Isn't it illegal to sell animals that aren't in good health at a pet store?

Question

Shouldn't they give them at least part of their vaccines?

I'm not sure how this works but I got a kitten from there,and he more than likely has asthma. I plan on taking him to the vet.

Answer 1

It's not illegal.

I work in a pet shop- luckily, a good one with morals- but it isn't against the law.

For example, if we sell a rabbit that later ends up having overgrown teeth, it's not against the law. If we sell a hamster and two days later it has wet tail, it's not against the law.

And no, vaccines are TOTALLY different from store to store- where I work, none of our animals are vaccinated (we don't sell dogs/cats however).

So no, nothing illegal there. Immoral, maybe. Speak to the store about it- they may pay for the vet bills, or give you a refund. That's what we do if an animal we sell gets sick or dies within a certain amount of time.

Our pet store doesn't knowingly sell sick animals. All animals that are sick with anything are kept in isolation in the back and must see a vet within forty eight hours if it is an unknown illness or an illness that needs medication (wet tail, for example, is a common disease so we keep the antibotic with us all the time), but sometimes we may sell an animal that ends up ill- it happens.

Again- not illegal. They're living organisms. You choose to buy from a pet store where kittens are mass produced from prehaps unstable genetics, instead of buying an older kitten/cat from a shelter, where you can see it's healthy and frequently come with vaccines and are spayed/neutured.

If you feel that the animals in store are sick or illtreated, then you need to contact the authorities, probably enviornmental officers and things like ASPCA. But if it's just one kitten you've bought that may have asthma, than that calls for you to speak to the store about it personally, and not look for something illegal.

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If it's just your kitten, then YOU take it up with them! It's not illegal, especially if they didn't know it was unwell, which is what it sounds like. It sounds like it's come from no where, that the store couldn't prevent or help it because they didn't know the kitten was ill- like I said, that can happen with any animal. Mainly, for my store, it's with hamsters and wet tail- if they're not showing signs of it, we don't know they have it, and we can't treat it.

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Basically-

It sounds like the store didn't know your kitten was ill. I mean, you had it for a week before it should symptoms- if it was already ill in store, you would have seen signs in store.

Yes, it is immoral for places to sell ill animals, but this doesn't sound like the case- in my opinion, the store didn't know the kitten was ill and therefore no rules were broken.

However, chances are you have a health guarntee which means they can give you a refund or pay for the vet bills, so this is a moot point.

HOWEVER, no laws were broken here- it sounds like they unknowningly sold an ill animal- part of our rules are 'we never knowing sell a sick animal', which is true. If an animal is sick, it's not sold- I doubt this varies much from store to store.

Answer 2

not illegal.. as a general rule most animal lovers know never to buy from pet stores, because pet stores support cruelty by buying cheap and selling high..

where do you think cheap pets come from?? puppy mills - kitty mills etc..

this is why is best to get from a reputable breeder OR better yet.. a shelter..

ALWAYS get a health guarantee..

check over your bill of sale.. look for some sort of health guarantee make sure they honor it

as a rule I always tell people NEVER pay a cent for an unvaccinated pet, and always get a written guarantee!!!

its probably URTI - Upper Respiratory Tract Infect.. not asthma

Answer 3

They cannot have sick animals, its animal cruelty. It is the law to seek medical attention for sick or injured animals, I cant really say that the store is breaking the law because I didn't see the condition of the animals, but you did and if you think that the animals are being treated  inhumanely and not getting medical attention you should call the aspca, they could shut the store down if the case is serious enough. Hope your kitten gets well soon.