Disinfect Toys?

[echojax]

I'm bringing home my boston terrier puppy in just a few weeks and have started buying toys from local pet stores.

Should I disinfect them before allowing her to play with them?

This will be my first puppy, so I'm trying to make sure I don't make any mistakes. I'm worried because she will only be 8 weeks and not be fully vaccinated by this time.

[Maxy24]

I don't. If I were buying them used I probably would, but it never occurred to me to disinfect new toys except for washing ones with a very strong rubber odor.

[Fran101]

If they are rubbery type toys (with the rubber smell) I usually put them in the dishwasher.

But as they are being used? barely. We throw stuffies in the wash all together with dog bedding but nylabones and other knickknacks rarely are touched.

[~WelshStump~]

If you bought them from a chain pet store, IE "We welcome dogs", I would! A little more than a year before I got Enda some dim wit brought her child into Petco with their new 6 week old Husky puppy they had just adopted from a local rescue (It was after a bad flooding, dam drowned). It was BEYOND clear the puppy had Parvo, they were hiking it all over the store bugging the employes for free advice on what could be wrong with it, needless to say I wouldn't touch it even though the child seemed to want everyone too.

Anyway, after that I didn't buy anything from there for Enda nor take her till after she had all her puppy boosters! I've also decided if I ever were to breed or have any more puppies around, their toys will be from mail order sources only, where the toys will come out of a pet free warehouse direct from the source (or I make them myself, polar fleece from the pet free fabric store, or my own stock of wool). It wasn't just that one instance though, we have 3 "puppy stores" in the area, you are constantly seeing people walking through Petco just over from the mall with their new pet store puppy purchase in arms, touching ALL the merchandise. Just better to be safe than sorry.

So, yes, I would at least give everything a good wash, if it came from a chain pet store like Petco, vs say Target.

[Fran101]

I agree when it comes to big name petstores as well. I have seen A LOT of new puppies all over the toys as well as toys being thrown all over the aisles/floor.

Small pet stores seem to have a better hold on watching who comes in/not letting people touch everything

With rare exception, like I walk into a store and one of the dog GRABS something.. I order toys online anyway. So much cheaper.

[echojax]

Thanks! I never thought about those possibilities. I'll definitely be washing them thoroughly.