Here's an excellent question from a new Lost Creek puppy family:
Hello! We’re picking up our puppy next week and have a question about the trip home.
What do we do if our puppy needs to potty on the way home?
Thanks!
Our response:
This is a GREAT question, thank you.
When your puppy comes home, he will *probably* have only had his first round of vaccinations. (Click here to read a little about the vaccination protocol recommended by the AHAA and Dr. Jean Dodds. – NOTE, this is the protocol we follow, but ALWAYS follow the advice of your veterinarian!) Perhaps the most important of these is the Parvo vaccine.
Your new puppy will not be immune to Parvo until after his THIRD round of Parvo vaccine. Your vet will give him his 2nd and 3rd rounds. Until he’s received his 3rd round, we strongly recommend you keep your new family member away from public areas – any place where there may have previously been other animals…pets or stray. And if you ever travel, you know that there are always families stopping at rest areas and gas stations to let their pets out to potty!
So for this reason, we recommend you leave your new puppy in his crate until you get home. It’s better to have a few accidents along the way than to risk a potentially life-threatening disease. (AND THAT THREAT IS REAL!) 
We usually put 6-8 puppy pads in the bottom of the crate so that when there’s an accident, we can simply make a stop, pull off the top layer of pads, clean up the puppy and keep moving! (We also keep natural, unscented baby wipes handy as well!)
Hope this helps! Those first few days are never perfect and will require some patience. And for your new little family member, it’s better to be safe than sorry!
The Lost Creek Family
