Things Pet Stores Don't Want You To Know

Things Pet Stores Don't Want You To Know The $51 billion pet industry isn't always cute and cuddly. The stores say veterinarians regularly check animals' health. Shoppers should still carefully examine the animal for physical symptoms and unusual behavior before buying. Stores might also include "warranties" with similar coverage. Many states have "lemon laws" covering pet owners' veterinary bills for illnesses and injuries existing at the time of the animal's purchase, Menkin says. "As soon as you get your pet, bring them to your veterinarian," she says. ) It can also help to check with animal fancier groups and retailers that specialize in a particular animal, especially if it's exotic, Kaplan says. (Petland and Petco both say they do. "Pet stores do not always know everything about the animals they're selling," she says. "Fido came from a puppy mill. Displays vary widely from store to store, but good pet stores make an effort to meet the animal's needs, says Michael Maddox, a vice president at the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council. "Petco always recommends that anyone looking to add a brand new pet to their family consider adopting a companion animal in need of a loving home -- rather than purchasing one -- even if it's an animal we sell in our stores," a spokeswoman says. But Patti Strand, national director of the National Animal Interest Alliance, says buying from a pet store shouldn't automatically be out of the running. Petland's spokeswoman says the store's policy is to source puppies only from local adoption groups, hobby breeders (as defined by the Animal Welfare Act), and USDA-licensed breeders with no direct violations on their latest inspection report. Pet stores can be the sole source of particular breeds in some areas, and a better alternative than buying sight unseen. Plus, as Schnitz found, stores may also use enclosures as a product showcase, even if those items aren't a perfect fit for that species -- or safe for it. Petco uses veterinary and engineering experts to design its displays, a spokeswoman says, and products placed in them are reviewed for safety by in-house and independent veterinarians and other experts. 99 at PetSmart. Dollar stores usually carry tug ropes and plush toys, at a discount of half or better, says Teri Gault, founder of TheGroceryGame. 99 at Petco and PetSmart, while Safeway has it for $9. "Most pet store puppies come from puppy mills," she says. A 2010 audit of USDA enforcement by the Office of the Inspector General found that the department didn't properly cite breeders' violations, and that the enforcement process was ineffective at curbing repeat violators. "One problematic breeder is one too many, so we stay on top of those individuals and make certain they adhere to the regulations," he says. Pet-store purchasers do risk getting an unhealthy puppy from a bad breeding facility, says veterinary specialist Dr. Muddled breeding lines can bring out congenital defects, she says. Ongoing salmonella outbreaks linked to contact with turtles and African dwarf frogs have sickened 124 and 241 consumers, respectively. Puppies, kittens and other mammals may transmit parasites, while reptiles and amphibians can carry salmonella, says Dr. At Petco, a recent sale reduced the price to $6. But more frequent sales give an edge to supermarket pricing, Gault says. When it's on sale, the same bag goes for $5. 67, versus $49. Target edges out pet store Wag. 49 rather than $144. Pet food and treats require more diligent shopping, especially if you're buying a mass-market products, says Paris Permenter, author of "Barkonomics. " Petland and Petco both offer hand-washing stations, and Petland requires their use before and after handling animals. An FDA spokeswoman says consumers should also be on the lookout for recalls. com's Zhang says the site pulls recalled items from the site and emails all customers who purchased affected food, offering them a free -- safe -- replacement. . (Online pet store prices can be even cheaper, but shipping charges often add to the price. Free shipping offers typically exclude food. com on the ScoopFree Ultra self-cleaning litter box with a price of $135. At Wal-Mart, an "intermediate"-size Remington plastic pet carrier is $38. Big-box stores, drugstores and supermarkets tend to have better supply prices, too. com, a price-tracking site. Some allow claims as far as two years after purchase if the pet is found to have a congenital or hereditary defect. In recent years, the government also traced outbreaks of monkeypox (a virus in the smallpox family) and lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (a form of meningitis) to pet store animals. Since August, the CDC has tallied 46 cases of salmonella linked to pet owners handling frozen feeder mice, while another 22 fell ill with it after contact with contaminated dry dog food. Consumers' best recourse is limited contact with store animals and petfood, and vigorous hand-washing immediately after, says Barton Behravesh. Dogs from commercial breeders might have more extensive congenital defects -- like heart disease, blood disorders and hip dysplasia -- that may not become apparent for several years, she says. Dogs and cats adopted from stores' rescue partners can have those same health problems, too. "They bring up a complete totally different range of infectious diseases. " After Hurricane Katrina, for example, rescued dogs sent to other states for adoption spread ringworm and heartworm. " Overcrowding is a problem, too, to the point where "they house different species together that would never be found together in the wild," she says. For puppies, there's also parvovirus and distemper, viruses that can lead to lifelong complications or death. Pet store puppies can cost upwards of $1,000, but bad living conditions at puppy mills and too-early separation from their mothers often make puppies sick (see laceable tank liner instead. "They thought this looked better, and it sold more bark," Schnitz recalls. Experts say store enclosures are rarely accurate models of what a house setup should look like. Wag. "The chance of getting a disease from animals at Petco is much lower than that from handling raw chicken or beef from your local grocery store," a spokeswoman says. She was surprised to see the store used bark chips on the bottom of the reptile cages, which many experts caution against. Things Pet Stores Don't Want You To Know Trade News selected by Local Linkup on 03/07/2012