“The cat vomited for two days, then got cold and died”
Two years ago, the Smirnov family from the Moscow region received a Bengal cat as a gift for a boy. The fact that a three-month-old pet constantly sleeps on the way from the nearest pet store to a new home and, upon arrival, immediately hides under the sofa and sits there for almost a day did not warn anyone. The next day, says Andrey, head of the Smirnov family, a living hell began.
“He hasn’t eaten or drank anything since he arrived. I thought it was stress but my wife and daughter got so worried they asked me to pick it up from under the sofa. When I pulled Tosya out, she somehow looked hot, but on the Internet they concluded that the body temperature of kittens is higher than that of adults. Usually, bowls were placed in front of him, he would go all the way to the water, hunched somehow and sit still, staring. His wife thought the bowl was too low and began to drink it from her palm. Tosya drank greedily, then ate some and fell asleep in her daughter’s lap. Half an hour later she suddenly started vomiting something green. We called the pet store – they said it was due to a change in food, everything will pass soon. But it did not pass,” says Andrey.
So the kitten periodically vomited until the morning, diarrhea began. All this time, the Smirnovs did not abandon him, they gave the adsorbent from a syringe, with which the animal was better for a while. But in the morning he vomited again – with blood.
“Tosya is cold, although it was very hot yesterday. They took him to the vet. But they did not have time – he died on the way. We decided to go to the clinic to be cremated. The doctor said that most likely it was “cat disease” – panleukopenia. The infection is spread by sick cats, it is very dangerous for their relatives. The father of the family states that probably all the other kittens with Tosya were also unhealthy.
The next day, the Smirnovs went to the pet store, demanding that they return the 40 thousand that they paid for the kitten.
“They killed the cat themselves and are trying to pin it all on us? We have ingredients from the best breeders, all animals are healthy. All the best”.
The Smirnovs did not begin to understand, let alone sue – they decided it was useless, and a few months later they had a dog. They wanted kittens, but “Tosya always stood before my eyes.”
“They broke the jaw and brought it to the point where an abscess developed”
A year and a half ago, Elizaveta Elizarova bought a mouse from a large pet chain in Moscow. A few days later, she noticed that the pet’s cheek was swollen and took him to a ratologist.
“Tata had an abscess that needed to be cleaned twice. A familiar employee of the pet store called the breeders who brought it and asked how it could develop as it could not harm me. It turned out that they used straw as bedding for rat pups. The babies cut themselves and infected the wound with Tata. This is strictly prohibited in the case of rats,” explains Elizaveta.
At one point, the rat refused dry food, having to feed only baby puree. Almost a dozen vets couldn’t find the reason until one of the doctors discovered it: the rat’s teeth didn’t grow properly, and they’ve been growing all their lives, when rodents constantly crush them. Tata couldn’t grind.
“His teeth began to protrude towards the sky, his entire mouth was ulcerated. There were two options: cut it permanently or remove it completely. The first option was impossible. The rat showed a deformation of the jaw, the lower jaw did not grow upward, so it was possible to cut it only under anesthesia, otherwise it would not be possible to reach it. Anesthetizing every month is murder for a mouse.
They decided to have it removed, but they took x-rays first. It turned out that the jaw was broken when Tata was very young, so the bone did not grow together correctly and did not “grow”. The breeders probably dropped the baby mouse and either broke it themselves or simply didn’t notice the injury. Either way, of course, they’re letting healing take its course,” Elizaveta says.
For a year and a half after purchase, the rat required maintenance therapy and continuous monitoring of the condition. During this time, his mistress spent about 80 thousand rubles on everything necessary.
Inbreeding, injuries, care mistakes
According to the sales assistant of a large chain of pet stores, Maria Mitroshina (name changed – socialbites.ca), who has been working in this field for more than five years, sick animals are brought to them almost constantly. The seller claims the situation is even worse in niche stores, which receive little or no pressure from management, the public and the media.
For example, a month ago, a guinea pig was brought to the store where Mitroshina’s friend worked – two days after her arrival, her hind legs failed.
Earlier this year, a population of rats arrived at the pet store where Maria works, and nearly all of them suffocated. The rats did not choke on anything, at first they had difficulty breathing for several days, and then they began to die one by one.
Now the sales assistant is treating an African hedgehog, which was also brought in to be sold to patients. And a month ago, he buried a parrot that he took through the window to the nurse but could not save.
“Animals get sick for a variety of reasons. These can be crossing or crossing of sick animals, injuries to the breeder or on the road, genetic diseases due to insufficient care. Often they bring old pets that have stopped bearing offspring. We once bought such a chinchilla, we did not want to admit it, but it was so hot that if we sent it back to the breeder, it would have died on the way. They do not tolerate heat well, especially in old age. They are not for sale, they left it in a pet store, ”Mitroshina shares.
Sick or old animals, according to the consultant, in principle, try not to sell, but sometimes the disease cannot be recognized. However, if the disease is found or suddenly the client decides to return, the animals are not thrown out, but left at a pet store or attempted to bond. Some employees, like Maria herself, sometimes treat them at their own expense. But this is rare, the girl assures – often the sellers also do not care.
“You have to be prepared for the fact that tens of thousands of people will go to treatment”
Worst of all, according to Mitroshina, the situation in almost all stores is with rodents, birds and other small animals.
Some are often brought in too early when they need to drink their mother’s milk, says the sales assistant. This applies, for example, to hamsters and rats. Animals separated from their parents early suffer from behavioral and mental problems.
“Birds get sick almost all the time, in 90% of cases they just die. They can have parasites, fungal infection and species diseases such as megabacteriosis and circovirus. Yes, local veterinary stations do tests, everything is very strict there, but if the bird’s disease is not dangerous to humans. and if there is no threat of epidemic, the birds go out to the windows,” explains Mitroshina.
The situation has only improved in cats and dogs over the past few years – but that’s only at large chain pet stores and only those types of animals.
The seller explains that the situation is better when conscientious breeders, not businessmen, sometimes start supplying dogs and cats. Not only can they monitor the health and care of pets, but they can also retrieve them at any time. If a cat or dog is not purchased from a pet store within two weeks, the breeder will take them to sell on their own.
“Authorized breeders very rarely cooperate with pet stores. In general, when “breeders” cooperate with pet stores, they aim only at the “breeder”, focusing on quantity, not quality. This uncontrolled reproduction leads to diseases,” says Mitroshina.
He emphasizes that in principle animals should not be sold in pet stores. According to him, if you go to the pet shop for a pet, you should be prepared for the fact that tens of thousands of dollars can be spent on diagnosis, testing and treatment. At the same time, without visible symptoms, it will not be possible to learn in advance about the disease of the animal.
“When choosing an animal, give preference to recommended breeders, which you can find out through friends, forums and social networks or specialty stores. They often narrowly focus on the pets you need. Also in Moscow there are good nurseries and shelters. In the case of the latter, it is necessary to understand that the animal can be not only pedigree, but also unvaccinated or sick. And pet stores are about products for animals, but often not about themselves, ”says the sales assistant.
What should you do if you bought a sick animal?
Magomed Yangulbi, an attorney and managing partner at Yang Consult commercial-law firm, says that while animals are legally a commodity, they are a specific commodity. Therefore, according to the law on the protection of consumer rights, it will not be possible to immediately return the animal to the store within fourteen days, especially if it is “good quality”.
“However, if you find out that he is sick or has other defects, a return is possible according to these standards. Lawyer Yangulbi explains that the rules for the exchange and return of animals are the same as for the return of any other type of goods of inadequate quality.
According to him, the buyer can return the animal to the seller and demand:
– Refund for the entire purchase;
— Replacing the animal with the same;
– Replacing the animal with a similar animal of “quality” at an additional payment from both the buyer and the seller, or free of charge;
– If you decide to feed the animal, but funds are required for treatment, recalculation of the cost, part of which can be requested from the seller;
– Elimination of a defect (elimination of this requirement);
– Reimbursement of the cost of rectification. You have the right to treat the animal at veterinarians without the involvement of the seller, but at the seller’s expense;
In addition, the lawyer says that even if the animal is healthy, it can be returned. For example, when buying, when the seller misinforms you about characteristics, which include: the type and breed of the animal (they promised one breed, but sold the other), the age of the animal (it turned out to be old, but bought when young), the gender of the animal (they took a look and this a goose ), vaccines (they thought it was a vaccine, it turned out it wasn’t).
“Therefore, after discovering the shortcomings, you can contact the store and resolve any of these situations on the basis of the law,” the expert said.