Child dies from rat bought from Petco

[Pulsar]

From the information given I think the parents are more negligent than Petco. If your child is going to have a pet it is the parents responsibility to understand the potential risks with owning that pet.

If they had been familiar with the disease would they have let their child have a rat? Or, at the very least, they would have made it clear to the child if he was ever bitten to immediately tell them. Had that been done, the child would probably still be alive.

What we don't know from the information in this article is if Petco had adequate safety procedures in place and if they were followed. If either of those things aren't true, then yes, Petco should be held liable. However, if they are both true, and this is some sort of fluke, then they should be cleared.

By the way, I noticed nothing in the article about checking the boy's other rat. How do they know that the other rat hadn't been infected and it was the source of the problem?

-KeithP

It doesn't require a bite. It can be contracted just by handling the infected animal. However, your other points follow my thinking. I especially like the fact that they point out he already had one rat. As if that had any bearing on whether the new one was ill tempered, sick, or agressive. Roflol. I've helped train a lot of dogs and they each had their own personality regardless of the owner's claimed expertise.

 

[bradley]

I feel bad for this family; however, there needs to come a time where one takes ownership for their decisions. Suing Petco isn't going to bring this little boy back, nor will it remove indirect parental culpability. I know this seems harsh, but the universe is inherently unfair by design.

 

[Ichinisan]

It would be kinda strange to have warnings about this condition when it's rarely fatal after it's contracted.

 

[allisolm]

There are two other signs of negligence on the pet store's part. Pet rats rarely bite unless they've been abused or poorly cared for...

...it is outlandish to fault Petco because the rat bit the boy in the first place.

I don't think Petco should be accountable for a rat bite alone without any further evidence of poor handling on Petco's part...
I think the circumstances in which the rat bit the kid should also be carefully examined.

It sucks that this kid died from a rat bite...

...unless PETCO can be found to have abused that animal to provoke it's bite...

I read the article and every other one I saw and none of them mention anything about the boy having been bitten, and being bitten does not seem to be a requirement for getting the disease. Just handling an infected rat apparently can do it.

There was a couple of months from when it was purchased till the boy dying.

Couple of weeks not a couple of months.

 

[mugs]

To me this comes down to whether Petco should have known the rat had the infection without testing for it specifically, e.g. does it have any visible symptoms? Or are they required to test for it? Because this is apparently very rare in humans, and expecting them to voluntarily test every rat they sell is unreasonable IMO.

Regardless I feel sorry for the family, I can't imagine the pain of losing a child.

 

[Vdubchaos]

Having rats as pets started in Europe a couple hundred years ago, it's not an American thing. I don't know why people think having rats for pets isn't okay or poses big risks. You should educate yourself on the subject a little more. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fancy_rat

I lived in Europe for many years and never heard of Rats as pets. Hamsters? Sure, but rats......never.

I'm not going to educate myself on the subject as it is "no way in hell" when it comes to my household.

And this thread/news doesn't really help that.

 

[Exophase]

I read the article and every other one I saw and none of them mention anything about the boy having been bitten, and being bitten does not seem to be a requirement for getting the disease. Just handling an infected rat apparently can do it.

The tagline of the linked article claims it outright:

"Boy, 10, killed by his pet rat: Parents sue Petco after son died hours after becoming ill from bite by rodent bought at store"

I mistakenly assumed that this was based on actual claim of a bite made by the parents and not mis-reporting on the article's part.

The disease can be spread by other means by bites, but bites are by far the most reported vector.

They also made the questionable claim "rare but deadly" for rat-bite fever, when it rarely leads to death.

 

[Exophase]

I lived in Europe for many years and never heard of Rats as pets. Hamsters? Sure, but rats......never.

I'm not going to educate myself on the subject as it is "no way in hell" when it comes to my household.

And this thread/news doesn't really help that.

A lot of people in America have never heard of anyone keeping rats as pets either but it's pretty common. You think this UK-based pet store would sell a bunch of rat cages if no one had them as pets there? http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small_pets/hutches_cages/rat_cage

It's fine if you don't ever want to have them as pets, that's your prerogative and you can have any reason you like. But talking about how they're bad pets for whatever reason just makes you look ignorant. If you'd rather be ignorant than spend a couple minutes reading online to actually learn something go ahead, but I'd prefer if you didn't spread this ignorance around.

People are acting like there's this huge extra risk specifically with rats, they don't realize that rat-bite fever can be contracted from other pet rodents and other dangerous diseases can be contracted from other common pets.

 

[Gooberlx2]

and expecting them to voluntarily test every rat they sell is unreasonable IMO.

Especially when I'd wager that the majority of rats and mice they sell are for food, not pets.

 

[Exophase]

Especially when I'd wager that the majority of rats and mice they sell are for food, not pets.

The rats they sell at my local pet store are certainly not sold as food, although I guess that doesn't rule out some using them for that purpose. Anyway, if they were really being used as food wouldn't that be just as good of a reason to screen them for disease?

I don't have official statistics but I strongly suspect there are far more owners of pet rats than pet snakes, particularly those that'd eat adult rats rather than baby rats or mice, and those that are fed live rodents instead of frozen ones.

 

[Kaido]

I feel horrible for this family. However, unless PETCO can be found to have abused that animal to provoke it's bite or unless they can find a litter of rats that test positive this is merely an isolated incident. One sale that went bad against hundreds of thousands of sales that didn't.

That's the thing...should Petco even have a testing kit for this disease? There are only 200 documented fatalities EVER in the United States. I mean, the flu kills like 5,000 people a YEAR in America. I've gone my whole life without even ever hearing of this particular rat disease.

I'm also not going to point fingers at the parents for picking a rat as a pet...albino rats were all the rage when I was a kid. It's just a pet! I'd have a hard time pointing my finger at Petco too...are they really supposed to test every single rat (which costs about $5 at Petco, apparently) for a disease no one's really even heard of?

Obviously now it's going to get a ton of attention & a knee-jerk reaction, but I've never heard of someone dying from a pet rodent before. And on the family's side, again my heart really goes out to them. Just a terrible circumstance all around :thumbsdown:

 

[Exophase]

Still, doesn't hurt to get your pets checked by a vet just after buying them, not just for your well being but for theirs. And you should clean their cages regularly.

The problem is pet stores sell rats for so little that people don't take them as seriously as they should, and don't want to blow a few dozen dollars on a vet visit because that's more than what the rat cost. But if you're not prepared to give your pet proper medical care you shouldn't be getting a pet, and you need to know exactly what care is going to be like for the particular pet. If you get a rat it's going to need pet visits sooner or later.

Rats and other small rodent pets, fish, and reptiles sold in pet stores are a classic razors and blades strategy anyway. The rat could cost $10 but the cage, dishes, furniture, food, bedding, and toys over its lifetime will cost hundreds, probably more if you buy them at the same pet store, which is certainly what they're holding out for. So the low up-front price is deceptive. I bet the rats themselves are often sold at a loss. A single bag of quality adult rat food costs more than the rat.

This is kind of an uncomfortable question but I wonder what the family did with the rats after the boy died. I can understand if they don't want to have them in their house anymore but I hope they treated them appropriately (like by giving them up to a rescue)

 

[jagec]

I'm not going to educate myself on the subject

Only in America are people called out on their ignorance and respond by doubling down.

 

[Gooberlx2]

The rats they sell at my local pet store are certainly not sold as food, although I guess that doesn't rule out some using them for that purpose. Anyway, if they were really being used as food wouldn't that be just as good of a reason to screen them for disease?

The fancy rats and fancy mice aren't food. But there are "feeder" rats and mice, live and frozen. I know for sure there are at Petco anyway. As far as screening, when the most likely consumers are probably going to be snakes and raptors, I don't think there's really concern regarding the cross-class transmission. Besides, people should be washing their hands after handling reptiles and birds for a host of other reasons.

 

[allisolm]

The tagline of the linked article claims it outright:

"Boy, 10, killed by his pet rat: Parents sue Petco after son died hours after becoming ill from bite by rodent bought at store"

I mistakenly assumed that this was based on actual claim of a bite made by the parents and not mis-reporting on the article's part.

Shrug. I guess we're reading different articles. The only one I see linked in this thread says "Child dies from infected rat; family sues Petco."

 

[Drako]

Especially when I'd wager that the majority of rats and mice they sell are for food, not pets.

Pretty much this.

I thought all of the mice and rats were used for reptile food. Who wants a rat as a pet?

Look what happened to Willard.

 

[Exophase]

Shrug. I guess we're reading different articles. The only one I see linked in this thread says "Child dies from infected rat; family sues Petco."

Sorry, my mistake, I must have gotten really confused somewhere. I don't know how I ended up on the Daily Mail article instead of the one actually linked in this thread :/ Guess I'm too used to seeing Daily Mail linked from here. Here's the article:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2567951/Child-dies-infected-rat-family-sues-Petco.html

 

[Exophase]

Pretty much this.

I thought all of the mice and rats were used for reptile food. Who wants a rat as a pet?

Look what happened to Willard.

And what makes a snake such a better pet than a rat?

Anyway, the particular rat this child was sold was probably not meant to be food. If that was the case then another failing on the part of the parents.

 

[Vdubchaos]

A lot of people in America have never heard of anyone keeping rats as pets either but it's pretty common. You think this UK-based pet store would sell a bunch of rat cages if no one had them as pets there? http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/small_pets/hutches_cages/rat_cage

It's fine if you don't ever want to have them as pets, that's your prerogative and you can have any reason you like. But talking about how they're bad pets for whatever reason just makes you look ignorant. If you'd rather be ignorant than spend a couple minutes reading online to actually learn something go ahead, but I'd prefer if you didn't spread this ignorance around.

People are acting like there's this huge extra risk specifically with rats, they don't realize that rat-bite fever can be contracted from other pet rodents and other dangerous diseases can be contracted from other common pets.

When it comes to pets, I will be the first one to tell you how ignorant I am.

I simply don't believe in humans/animals living in the same quarters. I have enough shit to clean up after ourselves to worry about animals etc.

I also hate the smell of people's houses that have pets (bothers me).

 

[KeithTalent]

Link to above story with photo of rat & boy:

http://www.chron.com/news/science/article/Child-dies-from-infected-rat-family-sues-Petco-5266967.php

Ah damn, thought you said photo of ratboy. Thought he'd become a superhero.

KT

 

[Drako]

And what makes a snake such a better pet than a rat?

Beats me, I would never have a reptile as a pet.

However, Willard probably wishes that Ben never came into his life. A snake might have made a better pet for him. :biggrin:

 

[Capt Caveman]

My brother used to have a rat. Guy knew his name and came when called. Pretty smart rat.

 

[KeithTalent]

My brother used to have a rat. Guy knew his name and came when called. Pretty smart rat.

Cool, that's like Neil Patrick Harris' ferret in Starship Troopers. :thumbsup:

KT

 

[datalink7]

When it comes to pets, I will be the first one to tell you how ignorant I am.

I simply don't believe in humans/animals living in the same quarters. I have enough shit to clean up after ourselves to worry about animals etc.

I also hate the smell of people's houses that have pets (bothers me).

Well then you are the odd one who is in the minority.

 

[AznAnarchy99]

Only in America people buy rats.

Seriously, at what point in the history did "owning a rat" became ok or rats became pets?

Unreal.....but more power to Petco

Sucks for this family though....not cool

This lady at my work took in a baby possum. It was disgusting.