Well, I had to post about this.  There are so many stories trashing Petco
stores and their treatment of ferrets, had to give the flip side for a
change.
 
Long story, short.... My sweetie's 13 year old kittie had surgery Tuesday
and they removed a tumor about the size of a softball.  The only food she
would accept at the vets was Whiskas canned salmon.  So I had to stop and
get some canned food for her and with the lack of wood stove pellets,
figured I would check out some alternatives.  Anyway, I made a pretty
rare stop at Petco.
 
I have taken one other ferret out of their store, my daughter's little
sable Angel, who came home last February.  She was very tiny, skinny and
her coat was quite thin.  While technically not sick, she was well on her
way to trouble, they gave me a slight discount, but my daughter was in love
with Angel's dark little nose from the first second she saw her, so....
Anyway, I've been in the stores several times, and they have never had 'too
many' ferrets in their cage.  The cage is a large glass enclosed display,
they have Care Fresh bedding, litterpan, two food bowls, play igloos, toys,
bedding, etc.  The cage is usually in decent shape, the food and water
appearing clean.  So, I never had any real complaints about them to begin
with.
 
Thursday night, we went in and there was a single sable fuzz, about 16
weeks old with what appears to be foot rot.  I've never seen lesions to
this degree in a baby, only older fuzzies who have been left in metal cages
or to walk in their own urine.  Doing a little research it appears to be
sarcoptic mange or parasites.  The lesions on the hind feet look at first
glance like flesh colored fleas hanging off.  I offered that night to take
the fuzz and accept full financial responsibility, but the manager said he
would take the fuzz to the vet, he even took my vet's info.  I called today
(Friday) and found that he was off, the fuzz was still there and no one had
contacted any vet.  I asked for the District Manager info and to have the
store manager contacted at home.
 
All phone conversations were friendly and I offered several times to
provide the care for the ferret under a foster arrangement and Petco would
retain ownership, but the point was she needed medical care before the
growth became worse.  The store manager said it made little sense for Petco
to invest $100 into a 16 week old ferret that would only be marked down
shortly in price so they could free the cage up for more babies.  Within
an hour, I had a call from the District Manager who agreed to surrender her
to me as long as I held Petco harmless regarding medical bills.  So, after
work I will be picking up this baby and visiting the vet this evening or
first thing tomorrow morning.
 
The point to this, is that if properly presented and extended as an offer
to help, I believe many people would find that most store managers / owners
are not horrible.  Granted, there are some low-life store owners, but....
 
Anyway, just wanted to post something positive about Petco for a change!!
 
Jen
[Posted in FML issue 3310]