Why can't I see puppies before their 8-week vaccinations? Is it safe?

It is possible, although rare, for people to bring infectious agents into a home on shoes, clothes etc which a pup is not fully protected against until after the course has been completed and onset of immunity is generally a week or so after full vaccination. Similar to newborn children, general precautions of clean clothes and shoe, washing hands and avoiding contact with any owners of pets who have recently been unwell would be sensible. Do not take puppy to public areas or parks or mix with any dogs which are not fully vaccinated with up to date boosters.

The breeder is correct that Edith should avoid contact with other dogs if you do not know their vaccination status, but she can have contact with dogs who are fully vaccinated. Parvovirus can be carried a person's shoes and clothes, which is why the breeder implied avoiding contact with people who have dogs. That being said, as long as the dogs at the home where your father is staying are fully vaccinated, there is no problem with him coming to see you :-)

HI, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! 5 weeks is a bit young to leave her mother but if she is fully weaned it should be ok. We usually do not start vaccines until they are 7 weeks of age. Some breeders will give them a parvo vaccine at under 7 weeks. You should be fine until she gets her first vaccine but people with sick dogs or unvaccinated dogs shouldn't handle her and she needs to be kept away from all dogs. I hope this helps and good luck!

In my opinion it is not a very good idea. The main reason is that your puppy has not been vaccinated yet and at the age of 8-10weeks puppies become susceptible for many infections (including parvovirus). Viruses, such as parvovirus, can be passed on puppies even without direct contact with infected dogs. The virus can be transmitted for example via schoes dirty in soil, cloths, could be picked up in carparks etc.

So cute! If he seems healthy and is not having any problems then he could wait until he is 8 weeks old for a vet visit. I probably would not vaccinate him at his age and weight. You should limit his exposure to other dogs and do not take him to any public places until he is vaccinated. You could take a stool sample to your vet and have him/her test it for parasites and/or get a broad spectrum dewormer from your vet and give him a dose, especially if he hasn't already been dewormed by the breeder. Good luck!

Vaccines in puppies should be given every 3-4 weeks starting at 8 weeks of age. So he can be boostered at 11-12 weeks (looks like he has about a week to go). The chances of him getting something from the unvaccinated dog's owner is pretty minimal but there is always a slight chance. I personally would not be too worried about it but there are a couple things you could do to minimize risk. You could just kindly ask her to wash her hands before petting. The other option is that you don't have to let her pet him at all. You can always say you are busy training him and you would prefer that no one pets him for now if you want to avoid a conflict..... Hope this answers your question. Best wishes!

I would not recommend taking your puppy with you. Even if you carry her the whole time people will still approach you and want to pet her/come into contact with her. I think this is a high risk of exposure to illness. She is not fully vaccinated so taking her will be a risk. I hope that helps