Family Blames Pet Bird for Killing Father

[linda040899]

Cross posted from Bird-Breeder_Hobbyist:

2. Family Blames Pet Bird for Killing Father, Putting Daughter in Coma

Date: Wed Jun 18, 2008 10:56 am ((PDT))

FOXNews - USA
June 18, 2008
Family Blames Pet Bird for Killing Father, Putting Daughter in Coma

A Corpus Christi, Texas, man died and his daughter spent weeks in the hospital because of a diseased cockatiel bought from a PetSmart store, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday by the man's family.

Joe De La Garza, 63, died of psittacosis, also known as parrot disease and parrot fever, KRIS 6 News reported. It is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium chlamydophila psittaci and can be passed from numerous bird species to humans. De La Garza's family told KRIS 6 News that De La Garza's daughter Amanda bought the cockatiel from PetSmart on Sept. 30, 2006. Less than a month later in October, De La Garza died. Amanda was sickened and fell into a coma. She spent weeks in the hospital and has since recovered.

The family filed the suit in Nueces County District Court to get PetSmart to stop selling birds that may "kill their customers."
"I feel as though PetSmart didn't show responsibility, didn't make the public aware that this disease is fatal," Amanda De La Garza told KRIS
PetSmart is battling a similar suit in Rhode Island.

In May 2005, the Rhode Island Health Department confirmed three people died after receiving organs infected with a rodent virus that originated with a hamster that was purchased at PetSmart in Warwick, R.I.
A woman is suing PetSmart over the Rhode Island case, claiming her husband, a transplant recipient, died after receiving a liver that was infected with the rodent virus.

Click here for more on this story from KRIS http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,368305,00.html

Chlamydia can be transmitted from bird to human and from human to bird.

[Cindy N.]

Wow. I thought they were working to get that under control.

Cindy

[butterfly1061]

I read this yesterday on one of the news sites. Very tragic! :(

[michael]

Personally, I think Petsmart would do a world of good if they would only be active or involved in finding homes for rescued or abandoned pets. Ok, well maybe they can go ahead and sell a few goldfish or crickets.....Really, I don't think there's a need for such thing as a "pet trade industry". Such is the industry which only adds fuel to the practice of mass breeding.

This Parrot fever really is a horrible disease. It acts as both a bacteria and a virus and can be very difficult to diagnose. Especially in birds that are carriers. You have to wonder just how thorough some "well bird exams" really are before introducing a new bird into your home. Not only that, but take into consideration the criterion often used in quarantining new birds by those who can't wait to introduce them to their flock.

[Christian]

Wow this makes me weary of going into Petsmart at all. However, this is the ONLY place to buy bird food in Johnson City. I've noticed that for several months now they have suspended selling their birds due to "testing." Poor birdies :(

[renugac]

Hi,
Just want to know if I should be concerned about bird diesease. I have 2 lovebirds I have three kids and we are exposed to the feathers and smell of the birds. Winter time when we keep our windows and doors closed all the time it is going to be worse. Please fill me in. Should I be concerned about having love birds? My son has nut allergies and asthma.

[michael]

Hi,
Just want to know if I should be concerned about bird diesease. I have 2 lovebirds I have three kids and we are exposed to the feathers and smell of the birds. Winter time when we keep our windows and doors closed all the time it is going to be worse. Please fill me in. Should I be concerned about having love birds? My son has nut allergies and asthma.

The likelyhood of disease or illness passed from birds to poeple is relatively low. Companion birds especially are even less likely to spread anything because many of them have passed through some form of health care screening. As far as allergies are concerned, I've found only one person who claimed to have an allergy to chickens and one to birds (probably dander). Honestly, after meeting several hundred poeple over the course of many years who cared for both parrots and other species of birds, none of these poeple have ever made mention of having allergy symptoms relative to their exposure. While I'm sure its possible, I would like to think that out of all the different pets to choose from companion birds are one of the least likely to present such a problem. Add to this the fact we can all be allergic to just about anything, whereas unless symptoms appear simultaneously during introduction we would then be left in doubt resulting in a much larger chapter. That said, if you haven't noticed much change in your sons condition after having lovebirds this long its probably safe to say there won't be any provided cages are kept clean and your son continues to follow any prescribed treatment plan.

Overall, even though I can present you with a very large number of scarey zoonotic type diseases capable of hopping from one species to the next, in reality very few do actual harm to poeple but are instead more of a risk to birds. I think with the proper precautions along with keeping yourself aware of the "facts" surrounding such issues, hopefully neither disease nor allergies will get in the way of enjoying your companion birds..................:)

[Janie]

Hi,
Just want to know if I should be concerned about bird diesease. I have 2 lovebirds I have three kids and we are exposed to the feathers and smell of the birds. Winter time when we keep our windows and doors closed all the time it is going to be worse. Please fill me in. Should I be concerned about having love birds? My son has nut allergies and asthma.

Michael gave you a more detailed answer but I'll add: I would never worry about my three birds, one has been in our home for almost 5 years and the other two for almost 3 years. They are never exposed to other birds except when they go to their avian vet for their yearly exam but there is no way that I know of to avoid that. (Wish my vet made house calls!). Even with a 90 day quarantine and a complete vet check I would never bring in a lovebird from Petsmart, Petco, Petland or any other chain store selling birds. You never know what those birds might have been exposed to or if they are even silent carriers.

As far as allergies and lovebirds, they don't have much dander and nothing compared to some larger parrots, Cockatoos come to mind, and won't likely cause your son problems. Cleaning in and around their cages often will help, too.

[Cindy N.]

The reality is that pigeons are notorious for having this so just be careful of pigeon poop.

Cindy

[tokameaki]

Hi.....well I work for petsmart....I love to work there I just hate the people that work there lol...all kids younger than me...nothing gets done when its suppost to...anyways nobody had any helth problems in the store....they did test all the birds...and it came negative...the manager in charge of the animals for sale...she is so good with the animals she plays with the birds she talks to them....she kisses them...etc...she also kisses and plays with the reptiles and small animal....yuck...but as a person I don't like her...she is mean...anyways...a lot of the young kids that work there don't really know about animals the supervisor in the pet deparment says that a mirror makes a bird or parrot friendly....I have read before it makes them more terrirorial...anyways a time a girl from that deparment told me that no bird or parrot needs vegetables...and for a few days I use to recomment all the costumers to feed their birds pellets more than seeds and I got in trouble because bla bla its not my deparment...bla bla but anyway I always tell them go to lovebird plus forum, tailfeather forum, and petfish.net...or jus read information from the internet...but anyways when an animal is sick and can no longer be for sale...they don't kill it....they give it for adoption to the asociates that work at petsmart....so that's how I got my two hamsters lol...when its about breeding....in my opinion everybody should stop breeding and should promote the birds that are on shelters...I mean if I was the president I will make everybody in the country to stop breeding and adopt all the ones in the shelter....when all the animals in the shelters are adopted ok breed again...I mean I had an accident with my dogs thank god all the pups have a good loving home...but if I was the president I would punish my self for that too...anyways if the goverment doesn't do anything nobody will...at least peta got petco to sell less animals...I hope its true...but in the petsmart I work I am allow not to sell any animal to a person who will kill it....for example...if a person says I want all those parakeets so I can let them fly free in my weding...I am allow not to sell the parakeets to that person because petsmart only sells pets....if u are to die u will die for anything anywhere any time....its life....I love my babies....I never bought a bird from petsmart....I might just get a parakeet in the future...if u buy a pet from a store u never know the future of the pet because u don't know the breeder...so that's what they get....my chichi was my petland he had to be put to sleep because of bone cancer my vet said it was generic....should I suit petland?....I just learned a lesson...not from anypetstore....that's why I don't even know if u should buy a parakeet from petsmart....I am still thinking thank got my babies are healthy...so far is good...everytime I get home I change my clothes and take a shower before touching my babies...u just never know...the same way to wash ur hands before touching a baby....u never know