Question from Michelle Huff
Hi there! My family and I (husband, step-son (13), daughter (4), and son (1)) adopted a new puppy last week. He is a fabulous dog and your book Home Safe Home has been wonderful for our family since I received it as an early Christmas Gift.
I do however have a question. Our puppy is currently 9 weeks old and of course we are in the process of potty training. After seeing the vet a few days ago he recommended that we quarintine him inside of the apartment for the next few weeks (until he has had his complete round of parvo vaccines) in order to reduce his risk of contracting the disease. With this new ‘no going outside rule’ we are having to allow him out onto our patio to do his business.
Of course since we’re still in the beginning stages of potty training we have not been able to get him to successfully go on the puppy pad just yet, which results in him basically excrimenting just about anywhere on the patio.
My question is to you is how can I clean and disinfect my patio concrete after he goes without causing harm to him or my children. You see currently I had to go out and scrubbed the patio with some chlorine bleach (I know OMG!) and water but now I can’t let any of them outside because I don’t want them playing in it or drinking it. Can you help me?
Debra’s Answer
There are natural stain and odor remover products for dogs, but they don’t disinfect.
For the disinfecting, I would look to borax, which is used to wash baby diapers, or vinegar and hydrogen peroxide (spray with one then spray with the other), which has been proven to disinfect countertops.
If the area is in the sun, the heat of the sun will disinfect, but the sun is pretty weak this time of year.
Readers, any suggestions?
