My new bunny is ill

Yesterday i finally made the choice to have a new rabbit, a couple of years after my first one died (yes some my say its sad, but its taken me that long to get over it!)

So off i went and bought a dutch from pets at home.

Today i noticed a lumpy weeping scab just behind her right front leg

I took it back to them and they asked me if i wanted another one or a refund, and were suprised when i said i wanted mine treated!

They seem to think its just an absses that will take a couple of weeks to heal, but they have to refund me the money because they can only treat animals that belong to them!

Does this sound right?:?

Sounds a bit dogy to me, I would take her to the vet and then charge P@H for the treatment.
Seems to be loads of baby buns being bought from P@H lately and being poorly

Im a bit P!**!d off they didnt give me an option they just took her and backed me into a corner! If id have thought they would have done that before i took her i would have just taken her to the vets and payed myself

But i was a bit upset and not thinking straight

Aww it understandable! Do they have her now?

Yes just took her back an hour ago, I forgot how attatched you get in 24 hours!

I just hope they were telling the truth!

I can't BELIEVE the way they can off-handedly say 'JUST an abcess'!!!!! They can be life threatening, which I unfortunately know first hand from a heart-breaking experience. Around Christmas time this past year, my beloved British Giant boy 'Tommy' developed an abcess in old scar tissue on his 'elbow'. I took him to the vet, they treated it VIGOROUSLY with antibiotics , but it wouldn't shift or show any sign of healing, even after they had drained it. As it was in a place with very little fat or muscle, they told me I HAD to have it operated on, or it would go into the bone and I would lose him. So I went ahead with the surgery.....they said he was in very good condition and very fit, so he would be fine. He came through the op fine, but a couple days later he stopped eating. I took him back and forth to the vets every day over the next week, and they finally re-admitted him and put him on a drip. But they then discovered that when they had operated, the bacteria had spread into his bloodstream and there was nothing they could do for him. I was DEVASTATED when I lost him.......and couldn't believe that it was all from 'just an abcess'. If I were you, I would find out exactly WHO the vet is that they have taken her to, and make SURE that they are NOT attempting to treat her themselves in the shop. I know that they are notorious for doing this.....at least our local P@H is. I would find out who the vet is, and then call and talk to him or her personally and make SURE that she is getting the PROPER treatment!

All of the VERY best of luck to you AND your poor bunny.

Please DEMAND proof that the Rabbit has indeed received appropriate treatment...................

Janex

There have been a couple of rabbits seriously ill bought at P@H and one girl removed hers from the P@H vet as they were giving inappropriate treatment and her bill at her vets came to a few hundred pounds but I seem to remember P@H agreed to pay.

I would remove the rabbit and get her to your vet then complain afterwards - good luck xx

Sounds to me like they have been very sneaky here.

Under contract law the purchase / ownership of an animal is covered by the same rules as the purchase / ownership of a non-living item. In this case you bought a rabbit which was ill - you have now (unintentionally) returned the rabbit and obtained a full refund - your rights under contract law to that animal have ended - the rabbit now belongs to the seller again. Being cynical I think they would have wanted this because it means they get to decide when to stop treatment instead of you - I dare say that as a pet trader they will be prepared to spend far less treating an animal than you as the pet owner.

Fortunately you are dealing with a big retailer here, and they won't want any adverse publicity. If I were you I would go in tomorrow and get the vets details. If having spoken to the vet you're not satisfied with the treatment he is giving then get the rabbit back, take it to your own vet and claim the cost from the seller. Strictly speaking you're no longer entitled to do all this, but I'm sure they'll agree to it if you make enough fuss!

Good luck

Went back to said petshop again today (dont want to get in trouble by mentioning the name!)

They told me she is the same, but it hasnt spread and she is eating and playing as normal

I asked if i could see her, and i was told that she was in quarantine and was not allowed

I asked what vet they were using, and i was told "company vet"

I asked for her back and i would take her to the vet myself, they told me as because she technically didnt belong to me at the moment i couldnt

I asked if i could buy her again, and was told that i couldnt because they were not allowed to sell an unwell animal.

I just hope it all does go well!!!!

They were not bad in the shop, they just do as there told i guess!

Fingers crossed though

And being cynical again....

Go to a good rescue next time!

I know, I really looked into if we had time to properly look after and house a bunny, that I just didnt think where I was going to get the actual Rabbit!

Sorry

Bills Rabbit Rescue is only 10 miles away

did they give you a refund? If not the rabbit belongs to you. I would demand they give her back immediately and would have her treated by your own vet. Pets at Home are useless! :evil:

This is awful, how can they do this? You do get attached to a bunny even in just a few hours and why couldn't you go to see him? Will they give bunny back you once hes better?

Gemma xx

Unfortunately they are in the right. The basic licensing conditions of a pet shop would state that they should not allow the public access to ill rabbits because of the risk of cross infections. They are also unable to sell a sick rabbit, so couldn't sell it back to the previous buyer, as that would be breaking the licensing condtions they have to abide by. In one sense, they are doing the right thing, IF they are getting the treatment the rabbit required (insert cynicism here).

When the sick rabbit was taken back they maybe felt a duty to take it back, but it sounds as if it wasn't really what was being sought. However, what else did you expect them to do? There isn't much they could offer other than to take her back I guess. If they really do have a vet then they probably would refuse to pay for her treatment on that basis.

I am in no way supporting them, any of you who know me will know how I feel about p@h, but it seems they are acting within the licensing conditions pet shops work under.

They say she should be ok for the end of next week :?
I guess there guessing. Then they will sell me her back.

Just hoping it all goes like that now, but i suppose as you get older you just get more sceptical!

The only funney thing is, when i went to the shop to ask how she was, it took four of them to tell me! Guess i can look pretty intimidating! :lol: If only they new i would be more likely to cry!!!:lol: :lol:

Well i went back today, and i still cant see her

But they seem hopefull for the end of the week

Then i will book her into the vets for a proper check up and vaccinations!

(does anyone know a good rabbit vets in or around stoke-on-trent?)

a really good vets is poolside in betley i take all my rabbits there and they have always been fantastic with them

Have you got an address? i cant seem to find it anywhere?

I may be being hard on my old vets......... I was fine with them until i came on this forum.

I had to have a bunny put to sleep through teeth problems, but reading on here lots of people seem to have had dental problems and there vets have sorted it? :?

Please tell me if you think im being hard people!!!

Not being hard on vets at all - most people are too trusting :?

There's a vet's questionaire on this link - and a good vet will have attended small animal conferences yearly too
http://www.mybunny.org/info/vet_questionnaire.htm