Free Initial Vet Check?

[patdbunny]

It's been a long time since I've bought any animals retail. Way back when I got my first bird the pet store included a free initial vet exam.
I give a free vet exam certificate with all my birds. It doesn't cover any testing, but at least an avian vet's laid hands on the new bird and can answer medical questions.

How prevalent are free initial vet exams these days? Pet store? Breeder? Other?

[kaylayuh]

My budgies didn't have a free initial exam, but PetCo practically gives them away so I wouldn't really expect it. I'm pretty sure they don't do it with any of the birds they carry, at least in PA.

My new little guy was a rescue and had regular check ups, so I didn't really have to worry about taking him right away. I got paperwork with him saying if he's been treated for anything in the past and the contact information for the vet the rescue uses.

A local breeder here does have her babies see a vet, but that's for a small check and not for any testing.

[zazanomore]

Petsmart promises that the birds are vet checked. Considering how healthy my budgies are, I'd say that they probably did receive some vet care.

[kaylayuh]

Petsmart promises that the birds are vet checked. Considering how healthy my budgies are, I'd say that they probably did receive some vet care.

I'm not sure how it works in Canada, but in the US, PETsMART birds are provided by the Kaytee Preferred Birds program and they do claim that their birds are vet checked.

From http://www.bailey-foundation.org/storie ... d-petsmart :

Message to concerned bird owners regarding bird care at PETsMART and Kaytee Preferred Birds.

Thank you for your concerns about bird care at PETsMART. Recently, messages have been circulating on the Internet regarding bird care at PETsMART and its supplier, Kaytee Preferred Birds. Because we understand and share consumers’ concern about the welfare of pet birds, we wanted to provide you with accurate details about bird care in PETsMART and Kaytee facilities.

Kaytee currently supplies birds to PETsMART stores from two facilities located in Florida – one that handles flight-raised birds purchased from responsible breeders, and one that breeds and hand-feeds parrot species of birds. PETsMART veterinarians visit and conduct full audits of both facilities at least twice each year to ensure safe and humane practices and conditions. In addition Kaytee has their own experienced staff veterinarian.

PETsMART requires that Suppliers must:

Keep each group of birds in separate habitats, clean all habitats regularly and thoroughly disinfect them between groups. Feed all birds a medicated diet for AT LEAST two weeks. That diet includes vitamins and minerals, as well as antibiotics including Doxycycline – a tetracycline medication that, when given for a two week course, is proven by veterinarians to help prevent bacterial infections (If a bird is sick, the longer 45-day course is needed). Once birds reach PETsMART stores, they are quarantined for an additional three days. Ensure all handfed Parrots receive two Polyoma vaccines before they leave the center. The first vaccination is given when chicks are one month old, the second two weeks later. Have a veterinarian on staff to monitor the birds’ health and immediately quarantine and treat any birds with potential health issues. Feed all handfed birds around the clock on schedules appropriate for their breed, age and weight. Keep birds at the facility until they are consistently eating pellet food on their own, supplemented still by two hand-feedings per day, and have healthy and stable body weights.

Once chicks arrive at PETsMART stores, associates are trained to continue twice-daily hand feedings until the chicks are weaned or purchased by a customer. Stores train inexperienced customers on care, including how to hand-feed chicks. In addition, customers receive detailed information on bird health and precautions, and must sign documents that commit them to provide proper care. PETsMART believes this helps ensure that it sells birds only to committed, responsible owners, and helps create a stronger bond between owner and pet. Hand-deliver birds to PETsMART stores, in climate-controlled vehicles driven by employees trained in bird care. As an alternative to air delivery, develop a hand-delivery route for unweaned chicks that can be handfed as many times as needed during the trip by trained drivers. These programs have been in place and operating well at Kaytee facilities since 1997, as confirmed by PETsMART audits.

Kaytee currently is planning to develop a third center in Las Vegas, Nevada to shorten travel time for birds being delivered to stores in the West. The facility will handle both flight-raised and handfed birds purchased from responsible suppliers. It will use the same standards for safe care and travel already in place at other Kaytee facilities.

The Kaytee/PETsMART program has virtually eliminated psittacosis, improved overall bird health, minimized stress on the pets and helped ensure successful relationships between birds and their owners. At PETsMART stores, associates must complete detailed training in how to continue that strong standard of care and help customers become responsible bird owners.

If you have questions or concerns about the program, please contact Dr. Randall Brue for Kaytee (www.kaytee.com), or Dr. Nick Saint-Erne, DVM, PETsMART’s Director of Quality Assurance for Pet Care, at DrNick@ssg.petsmart.com. If you have concerns regarding your local PETsMART store, please contact PETsMART Customer Service at 1-623-587-2518. Or contact Kathy Schneider at Kaytee kathy@kaytee.com (who assured us that all employees at Petsmart and Petco were well trained and the babies are getting the best of care.)

[patdbunny]

www.sdcda.org/files/Petco%20News%20Release%206-2-10.pdf
www.sandiego.gov/cityattorney/pdf/pr100602.pdf

I'm just not a fan of PetCo; and that's saying a lot. I am so not on the animal rights agenda; but I am 100% for animal welfare. I've seen things on display at my local PetCos that are in pretty bad shape and the untrained staff doesn't know because they don't know what a healthy specimin's supposed to look like. As far as reptiles go, you almost can't get any hardier than a leopard gecko and I've seen leopard geckos with tiny skinny tails for sale and the employees admit they couldn't get them to feed. Tanks full of ick infested fish for sale. My girlfriend got a 10 gallon fish tank for her son. When I saw what was in the tank I was like "WHAT?!". She said the PetCo employee picked the fish out for them - a baby silver dollar, fancy goldfish, some swordtails all squashed into a 10 gallon tank.

Keep in mind I haven't been inside a PetCo for at least 5 years so maybe things are greatly improved. . but then again they did just settle again last year for inadequate animal care. . .

[kaylayuh]

I got my budgies from the local PetCo, and they're surprisingly healthy.

I worked for a week at another PetCo and I quit because I couldn't tolerate the poor animal care. They had a back room with animals that were sick and/or dying that they refused to get vet care for. They just let them die there, often without food or water. I called and reported it to corporate headquarters, but I doubt they did anything.

I went in a different one a couple of weeks ago to grab some cuttlebones for the budgies and while I was in there, I asked if they had any specific avian person on staff. The cashier said that they did and brought her over to me, so I asked what the suggested I do for a bird that wouldn't eat pellets. She suggested I remove the food for a week and then replace everything with pellets so that they're so hungry they have to eat. Again, another call to corporate because that just didn't seem right to me. I would never starve a person for a week to get them to eat something they didn't like, let alone a budgie.

I much prefer PETsMART for pet supplies, and I'm not too gung-ho about animal rights, but I try to rehome/adopt when I can. Mostly because the cost mark up for petshop birds is so high, and there are so few breeders where I am.

When I move to California though, I'll have to talk my boyfriend into letting me get another bird. I've seen a lot of great breeder websites around the area, and the babies on your blog are way too adorable.

[entrancedbymyGCC]

I find Petsmart considerably better than Petco. At least when it comes to my most local stores. Scooter came from Petsmart -- no free vet exam, but he did have vaccination papers. The local store no longer carries anything bigger than budgies -- budgies, finches, doves, that's it. They always look healthy and have a ton of toys and a pristine enclosure. They even remember Scooter -- they called him George, but he had a whole fan club there. He was said to come from a local breeder, so perhaps that was pre-Kaytee program.

ANY store is going to be as good or bad as the local management and employees. The corporate standards do influence things, but it's not the case that every store is just the same...the actual people do matter.

And, I think now that I know more about birds, I'll take Petsmart over one of the local pet stores that is bird-oriented. All the birds are kept in open-topped terrariums at floor level with a small tree-type perching surface and not a single toy ever. Some have been there for years.

[kaylayuh]

He was said to come from a local breeder, so perhaps that was pre-Kaytee program.

The Kaytee program was mainly on the east coast, and wasn't being expanded until around 2006 or 2007ish as far as I know. So it's very possible that he did come from a local breeder.

PETsMART is a lot better than PetCo here, too. The people are friendlier, the animals look better taken care of, the birds are actually given toys, the store is cleaner and it has a better layout. I think people really only use PetCo in my area because it's easier to get to than the PETsMART is.

Plus here, PETsMART has the better selection of bird toys and accessories. I don't normally buy my bird toys in stores anymore, but when I do, they always have so many more than PetCo ever did.