Rat bite fever? In the news ...

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My boss came to me yesterday asking about RBF and if it can really kill someone. I had never heard of it so he was like 'oh, so probably a little fishy that some kid died from a bite?' We are expecting some concerned rat parents in the store over the next few weeks and want confident answers to give to these people!
I was stunned. I hadn't heard til he said it about the boy. Upon reading its such a gapped story...how did he die if the bite wound didn't show infection...there would most certainly be an infection on the bite wound.

I am sad a boy died but it really sounds idiotic the whole situation, from why he got the rat in the first place to them deciding it was RBF 6 months later! I think the parents were facing neglect charges and they came up with this whole idea that its the rats fault and thereby Petco's fault.

I work for Petsmart and we carry information on transmitible diseases. RBF is not on there because its such a rare one. But it does state if your new pet should bite, seek medical attention upon ANY signs of infection. It also says that on each care guide we hand out and go over with a new pet owner...experienced or not.

I'm not trying to lay blame on anyone and I know some big chain pet stores can mess up time to time as I work at one. But...I have to say I think some of it is on the family of the boy for not seeking medical attention sooner!

Hoping that people don't go getting rid of their rats because of all this. I would hope current rat owners would see how infrequently this happens. Both Kevin and I have been nipped a few times by new/rescued rats but we're still fine! I'm keeping my eyes, ears and doors open just in case there is a slew of surrendered rats :(
 
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SterlingRats0408 said:
My boss came to me yesterday asking about RBF and if it can really kill someone. I had never heard of it so he was like 'oh, so probably a little fishy that some kid died from a bite?' We are expecting some concerned rat parents in the store over the next few weeks and want confident answers to give to these people!
I was stunned. I hadn't heard til he said it about the boy. Upon reading its such a gapped story...how did he die if the bite wound didn't show infection...there would most certainly be an infection on the bite wound.

I am sad a boy died but it really sounds idiotic the whole situation, from why he got the rat in the first place to them deciding it was RBF 6 months later! I think the parents were facing neglect charges and they came up with this whole idea that its the rats fault and thereby Petco's fault.

I work for Petsmart and we carry information on transmitible diseases. RBF is not on there because its such a rare one. But it does state if your new pet should bite, seek medical attention upon ANY signs of infection. It also says that on each care guide we hand out and go over with a new pet owner...experienced or not.

I'm not trying to lay blame on anyone and I know some big chain pet stores can mess up time to time as I work at one. But...I have to say I think some of it is on the family of the boy for not seeking medical attention sooner!

Hoping that people don't go getting rid of their rats because of all this. I would hope current rat owners would see how infrequently this happens. Both Kevin and I have been nipped a few times by new/rescued rats but we're still fine! I'm keeping my eyes, ears and doors open just in case there is a slew of surrendered rats :(
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From what i seen on another post a simple treatment for the rat with abs can cure it. It is treatable with doxy I believe it was.

The problem is petco I hate to say it but they get from rat mills the one here has them sick constantly and refuses to treat them so they see them as feeders. Mills produce sick rats they are dollar signs for feeding snakes not pets if they would look at rats differently then maybe they would care a bit more. I am sure there are some stores that have people who care a bit more but it doesnt change the fact that they get them from mills and i bet they never step foot on these mills to make sure they are treating and caring for these animals. Petco is all about feeders at least petsmart makes you fill out an adoption paper for a rat I will give them that much but neither should be selling small animals.
 
I agree. I love my rats and they are a great teaching tool to children for responsibility and companionship but they are over bred and there's a lack of education.
At Petsmart we have a policy that refuses the sale of small animals for food/abuse purposes. ie: rats and mice (and hamsters) as snake feeders and bettas for fights.
 
I got a rat from petsmart the same day I got 5 sick boys from petco when they refused to give treatment. Those boys had a horrible life. I have a boy here now from the same petco and I think he will have the same fate as them.. he battled being sick the entire time I have had him so far.
 
No lies there are bad pet stores. There are more bad then good. I know of 3 within 150km of here that have horrendous conditions and I cannot go to them as I would take them all!
 
Not that it will do any good but I emailed them

I am seeing all of the rat bite fever in the news. Sadly it makes me livid being a rat rescue. I personally had to buy 5 boys from the merrillville store in January of 2012. They were sick in the tank and the store was not going to offer vet care for them. The worker was happy that i took them because they would get help. My boys names were Bowie, Simon, Perry, Flea and Chevy. They were to young to be away from there parents Perry especially. In case you missed it they are domesticated pets now you buy them from mills who treat them like trash. these boys had a horrible lung life and spent it sick damn near their whole life. I spend a ton of money to save them and I now have another boy who is from that same store that i took in as a surrender and he is sick as well from the day he came home. If you would simply stop selling rats like they are disposable and stop feeding these back yard breeders then you wouldnt be in the spot you are in. Your suppliers sell sick animals I have heard how they have to "reject" the sick ones when they come in and you still dont get it. Change your practices. It is not fair to these animals so one can eat their life is not any less important and provided vet care for the sick ones. If these guys didnt sit there sick for so long it could of been different for them but they were scared by the time I found them. and that is your stores fault. I have videos and xrays if you would like to see them. It is unfair to them. I hope you stop.
 
I thought this would be a good opportunity to share my story about Petco and my experience with their rats...

In August 2013, I purchased a 6 week old female rat from Petco, which I named Imogen. Within 24 hours of her purchase, I noticed she was in respiratory distress. Petco issues an agreement with pet purchasers that if the animal falls ill within 16 days, that you can get approval from the store to seek medical attention and have your bills reimbursed. Unfortunately, Imogen was in respiratory distress, sneezing so violently she was struggling to breathe. Basically waiving my right to be reimbursed, I rushed Imogen to the animal hospital. The vet immediately prescribed a round of Baytril, and had the good sense to look for lice and test for internal parasites.

Sadly, Imogen had a massive zoonotic internal parasite infestation, as well as a URI, and tons of lice. I immediately emailed Peto, not seeking reimbursement, but rather to notify them that they had a contagious zoonotic parasite infestion in their rat population that could get customers and employees sick, as well as a potential myco flair up. Petco responded promptly, and not only assured me that they were treating all of their rats for internal and external parasites, and respiratory illness, but that they were willing to cover any and all medical bills incurred for Imogen until all of her issues were resolved. They even invited me in to see all of the rats in their "hospital room" in the back so I could see that they were being cared for. I even met three rats that the Petco employees took in and were trying to find a rescue for when a disgruntled customer abandoned them at their doorstep even though the rats weren't even from Petco.

Sadly, I couldn't save Imogen. Though her parasite problem was fixed, her respiratory distress continued, until one day, I went ahead and got an x-ray. She had a lung abcess/deformity that she was probably born with. So, I had to euthanize her.

Petco continued to amaze me. They not only covered her euthanization and crematory fees, but offered a shopping spree in their store when I told them I was getting new rats from a breeder. I basically got several months supply of bedding, food, new water bottles, toys... and they even offered me the rat manor, which I declined, since I already had a Martin's Cage. The manager of the store sent me a condolences card. They were simply amazing. And then, just last week, I figured out why Imogen came to me so friendly and affectionate despite being from a pet store... I met the employee that spends a couple hours each day socializing each rat so that more customers will be inclined to purchase the rats for pets instead of food.

These employees and store managers really care. Even the corporate office was kind to me. I firmly believe that there are a good number of people who work in these stores, love their jobs, and love animals. The big problem here are the rat mills that their stock comes from. They are horrible, unsanitary, and inhumane places. Even the Petco employees I spoke to expressed their dismay at the quality of these facilities. Realistically, if Petco corporate continues to sell rats they will not stop purchasing from these mills since no quality rat breeder has the supply to meet the demand. However, if rats and mice are given the same humane protections as other domesticated animals, perhaps rat mills will be held to higher standards like those that puppy mills are now receiving. They will be regarded as actual pets rather than food.

I am sure the quality of Petco and PetSmart stores out there vary. I am sure there are some careless employees and filthy stores. And clearly the employees at my store were undereducated about how to identify rat illnesses. But when alerted to the problem, the responded quickly and with care. My experience with the employees at Petco was top notch. My beef is with Petco corporate and these rat mills.
 
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Depends on the Petco. I work at Petco; the rats are my babies. I've driven many of them that come in "sick off the truck" to our vet myself, because if they go "back on the truck" they will be killed. When 13 of them were abandoned on our loading dock, I hand-medicated all 13 of them twice daily and drove them all to the vet for their check-ups. I got every single one of them placed in pet homes (not a single one sold as a feeder!) in pairs or more, and adopted two myself. I give every family that purchases a pet rat my personal number in case they ever have an emergency. I, like the employee at Abby's store, take each rat out and spend at least 20 minutes stroking and holding them so they are social and more adoptable. Other Petcos don't have "rat people" working there and the rats are treated like trash.

Petco corporate sucks. I am forbidden to place a litter box in their habitat to help keep it cleaner. I am forbidden to give them toilet paper tubes to chew. I am forbidden to give anything besides lab blocks and the occasional carrot strips. They regulate every single thing we can and can't do for the rats unless we go behind their backs, and if they catch us they can fire us. I have started petitions within the employee system every month (as an employee, not just a person off the street) to corporate to stop the sale of live feeder animals and every time I get shot down. But I keep trying. I have tried to find alternative breeders to supply the store but they have to be able to supply X amount of animals every month and if they can't, then we can't use them. Our store does use a local breeder for leopard geckos, though, and not a mill... So if we could just find a breeder with high output we could use them. But quantity doesn't always equal quality...
 
It does depend on the petco some have employee that care that is the difference but it should be corporate not employees caring to make it right. I know the one here will not take them to the vet.
 
We are totally freaking out over this mess. Specially being so close to California. As a rescue with a ton of adoption events coming up this isn't good at all I hope it blows over but so far no we've been trying to take the approach "adopts don't shop" to help keep down the surrenders apparently it's working so far but it sure isn't helping our adoptions at all. As to the kid apparently the doctor misdiagnosis on the RBF told the family it was the flu. The only thing I see funny with this is RBF transfers for rodent to rodent and the way breeder mills work wouldn't there be a lot more cases? It seems like a money scam to me on the families part but sadly it's ruining a lot of good potential homes for the rats in the rescues.
 
this my fear as well having a ton of rats that need homes here. But just after nancy grace posted this about the rats she posted how another pit has mauled a 3 year old child to death so in the same since I think that the hardcore rat owners wont be affected by it just as with the hardcore pit owners. I just think it is a bump in the road. I think it can be smooth over explaining you can just have it treated with meds to rid them of rbf. So that may help.
 
I live in Canada, and it is unbelievable how many times I heard in the last couple of days "rats!? Didn't you hear about that little boy dying from a rat!?"...my own mother clipped a small article bout it from our local free papers...and then she insisted rubbing polysporin on any visible scratches the boys gave me (from climbing up and down)...sigh.
 
Yeah but pit bulls get bad rap all the time though people just kinda let them blow over if it's not directly involved with them but rats there hasn't been much people can say about then disregarding the wild cousins. It seems like EVERYONE is buzzing about how a kid died to a rat bite now
 
Ace8670 said:
Yeah but pit bulls get bad rap all the time though people just kinda let them blow over if it's not directly involved with them but rats there hasn't been much people can say about then disregarding the wild cousins. It seems like EVERYONE is buzzing about how a kid died to a rat bite now
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This is not going to be good - not good at all! Its all I hear about too.. Ridiculous
 
Rat Bite Fever is rare and usually NOT fatal. It's easily treated with PENICILLIN. The fact this child died seems more like the parents weren't paying attentions to signs of illness. The fact they okay'd the grandmother buying a male for his female greatly lowers my sympathies.
 
I was contacted tonight about intakes.... they asked me about this, granted it wasnt the reason they want to surrender two boys but it is still awful to have it brought up by people.
 
Already have 2 girls being brought to me this weekend!!
Posted on kijiji friday night....ad says "2 female rats, cage, everything...don't want them anymore...kids not interested".
Yeah sure!
 
Klomonx said:
Rat Bite Fever is rare and usually NOT fatal. It's easily treated with PENICILLIN. The fact this child died seems more like the parents weren't paying attentions to signs of illness. The fact they okay'd the grandmother buying a male for his female greatly lowers my sympathies.
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Your absolutely correct, but no one is going to see it that way unfortunately since they making such a BIG deal out of this. :censored:
 
SterlingRats0408 said:
Already have 2 girls being brought to me this weekend!!
Posted on kijiji friday night....ad says "2 female rats, cage, everything...don't want them anymore...kids not interested".
Yeah sure!
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Actually that is a very typical reason for dumping rats so I would believe it. If it was the hype about the fever they would say so.
 
Ugh, this is so silly. If you get E-Coli from a Big Mac, the press and politicians and mcdonald's will cover it up and say it was because your house is a dump and you do not care for yourself. If a RAT(GOD FORBID THAT PLAGUE CARRYING, PARASITE INFESTED RODENT) bites you and you happen to get something, there are no other options, it must be that.

The number of zootonic diseases that rats can give people from a bite is actually very small, and I'm willing to bet my bottom dollar that if the child really did get it from that Petco rat, it's because Petco is a crap company that takes terrible care of all it's animals.

I hope your Mom doesn't jump at this argument and pester you too much. Good luck to you and your husband on having children! :ratwave:
 

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