a danger in exposing parvo dogs/puppies to cats in the shelter? Thanks you. |
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Date question was answered: 0000-00-00 |
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Answer |
Thank you for your question. You and your shelter manager are both right. Feline panleukopenia is a parvovirus. Canine parvovirus may have emerged from feline parvovirus; however, they are different viral diseases. That being said, recent evidence suggests that canine parvovirus type 2 has several newer variants (2a, 2b and 2c) that can infect cats and can cause clinical 'parvoviral disease' in them. A 2002 journal article stated that "the pathogenicity of CPV-2a and 2b in cats remains debatable and the illness from CPV-2a/2b infection highly depends on the general condition of the cats before infection" (Ikeda, et al. 2002). The clinical signs of cats infected with CPV are similiar to feline panleukopenia virus - vomiting, diarrhea, depression and leukopenia.
For disease control and stress management, dogs and cats should be housed seperately. In addition, cleaning equipment and personel should be designed to specific areas of, and animal species within, the shelter to mitgate cross contamination.
Some of the articles addressing this topic are listed below.
1. Truyen U, Evermann JF, Vieler E, Parrish CR. Evolution of canine parvovirus involved loss and gain of feline host range. Virology 1996;215:186-9.
2. Steinel A, Munson L, van Vuuren M, Truyen U. Genetic characterization of feline parvovirus sequences from various carnivores. J Gen Virol 2000;81:345-50.
3. Ikeda Y, Miyazawa T, Nakamura K, Naito R, Inoshima Y, Tung KC, et al. Serosurvey for selected virus infections of wild carnivores in Taiwan and Vietnam. J Wildl Dis 1999;35:578-81.
4. Mochizuki M, Horiuchi M, Hiragi H, San Gabriel MC, Yasuda N, Uno T. Isolation of canine parvovirus from a cat manifesting clinical signs of feline panleukopenia. J Clin Microbiol 1996;34:2101-5.
5. Chalmers WS, Truyen U, Greenwood NM, Baxendale W. Efficacy of feline panleucopenia vaccine to prevent infection with an isolate of CPV2b obtained from a cat. Vet Microbiol 1999;69:41-5.
6. Nakamura K, Sakamoto M, Ikeda Y, Sato E, Kawakami K, Miyazawa T, et al. Pathogenic potential of canine parovirus types 2a and 2c in domestic cats. Clin Diagn Lab Immunol 2001;8:663-8.
7. Miyazawa T, Ikeda Y, Nakamura K, Naito R, Mochizuki M, Tohya Y, et al. Isolation of feline parvovirus from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of cats in northern Vietnam. Microbiol Immunol 1999;43:609-12.
8. Nakamura K, Ikeda Y, Miyazawa T, Tohya Y, Takahashi E, Mochizuki M. Characterization of cross reactivity of virus neutralizing antibodies induced by feline panleukopenia virus and canine parvovirus. Res Vet Sci 2001;71:219-22.
9.
Ikeda Y, Nakamura K, Miyazawa T, Tohya Y, Takahashi E, Mochizuki M. Feline Host Range of Canine parvovirus: Recent Emergence of New Antigenic Types in Cats. EID 2002;8(4) |
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Question
# 1635 |
When we happen to get dogs in the Kennel with kennel cough, many of the other dogs get it. We do not have a quarantine section. We treat with Doxy and Cough suppressant. Right now we do not vaccinate but i do wonder if we did vaccinate on arrival or a day after if that would give the dogs any advantage since they are going right in to the main kennel.I also wonder how effective bleach baths would be as the kennel tech will go from one dog to another and though the shoes may be clean, they will have had dogs jumping on them and easily could pass infection by their clothing. |
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Date question was answered: 2009-07-10 |
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Answer |
First, I'd like to make sure that you have read the page on our website on canine infectious respiratory disease. Our website also has some previously-answered FAQs on this topic. To review these, go to our FAQ page and enter the following numbers in the "Search FAQ" box, one at a time: 846, 813, 127. It is difficult to give you definitive recommendations without knowing for sure what disease you are dealing with. Most shelters deal with respiratory disease in dogs, at least from time to time. In many cases, it is just regular "kennel cough." But not always.
One of the main pathogens that causes "kennel cough" (Bordetella bronchiseptica) tends to have a lot of different strains that vary in how virulent they are. So, a run of particularly severe canine respiratory disease could just mean that a particularly severe strain of Bordetella is going around.
However, it is notoriously difficult to distinguish "kennel cough" from canine distemper. If neurologic signs such as tremors or seizures develop in sick dogs, that's usually a pretty good sign that a shelter is dealing with canine distemper, but a lack of neurologic signs doesn't necessarily mean that distemper isn't present. Making the distinction can require diagnostic tests (necropsy is often the most straightforward, especially when the decision to euthanize has already been made, or when animals have died), but we can also sometimes get a better idea by looking at the way the disease behaves in the population.
Bordetella is ubiquitous; nearly all shelters probably deal with it at some level. Distemper tends to occur in geographic "pockets;" shelters in some communities (usually communities with high levels of vaccination) never see it, and in shelters in communities with low levels of vaccination, it is often a constant problem. Canine influenza has not been seen at all in most areas of the country, and when it is seen, it tends to occur in epidemic proportions (i.e. nearly every single dog in the shelter gets sick with it).
Canine distemper tends to be more common in puppies and unvaccinated adults, but can also affect adults that are exposed to high levels of the virus before vaccination has had time to kick in (i.e. previously unvaccinated dogs that are vaccinated on admission, but are admitted to a shelter that has a high level of canine distemper.) This can be difficult to recognize, though, because about half of dogs that become infected with canine distemper are either asymptomatic or show only mild respiratory signs (indistinguishable from "kennel cough.") Bordetella tends to be a bit more equal-opportunity - it can affect puppies or adults, and vaccination can help reduce the chance of disease, or severity of disease, but doesn't eliminate it completely. Canine influenza will affect all dogs equally - puppies or adults, vaccinated or unvaccinated, and again, tends to occur in epidemic proportions.
There are some general recommendations that are important for the prevention, reduction and control of canine infectious respiratory disease in shelters: supporting the ability of dogs to ward off disease and reducing the level of disease-causing pathogens dogs are exposed to. The following strategies can be used to accomplish these goals: complete and appropriate vaccination protocols, careful isolation practices, stress reduction, avoidance of crowding, reducing the average length of shelter stays, effective sanitation, and prevention of airway irritation (e.g. by minimizing barking, cleaning in such a way that airborne irritants are reduced, and maintaining good air quality.)
The best way for your to improve disease control in a shelter situation like you describe would be to vaccinate all animals on intake. This is important for primarily the parvo component of the vaccine, but giving a Bordetella vaccine as well may decrease the severity of kennel cough in your shelter. Vaccinating on intake is a critical component of good infectious disease control. Here is some more information regarding vaccination:
http://www.sheltermedicine.com/portal/is_vaccination.shtml#top3
http://www.sheltermedicine.com/portal/is_infectious_tracheobronchitis_canine.shtml#top
There is also a good webinar on kennel cough by our faculty member, Dr. Sandra Newbury at the following site:
http://www.sheltermedicine.com/education/webinars.php#top4
Regarding your question about footbaths. Bleach is not the best choice to use for foot baths. The primary reason for this is that bleach is inactivated in the presence of organic material, such as feces, food, urine, and just plain old dirt. Foot baths usually become quickly contaminated by such organic material. Potassium peroxymonosulfate (trade name Trifectant or Virkon) or Wysiwash are often better disinfectant choices for foot baths, because their disinfectant activity is less affected by the presence of organic material.
All that said, I must tell you that foot baths, regardless of the disinfectant used, should not be relied upon very heavily to prevent spread of germs through the shelter. Studies of foot baths show that even when these are consistently used, they do an imperfect job of preventing disease transmission. Ideally, shoes should be scrubbed as well as dipped in a foot bath, and this is rarely practical in a shelter. A contact time of 10 minutes or so is recommended for most disinfectants - a quick dip of shoe treads into disinfectant may not be adequate. If not replenshed or refilled frequently enough, foot baths tend to dry out. We have seen shelters in which foot baths consisted of litterboxes containing a towels just slightly dampened with disinfectant - these are ineffective at best, and the slight moisture on shoes might actually promote growth of germs. Foot bath disinfectant should be deep enough to cover shoe treads, and foot baths should be changed daily or more often if heavily soiled. When it really counts, such as when actually treating animals for a highly infectious disease such as parvo or ringworm in a shelter, dedicated boots or disposable shoe covers are preferred.
If you have not done so already, please review the cleaning and disinfection sections of our website:
www.sheltermedicine.com/portal/is_cleaning.shtml#top3
Be sure to also look through an 18-page review of sanitation in shelters, called "Saving Lives Through Sanitation" also available on that web page.
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Question
# 1599 |
Does Roccal- D and/or KennlSol kill Giardia?
I want to be sure we are killing bacteria, viruses but also Giardia.
I want to pick the best/safest product for the staff,patients and the environment.
Look forward to your reply.
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Date question was answered: 0000-00-00 |
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Answer |
Roccal-D anf KennelSol are quaternary ammonium cleaner/disinfectant and are effective against Giardia cysts. However, contrary to many manufacturers’ claims quaternary ammonium products are not reliable disinfectants against un-enveloped viruses such as canine parvovirus and feline panleukopeniavirus, feline calicivirus, or fungi such as ringworm. This has been repeatedly shown in independent studies.
That being said quaternary ammonium products are perfectly good cleaners and can be used in kennels that do not have parvo/panleukopenia/calicivirus problems.
Another good option is to “bring on the bleach” as a disinfectant to use after cleaning with a quaternary ammonium product if these viruses are suspected.
One thing to keep in minds if you decide to continue using a quaternary ammonium product is that it is very important to ensure they are used at the appropriate concentration. Using a higher concentration of quaternary ammonium disinfectants raises toxicity issues in animals. Like many active chemicals, disinfectants are not without the potential for harm. At minimum, use of disinfectants at excessively high concentrations can create respiratory irritation for animals and staff, and some chemicals (such as quaternary ammonium (Grier 1967; Trapani, Brooks et al. 1982) and phenol disinfectants (Rousseaux, Smith et al. 1986), e.g. Pine-sol®) can actually be fatal when applied incorrectly. We have even been called in to investigate “outbreaks” of severe oral ulceration, fever and malaise in cats that turned out not to be due to a virus but to exposure to incorrectly diluted quaternary ammonium disinfectants.
I hope this information is useful.
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Question
# 1593 |
We are building a new shelter and what to make it the best we can for disease control. One question that we are getting different answers for is how to clean dog kennels. I know your site says to scoop the feces first, then to rise, scrub, and sanitize the kennels. Others are saying to just spray the feces down the drains while you are rising, then scub and sanitize. That if you scoop the feces first you have just as much likelyhood of spreading disease as you do when you just spray the feces down the drain. Because you have a pail of feces with a scoop that you are going from kennel to kennel and then you still have to empty the pail and rise it. So my real question is do you have any data to back your recommendation to scoop feces first and not to just spray it down the drain. I do feel that it is faster for the shelter attendant to spray it down the drain, but is it safer for them and the dogs to scoop first? Please provide data to back your reasoning. |
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Date question was answered: 2009-06-12 |
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Answer |
Either way of cleaning can be acceptable. Unpublished research has documented that aerosolized exposure to parvo causes severe disease, but it is possible to gently rinse fecal matter down the drain such that this risk is likely minimal. What should be avoided is high pressure sprayers when feces and dogs are in the same environment (ie, when the dog is in the run). No university that I am aware of has done a study where they have alternately scooped and sprayed dog feces down a drain and tracked disease spread, so the data you are requesting is not available. There is more information on the attached handout regarding cage cleaning, and as you will see, there are many factors that effect disease control and it is highly dependent on the particular cage design, animals, cleaning agents, and staff as to which cleaning protocol will best suit your needs. |
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Question
# 1535 |
Maddie's Infection Control Manual for Animal Shelters notes heat is a "fairly reliable method of sterilization" (p. 50-51) and that moist heat (steam) is even more effective than dry heat. The small shelter where I volunteer currently mostly uses bleach. However, the drawbacks I see are that it is often mixed with detergent -which I understand deactivates it. Also, the environmental impact of bleach is a concern. So, wonder steam cleaning would be as effective?. Also, any feedback on ultraviolet lighting? |
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Date question was answered: |
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Answer |
I don't have any personal experience using steam cleaners in shelters, but it is not something we generally recommend that shelters implement on a regular basis. Steam cleaning most definitely can be beneficial in certain circumstances, but we do not recommend them as the method of cleaning for several reasons.
• Steam cleaning requires more staff time in order to achieve minimum contact time per area. Using a good disinfectant e.g. Trifectant allows for larger areas to be cleaned
more quickly.
• The amount of water and heat used may be expensive and / or increase shelter humidity.
• Due to the noise and heat the entire area must be cleared of animals, again increasing staff time and work.
• In order to kill viruses such as panleukopenia you need to achieve temperatures of 133-140 degrees F for 20-40 minutes.
Many of the steam cleaners one can rent or buy use hot tap water which would be ineffective in regards to some of the hardier germs we battle with in shelters as they do not generate enough heat.
If you have rooms with furniture and / or carpets where animals are housed, such as group housing for cats, or home environments for dogs, it may be appropriate to use a steam cleaner for cleaning before new animals are introduced, or if the room has been exposed to a suspect or confirmed infectious animal (i.e. parvo, ringworm).
In regards to UV light: UV light is used to kill airborne pathogens (which is relatively unimportant in disease transmission in a shelter, especially in cats), but doesn't actually improve air quality, because it doesn't remove particles such as dust from the air. Also keep in mind that shelter diseases are primarily transmitted by fomites rather than through airborne germs rather than through the air. UV-light would not prevent this kind of disease transmission.
Kennel cough and URI tend flourish in dog and cat populations that are crowded and stressed. Poor air quality and lack of good immunity also contribute significantly. If the shelter is struggling with URI and kennel cough, there are most likely other improvements that could be made, which are less expensive than UV lights, and would probably be much more effective. If we were to focus on air quality, there are 3 main approaches that may be taken to improve air quality, listed below in order of effectiveness:
1. Reduce sources of air pollution - decrease housing density, change litter-boxes frequently, use low dust litter, avoid zealous sweeping or spraying of disinfectant.
2. Improve ventilation - increase the amount of fresh air through open windows, outdoor spaces, ventilation systems.
3. Air cleaning with filters. This may be a helpful adjunct when increased ventilation is not an option. Air filters are the least effective strategy, and UV lights are probably even less effective.
Generally I would recommend using bleach or Trifectant for disinfection as they are both parvocidal and effective against feline calicivirus. Bleach is generally no inactivated by soap (it should not be mixed with quaternary ammonias though), but it will be inactivated by organic material. It is thus recommended to use as a second step, after mechanically cleaning with a detergent. If your shelter staff prefers using a one-step cleaning protocol you may want to consider switching to Trifectant or Bruclean.
I hope this is helpful. |
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Question
# 1532 |
I am the co-director of a small animal shelter in Connecticut. We have no history of outbreaks such as parvo, etc. However, we want to make sure that we are prepared with proper cleaning supplies should such an outbreak occur. We currently clean with Altima 128, a quaternary ammonium product. We have been hearing a lot about Trifectant, as well as degreasers. We have also been told that we should change cleaners from time to time.
Do you feel that monthly alternating of Trifectant and Altima 128, combined with weekly use of a degreaser, would be an adequate cleaning protocol both as far as day-to-day cleaning and disease prevention? Also, I cannot find any information about specific degreasers that would be appropriate. I read about the Animal Health Technology degreaser elsewhere on your site, but I cannot find information on where to purchase it. Do you have any suggestions?
Thank you. |
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Date question was answered: |
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Answer |
Kudos to you for wanting to be prepared for the worst.
Effective sanitation requires applying a germicidal agent to a basically clean surface. This requires use of both detergent and disinfectant products. Detergents in themselves do nothing to kill germs. Although some disinfectants can also act as detergents, many (such as bleach) do not. Virtually all disinfectants used in shelters are inactivated by organic material (such as feces, kitty litter, saliva, sneeze marks and plain old dirt) to some extent, so if they are not applied to a clean surface, they simply will not work.
Periodically, a stronger degreaser should be used to deal with body oils and other grunge that builds up in kennels over time and can render disinfectants ineffective. We generally recommend using a degreaser weekly or every two weeks.
The product you are currently using (Altima 128) is a Quaternary ammonium compound, similar to Roccal, Parvo-sol, Triple-two, Kennel-sol. These cleaners are:
• Effective against most bacteria and some viruses.
• Not reliably effective against parvo, panleukopenia or ringworm. Ineffective to only partially effective against feline calicivirus (common cause of feline URI).
• 1980, 1995, and 2002 studies tested quaternary ammonium compounds labeled for use against unenveloped viruses such as parvo and found them less effective than the label claimed.
• Moderately inactivated by organic debris (but less so than bleach).
• Hard water reduces effectiveness.
Some quaternary ammonium compounds have detergent/cleaning action as well as acting as disinfectants, and are suitable as a good general purpose product for both cleaning and disinfection, but in case of suspected parvovirus contamination the addition of other parvocidal products is necessary.
A reasonable choice would be to use a quaternary ammonium compound with detergent characteristics for general cleaning of all areas, followed by an application of bleach disinfection whenever un-enveloped viruses are a concern.
Bleach (Sodium hypochlorite) is a great disinfectant, but not a detergent. If you want to continue using your current cleaning agent you could add bleach as a disinfecting step following cleaning with the Altima 128.
• 5% solution diluted at 1:32 (1/2 cup per gallon) completely inactivates parvo, panleukopenia and calicivirus when used correctly. Most household bleach is 5%. "Ultrableach" contains a slightly higher percentage of sodium hypochlorite, but may be safely used at the same dilution as 5% household bleach.
• Inactivates ringworm at higher concentrations (1:10 dilution, or 1½ cup per gallon of water) and with repeated application.
• Significantly inactivated by organic matter, light and extended storage: should be stored for limited time in light-proof containers.
• Low tissue toxicity, but fumes can be irritating at high concentration and bleach is corrosive to metal.
• Hard water reduces effectiveness
Trifectant (Potassium peroxymonosulfate):
• Effective against panleukopenia and feline calicivirus. Studies also support efficacy against other un-enveloped viral agents, including parvo.
• Reportedly less corrosive to metal than bleach, moderate activity in the presence of organic matter.
• Comes in powdered form, mixed solution stable up to 7 days.
Like quaternary ammonium compounds, potassium peroxymonosulfate reportedly has some detergent effect and can be used as a sole cleaning/disinfection agent for lightly soiled surfaces.
There is no information available to suggest that it is necessary to change cleaning products from time to time. The important thing is to use a parvocidal disinfectant correctly, including allowing it adequate contact time (10 minutes). Adding bleach to you current protocol would be a reasonable option.
We don’t recommend any particular degreaser, as there are many available (just “google” degreaser). Since detergents are not disinfectants (they do not have anti-microbial activity), it is not necessary to consider which pathogens a certain degreaser is effective against. I would check with your current suppliers if they have any degreasing products available.
I hope this information is useful. |
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Question
# 1529 |
Can a puppy who is treated for parvovirus and recovers, get parvo again? Is it common that they relapse?". Many vets have told us that it is possible however I myself have never seen a dog who has FULLY recovered contract the disease again. Instead we have always thought the opposite, that once a pet is recovered they are naturally more immune to at least that strain. What should we tell adopters regarding this topic? Thanks! |
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Date question was answered: 2009-04-01 |
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Answer |
Recovered puppies do develop immunity to parvo, probably for years if not for life. If they are vaccinated properly, the risk of developing parvo virus is very low a second time. We still recommend vaccinating all puppies on a regular schedule since the vaccines offer protection against other pathogens as well (distemper, canine hepatitis, parainfluenza, for example). |
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Question
# 1521 |
I am struggling with a shelter that I work with regarding vaccination of cats/dogs to term. Had a couple of cases where the animals were vaccinated and prematurely delivered. I am advising them to hold off vaccinating those animals but am getting some resistance. The animals are all housed separately and they do clean daily. Any suggestions?
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Date question was answered: 2009-03-20 |
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Answer |
You pose an excellent question regarding vaccinating pregnant animals
and the answer really comes down to a risk-benefit analysis in your
particular shelter.
Although very little data exists, it is thought that in a mother who
has never been vaccinated or exposed, modified live parvo and
panleukopenia vaccines may cause abortion or fetal damage. In mothers
who have been previously immunized, on the other hand, there is likely
no risk to the litter. In one study, abortions were no more common in
queens vaccinated with an MLV FVRCP vaccine during pregnancy, and
their kittens were considerably less likely to suffer from upper
respiratory infection than kittens born to queens not vaccinated
during pregnancy. (We can chalk that benefit up to the increased
maternal antibody received by the litter.) The bottom line is, there
is likely some risk of causing fetal damage when we vaccinate pregnant
animals who have never been vaccinated before.
On the other hand, there is some risk in not vaccinating: if the
mother contracts a fatal illness, both mother and litter will be lost.
It all comes down to weighing the risk of exposure versus the risk to
the litter. If you almost never see serious disease in your shelter or
you can reliably prevent exposure, then the risk may outweigh the
benefit. If risk of exposure is reasonably high, then the benefit of
vaccination likely outweighs the risk. If URI is a frequent problem in
foster litters, that provides further reason to vaccinate during
pregnancy. Keep in mind the special considerations for a legal hold –
there are many reasons besides vaccination for abortion, but a vaccine
may be blamed if given to an animal at the center of a contentious
legal case. In that situation, make every effort to find out the
animal’s vaccine status from the owner, and either gain consent from
the owner for vaccination or carefully protect her from exposure to
illness rather than risking a vaccine without consent. Finally, any
time a spay-abortion is planned, immediate vaccination of the pregnant
animal is indicated.
You can find more information about vaccinating pregnant animals at
the following site:
http://www.sheltermedicine.com/portal/is_vaccination.shtml#top3
AAHA vaccine guidelines for shelters recommends vaccinating pregnant
dogs with inactivated, subunit, recombinant vaccines (if available)
for CDV, parvo, and Bordetella on intake. I am attaching their
guidelines as well (see page 24).
Feel free to contact me directly if you have any further questions.
Jyothi
Kate Hurley's Additional Comments:
I’m sure you’re aware of the AAHA and AAFP guidelines regarding vaccination of shelter animals. While it is correct that vaccines are not labeled for use in other than healthy animals, both sets of guidelines for shelter animals recommend vaccinating mildly ill, pregnant and young animals under some circumstances (as Jyothi described in her email – this is a risk/benefit analysis situation). These guidelines reflect the consensus of research and experience of a panel of experts. Arguably the “standard of care” for shelter animals reflects these recommendations and standard practices in shelters. I understand your concern about adverse effects on kittens from recently vaccinated queens – there are times when, if the queens are going to be allowed to carry the kittens to term and they can be successfully protected from exposure to panleukopenia until they are vaccinated, then vaccinating (or using a killed vaccine) may outweigh the risk of not vaccinating. Some shelters can meet that requirement, but most can not. If the shelter you are drawing from falls in the latter category, they may do better to vaccinate all concerned; alternately you may be able to help them set up an isolation area and transport system such that the queens are truly isolated (not just housing but the people handling them, equipment, carriers etc.) throughout their time in the source shelter, during transport, in your shelter, and in foster care. In my experience, I hear about more cats dying of panleukopenia because they were not vaccinated due to pregnancy or mild illness; than problems with abortion or cerebellar issues in kittens born to vaccinated moms. However, that reflects the fact that most shelters I have worked with have not been able to successfully, truly isolate these cats. |
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