It’s a struggle for everyone who fosters or adopts a puppy: How to balance the need to protect vulnerable young animals from diseases like deadly canine parvovirus (CPV) while still meeting their socialization needs.

Dogs who are not properly exposed to new experiences, people and other dogs during their puppyhood may develop avoidable behavior problems. But many people hesitate to bring puppies to playgroups or puppy socialization classes until the puppy has had a complete series of vaccinations, thus missing valuable socialization opportunities when they most matter.

A study published in the current issue of the Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association, however, suggests that puppies who have been vaccinated just once by a veterinarian can safely attend puppy classes without increasing their risk of contracting CPV. From the study abstract:

The objectives of this study were to determine if puppies that attended puppy socialization classes and were vaccinated by a veterinarian at least once were at an increased risk of confirmed canine parvovirus (CPV) infection compared with puppies that did not attend classes and to determine the frequency of suspected CPV infection in puppies vaccinated at least once that attended classes with trainers. Twenty-one clinics in four cities in the United States provided information regarding demographics, vaccination, CPV diagnosis, and class attendance for puppies ≤ 16 wk of age. In addition, 24 trainers in those same cities collected similar information on puppies that attended their classes. In total, 279 puppies attended socialization classes and none were suspected of or diagnosed with CPV infection. Results indicated that vaccinated puppies attending socialization classes were at no greater risk of CPV infection than vaccinated puppies that did not attend those classes.

For additional information, including a link for subscribers to view and non-subscribers to purchase the complete study, click here.

Meredith E. Stepita, DVM; Melissa J. Bain, DVM, DACVB, MS; Philip H. Kass, PhD, DVM, DACVPM; Frequency of CPV Infection in Vaccinated Puppies that Attended Puppy Socialization Classes. Journal of the Animal Hospital Association, Mar/Apr 2013, vol. 49 no. 2 95-100.