When I took the pup to the vet I was told that until she has all her shots, I should avoid areas that lots of dogs go to; especially dog parks, trails and PETsMART. When I was in PETsMART today, I ran into a gal with a 12 week old pup who (inadvertently) confirmed that this was definitely good advice.
I mentioned what my vet had told me about bringing the pup to the store until she’d had all her shots. The gal looked at me sideways and said, “My puppy’s only 12 weeks, isn’t she too young to get any shots?” Not only did her puppy not have any shots, but she hadn’t even taken it to the vet yet. Oy! 🙄
I run a pet rescue here in Savannah, GA. All pets that come in, especially kittens and puppies, are vet checked immediately. We do routine shots/dewormings at 6 weeks then again at 12 weeks, and in between as recommended by our vet. We don’t take our pets to PetSmart for adoptions due to too many already being there which just distresses the animals, but I always see very young kittens and puppies there. I agree that the pups should wait until they’ve had their initial innoculations before going public, but to each his own.
I was shocked when I read your story. Wouldn’t a trip to the vet be one of you first tasks when you have a new pup (or kitten for that matter).