My last litter had Herpes, which was born May 30. I made sure everyone on my property was exposed to the mother and pups including the bitch I wanted to breed next.

I have done my next breeding (2 weeks after the two herpes pups went home) and my bitch is due to whelp in a little over a week. I am certain she has been exposed to the virus and shows no signs on her vulva (no lesions)

My question is. Can I use my custom made whelping box that has the herpes pups in it if I bleach it?

I know what I feel I should do...but I have absolutely no experience with this.

please help....

Can I use the whelping box I used with the pups that got herpes if I disinfect it?

"The virus does not survive well outside of the body and is easily destroyed by most detergents.4"

4^ a b "Canine Herpesviral Infection: Introduction". The Merck Veterinary Manual. 2006. Retrieved 2007-01-30.

From Wikipedia referencing The Merck Vet. Manual
Canine Herpes Virus, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canine_herpesvirus

Thank you!

Allison I also think you are good with a dilute bleach solution (1:30) or Roccal-D from your vet (kills everything and smells great!) sprayed all over the whelping box, in nooks and crannies, inside and out. Then let it sit out in the sun to dry for several days---oh that's right---you live in Washington...never mind!

You may also consider spraying your carpet and tile with a disinfectant or do some carpet cleaning before the bitch whelps to avoid her tracking any potential virus particles into the whelping box.
Best of luck with your litter--you should be fine!

If you get herpes virus in your kennel/home, you'll not see it again in years. You need to do nothing.

That is a false statement. I personally had it twice with different bitches and I know others who have had it twice too. Whelp boxes and homes spotless. It has to do with the bitch and exposure/immunity.

Allison, your whelp box and environment will be fine and you were smart to expose your girl to everyone else. Good Luck with your litter

I have my vet run a CHV titer at the same time I do my brucellosis before breeding. So far mine have come back with a 1:2 value meaning an elevated titer and possible recent infection, in other words they have been exposed and have an immunity. Once they have an immunity, you shouldn't need to test them again pre-breeding.
I recently tested a bitch that came back 1:16, which was unusually elevated. I had helped deliver a litter that came down with CHV 2 months earlier and I'm assuming she was exposed at this time. The mother of the litter had been to shows but evidently was never exposed, therefore had no immunity.She some how got exposed in that 3 week period pre-whelp and passed it to the puppies. The whole litter was gone by 10 days old with symptoms starting at one week. Necropsys were done and CHV was confirmed. The organs hemorrhage and lesions are present. The bitch tested somewhere around 1:68 at 2 weeks post whelp. She will never have another litter with CHV. Since she now has an immunity to the virus, she will never pass it to her puppies. The best thing to do is expose them to the virus. This is why the 3 weeks post pre and post whelp are important to isolate the bitch if you don't know if she has the antibodies.

I also wanted to add that CHV-1 is in the same family as kennel cough and ironically, the female that lost the litter had a mild case of "sneezing" kennel cough a month before she delivered.
My understanding is that lesions in the genital area are not a symptom of CHV as they are in humans.