Petco Lawsuit.

[AZChins]

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/child-dies-infected-rat-family-sues-petco-22671659

That is so awful. I saw that this morning and just felt so horrible for that little boy's family. I wonder what will come of the lawsuit, I can't help but wonder if Petco will just settle with them just to get it to go away and not have the bad publicity of having it drag on.

Do you think that the rat would have been showing symptoms or do rats just carry that strain of strep?

 

[cindyv3737]

I heard about this on the news this morning. I feel terrible for the little boy's family. It will be interesting to see what happens with the lawsuit.

 

[ServantofBlueberry]

Im probably going to get jumped for this, however I felt compelled to voice my opinion on this subject. I worked in a different giant chain pet store for about three years... Im sure you can guess which one. Anyway, I know on the paperwork that came with the rats and mice we sold, there is a section that explains the risks of owning such rodents. Rats and mice are carriers of several types of bacteria that can be dangerous, especially to the elderly, children or anyone who has a weakened immune system. I feel what happened to this boy, although tragic is of no fault to the pet store that sold the animal. I feel the parents should have done research about the type of pet they were allowing their small child to own. With the internet so readily available there is no excuse to not check into things before allowing little kids to come into contact with them. As a matter of fact if you google "dangers of owning a pet rat" rat bite fever is the second thing to come up. It is a well known fact that rodents such as rats and mice carry bacteria. I actually feel bad for Petco and the horrible publicity they are going to get, because of what I see is negligence on behalf of the parents. I am not downplaying the horrific experience this must be for those parents, but in all honesty they should have made a more informed decision.

 

[tunes]

I just want to say that I've had rats for over 30 years, from pet stores and rescues, and have never once had an issue with this. I'm very sorry that the family lost their son, but I can't help feeling like they might not have been practicing proper hygiene when handling animals.

From what I've read, "rat bite fever" isn't quite as dangerous as you make it out to be. According to Rat Fancy, it is very rare to see this in the U.S. In Australia it is more common, but it is common in homes that are described as being in "squallor."

My fear is this is going to into a witch hunt against pet rats. People are already running their mouths about rats carrying the plague. Rats didn't carry the plague, fleas did, and they did it on rats, cats, dogs, and whatever else. I'm afraid this is going to turn into a prairie dog issue.

 

[AZChins]

It's good to know that it isn't common at all! I've known hundreds of people with rats that just love them and never have issues with getting sick. Hopefully this is an isolated incident.

But, it is good to know that things like this can happen so people can protect themselves. The way the news stories make it sound this was an infected rat that Petco should have somehow known was sick.

 

[ticklechin]

I had tons of rats as a kid, its the first I heard of it. The news is slow so this will get blown out of proportion as usual.

 

[3CsMommy]

Yep, witch hunt in the making. While rats can carry this type of strep, and characteristically do as wild animals in certain areas (hence India's entire caste of rat catchers in larger cities), as far as PetCo's liability for this tragedy, the animals can't be accurately tested for the bacterium. False negatives are common. Notice the lawyers waited until the CDC testing came back? Because they wouldn't have a case without a positive result from the remains, and even with that, the disclaimers are already in place on the caging and sale paperwork for rodents.

And let's have a bonus headdesk for the "marrying" of two pet store bred rats.

 

[AZChins]

The parents thought it was alright for their child to experience the "miracle of birth"!

I hate that so much...

 

[Amethyst]

Sounds to me like the parents wanting to blame someone else for their loss, something becoming all too common in today's society. If you practice proper hygiene when handling any animal really (wash you hands after handling, and especially if scratched or bitten use antiseptic) you're not going to have a problem. It's the parent's responsibility to make sure the kid is mature enough for a pet and knows how to and is washing up after handling them. Most rats that have that bacteria show no signs of it, so no Petco probably had no idea the rat even was carrying it. Also reading through another article about this lawsuit, the grandmother who bought the rat was given papers to sign outlining the risks involved with rat ownership, proper care and handling, etc. which she did sign. The argument seems to be she didn't read it and therefore it's Petco's fault, sorry you signing it is legally binding whether you read it or not!
If you really want to hear horror stories about dangerous infections caused by pet animals look at a cat! Are they going to come after cats next?

 

[ServantofBlueberry]

I have nothing against Rats. I love the little things, I was just saying that there are possible health concerns when owning one, which could be researched. No matter how rare of a possibility an infection etc from an animal may be, there is still the possibility.

 

[ticklechin]

Chinchillas can have rabies-does not effect my world.