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View Full Version : Psittacosis Outbreak at Petsmart Breeder Facility



linda040899
12-23-2007, 11:41 PM
Cross posted from LB_List Mailing List:

This press release has been issued by all Petsmart and Petland stores.
Please be aware of this, if you plan to rescue any birds, that may
have come from one of these stores.

This is the actual site ;

http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=196265&p=factset11

Small Number of Birds Test Positive for Bacterial Infection

We recently conducted random tests of the pet birds in our stores and
a small percentage of Cockatiels tested positive for being exposed or
infected with psittacosis. All of these Cockatiels and other birds
came from the same vendor and, we believe, may have been exposed to
the bacteria prior to arrival at our store.

Although we are not aware of any birds that we've recently sold being
infected with psittacosis and we don't believe there is any cause for
alarm, we want our customers to be aware of this possibility.

Psittacosis is an infection caused by bacteria that can be carried by
birds, primarily Cockatiels. It is easily treatable and infected birds
generally fully recover. In rare cases, it can cause a respiratory
infection in humans similar to a cold or flu and is treatable with
antibiotics. We have developed a fact sheet about psittacosis that
provides additional information. If you have questions or concerns
about your health, please contact your health care provider.

As a precautionary measure, we have voluntarily and temporarily
suspended sales of birds at all of our stores supplied by this vendor
while we preventatively treat them. And we're contacting Pet Parents
who may have purchased a Cockatiel or other type of bird from these
stores on or after October 3, 2007, to make sure they're aware.

Birds infected with psittacosis may appear drowsy, eat poorly, and
have runny eyes or nose and diarrhea. If your bird is exhibiting these
symptoms we encourage you to contact your veterinarian. We are happy
to discuss any questions or concerns you may have. Please contact our
Customer Service team at 800-738-1385, ext. 2518.
Not sure if this is the same problem that we've discussed here with several of our members or this is a new/separate incident but I'm posting it here so that everyone is aware.

Eliza
01-03-2008, 08:02 PM
Linda -- Do you have any idea who Petsmart uses as their main bird vendor? Is it Kaytee for the small parrots, too?

linda040899
01-03-2008, 08:31 PM
Kaytee Preferred Birds.

Eliza
01-03-2008, 08:47 PM
That's what I thought... thx.