Awful Pet Shop Experience - updated:back selling rabbits =[

Well, I've previously made reference to a pet shop not too far from where I live in Liverpool (name omitted for forum purposes) where I had a bad experience with a rabbit which I purchased from them, well my visit to the shop on Saturday really took the biscuit!!

Hawys and I needed to buy some straw and thought we'd go for a bit of an outing to this pet shop - we were bored and fancied a walk, so off we went. When we arrived at the shop it was heaving - full of kids cooing over the rabbits/hamsters and other small mammals. Me being me had to look at the rabbits - in the first hutch, which I'd estimate at being no more than 3ft wide and 1.5ft high was a black lop eared rabbit - wasn't quite a baby but I noticed that one of his eyes was quite runny. The rest of the hutches were mostly filled with guinea pigs and the biggest hutch they had in there was, in my opinion 4ft with a 1.5ft height. Anyway, I was looking at these 2 adorable baby lops (reminded me of Jamie and Kitt - same markings and colourings etc) when something disturbing caught my eye - a black otter netherland dwarf gasping in the corner of its hutch with weeping wounds around his mouth, nose and eye and one of his ears was all crusty . I kneeled down to see him as his hutch was mostly covered over by bags of hay and sawdust for sale and there was a stool in the way also, so you couldn't really see him. In his company were 2 guinea pigs - I couldn't help notice how much he was gasping for air when I decided to contact someone about this as I just couldn't walk away. I first phoned kayj who weren't in, so I then phoned Fay (cottonmather) who gave me the number of the local council and the RSPCA. I phoned them as I believed that the rabbit may have myxi and they treated it as a matter of urgency - within 30 minutes an RSPCA inspector had arrived at the pet shop, within 45 minutes the rabbit was already on his way to the rainbow bridge

Hawys and I were eves dropping on the conversation between the owner of the shop and the RSPCA inspector - the owner telling the inspector that he's only had the rabbit since Thursday and that he was fine then, the inspector telling him they will have to do an investigation in to this, the owner getting very edgey and aggitated. When the owner had walked away I went over to the inspector and asked her what she thought was wrong with the rabbit and she said that she suspected it was just abcesses and that he was a very unhappy bunny and will be going to bunny heaven by the time I went outside to go home the RSPCA inspector was holding the bunny after she'd put him to sleep, I was gutted.

I've phoned the RSPCA since who tell me they'll inform me of the findings of their investigation - I'm still curious as to whether or not the bunny had the onset of myxi. I mean, would the inspector put the rabbit to sleep if he had abcesses which in my experience are treatable - Kitt has had a few and he's made a full recovery.

I'm waiting to hear back from the RSPCA so that I can compile a report and send it to the council. I do have pictures of the poor bunny but I can't upload them at the moment

Oh that is awful

I have no advice for you but you certainly did the right thing, and fair play to the RSPCA for turning up so quick, although without further investigation I'm not sure if PTS was the only solution :?

Hope you manage to hear more about this and there is some sort of outcome and conclusion to the matter

That's so sad. I think the shop owner should be prosecuted because even if he did only have the rabbit a few days he would or should have noticed the poor thing was suffering.. I think it sounds like he most likely had Myxi, especially given the breathing and lesions you describe. The RSPCA did the right thing in letting the bunny go..I know people who have successfully managed to rehabilitate bunnies with full blown myxi but i'm not sure I agree with it, as seeing a bunny in that state is pretty horrendous and they do suffer.
RSPCA inspectors are not vets, so to say that the problem was due to abscesses is a little too generalised for me....guess they have to put something on their forms right?

By the sounds of it putting it to sleep was the kindest thing, even if an illness is treatable is it worth putting the animal through the stress of a new environment, lots of invasive treatment and medication and then spending heaven knows how many months in a shelter waiting to be rehomed? Plus it sounds like the abcess had either been there a while or it could possibly be the onset of myxi, in which case the treatment for either isn't short and simple.

What a horrible experience. I'm glad the rSPCA came out. Hoping for a good result re prosecution or something.

I was really made up with the RSPCA's response, from talking to my vets about this pet shop alot of the young animals they treat come from there - kittens well known for having fleas and ticks, rabbits known for having ME - like my Chloe did. I was really pleased that the RSPCA inspector arrived when she did - although Hawys and I were trying to conseal the poorly rabbit, a few people had noticed and I was a bit worried that people would begin complaining to the owner and he'd have just moved him. When I spoke to my vet about how this shop has a licence to sell animals she says that every time they've been it's almost like they've been made aware and everything has been ok when they've arrived. Maybe this time something can be done about it?

really hope they get in trouble for this... it's a good sign that the RSPCA went out as quick as they did!!!
poor bun

CottonMather said:

really hope they get in trouble for this... it's a good sign that the RSPCA went out as quick as they did!!!
poor bun

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Thanks for all your help Fay, you are a star x

Aww Well done for getting some action taken! It's great the RSPCA inspectors get there so quick and hopefully they'll have evidence to take things further. Honest from your description and the gasping breathing I would think being put to sleep was probably the kindest thing. Rabbits are very good at hiding illness so when they get to that sort of stage it's very advanced.

Tamsin

I get the feeling the RSPCA have been waiting for such a call . . . .
Your concern was that someone would move said bunny before authorities arrived, perhaps that has been a frustrating fact for RSPCA on many occasions.

Oh that is awful, well done for saving that poor little bunny anymore suffering, we need more people like you prepared to do something about the way animals are treated in places like that

Was this by any chance the pet store by ASDA?? Because I too reported them to the RSPCA but I didnt get a response. There was a russian dawrf/winter white hamster trapped between the metal of the cage and flattened against the glass gasping for air and looking extremely stressed. When I told the owner he told me to F off that they always did it and it would be fine. I asked him if he could still remove it anyway as I was getting distressed at the animals struggle to get out. He wouldn't and told me if I didnt like it then I could get the out of the store. So i took photos and reported it to the RSPCA. Nothing happened though My mum also bought me 2 guinea pigs from there a while back and they died after a week.
She also stupidly bought two rabbits from there last October. She had lost her rabbit suddenly after the vet injected it with steroids and it just fitted at died in her arms so she hadnt wanted a new bun for a while because she was traumatised. She had only gone in there to get a treat for our dog and she saw the two buns and fell in love and decided to take them. She was told that 2 females are the best pairing. She was not advised about Myxo, VHD and that they would need to be neutered. She was also told to feed them straight away when she got home as they would be hungry! Now I know everyone slates PAH but at least we get our advise correct!
If it was the same store then this store NEEDS TO BE CLOSED DOWN!! Selling livestock in itself is wrong but when they are kept in such appalling conditions with such apparent dis concern for animal welfare and a distinct lack of knowledge then it cant be allowed to go on.

Well I received an update from the RSPCA inspector who went to the emergency call I put through a week last Saturday.

She told me that she had no choice but to give the owner of the shop a verbal warning - and told me that she is called out to this shop at least 5 times a week - and that's on a good week, however the problem has been corrected by the time she's got there so there isn't much she can do.

She said that when she took the poor bunny out of the cage he collapsed in her arms and she had no choice but to put him to sleep. She took him to their vets and he confirmed that the rabbit had severe bites on his face caused by either another rabbit or possibly a rat - and that these bites had got infected

When she spoke to the owner of the shop he claimed that the rabbit had been dumped outside the shop and that he was ok - and was taken in on Thursday of the previous week, a log book confirmed as much that they had taken in the rabbit, but there's no evidence that it was this one in particular. Maybe the injuries were caused by the guinea pig living in with the rabbit but the RSPCA didn't think this was possible as the injuries were so severe.

She told me that a few years ago this shop had their license for selling reptiles taken off of them - and that that bad still sends. She informed me that if she can see more evidence, and if I contact the local council with the story as well as the photographic evidence I have, there is a good chance that he will lose his license to sell livestock.

I feel a bit better nowxx

GOOD! I really hope he DOES lose his license - horrible man!

I should imagine that people usually complain to the manager before calling the RSPCA - thus giving them time to *hide* problems before an inspector arrives. I think it very wise of you to have called them without causing the owner to suspect what was "up".

Gosh! I can't believe the RSPCA visit about 5 times a week and he is still trading!:shock:FINGERS CROSSED your information will put a stop to that!

Well done on your action - it's just such a shame the rabbit didn't make it.

FANCY him saying that the rabbit had been "dumped" too! You'd think it usual for stores to KNOW where their rabbits came from before putting a price tag on them wouldn't you??

I am rather shocked by this story - some people really aren't very nice people at all. Good luck with the council hoping you get the result very obviously needed in the case of this store.
TP

How horrible :evil:...... lets hope this vile being loses his license, though to be honest, I'd be far happier knowing he died in a painful accident.

Sleep tight little bunny.

Doncat5 said:

How horrible :evil:...... lets hope this vile being loses his license, though to be honest, I'd be far happier knowing he died in a painful accident.

Sleep tight little bunny.

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Ditto!

Why does loubie lou need to contact the local council, surely it should be the RSPCA doing that?

I don't know acctually - good point!
Maybe because loubie lou made the initial complaint??
Why you loubie lou??:?

In Northern Ireland it is the local council who issue licences. They are connected to Vets who will inspect the pet shop and issue advice. We have a local petshop I've reported before now, and was put on to the vet to voice my concerns. he inspected and the next few times we checked the shop had improved.

Atleast the poor bunny didnt die for nothing! hopefully this awful man will loose his licence to sell livestock