PETSMART and RAINBOW EXOTICS, INC. Petsmart, Inc. Rainbow Exotics, Inc., Perfect Pets, L.L.C, Rainbow World Exotics PETSMART CONSUMER HEALTH ALERT-INFECTE PARAKEETS WITH PSITTACOSIS BACTERIA SPREAD TO HUMANS Nationwide

I purchased a parakeet from PetSmart on May 10, 2014. By May 19th, 2014 I had started getting sick. I thought I needed to see an Eye Doctor. By May 20, 2014, I had extreme diarrhea all day. By the next day, My throat was litterally on FIRE. It did not mirror strep throat and my tonsils did not swell. By Thursday morning when I woke up, my tongue was severly inflamed and very sore as if someone had tried to pull my tongue out. I immediately took ibuprofen and the swelling went down.  I was taking lozengers to cool my throat. On Saturday of May 24, 2014, I went into PetSmart and discovered all the parakeets had been removed from the sales floor.  It sent a RED FLAG.  I immediately started asking questions to where were the birds.  The Store Manager took me in his office to speak to me and handed me a document that was an In-House Corporate Email that was launched to all the Store Managers NationWide instructing them to REMOVE ALL PARAKEETS TO QUARANTINE until RAINBOW EXOTICS could pick them up. The email states that Petsmart had confirmed two (2) diagnosis of Psittacosis Chlamydia and one unconfirmed. I still have this document. I told the manager what I had been experiancing over the last week. Immediately, I went home and did the research to discover the signs and symptoms of Psittacosis Chlamydia and what I had mirrorid this....So I went for preventive treatment immediately due to possible exposure.

Last Wednesday, I went to see an Internal Medicine Physician because my symptons had gotten worse and spread throughout my nasal cavity to my eyes. My whole face felt like it was going to burn and melt off. My Doctor confirmed that I had Psittacosis.  I am on several Antibiotics at the same time: Doxycycline and Ciprofloxacin with a Nystatin Oral Suspension 1 ounce 3 times a day. I had five (5) parakeets together. I went and took my parakeets to a Vet that PetSmart reffered me to locally. Dr. Custard tested my parakeets with a nasal swab and fecal culture. When I returned the same day to get my parakeets, Dr. Custard told me that PetSmart Corp. was in control of the testing having demaded him to send the lab cultures to the CDC at the University of Georgia. He continued to tell me that I would get results from PetSmart. I've called the Dowlen Road Vet and spoke to the manager and she told me that since PetSmart paid them to get the cultures from the Parakeets that PetSmart owned the results. I told her "They are my parakeets and I signed the medical documentation and authorization for them to be tested." The day after my parakeets were tested, My parakeet (named Betty Paige) that was purchased from PetSmart on May 10, 2014, DIED on May 29, 2014.There has been numerous "CASE LAW" of lawsuits that were launched against PetSmart and it's Breeder, Rainbow Exotics, Inc. There was a lady out of Houston, Texas that filed a lawsuit that had contracted Psittacosis and so did her elderly father. Her father later died from complications from the bacterial infection, Psittacosis Chlamydia. The lawyer was Ron Franklin out of Houston, Texas. I confirmed yesterday with his law office that "yes, that was the case" per his secretary.Another case back in 2008 in the District Appellate Court in the State of California was against Rainbow Exotics and Jack Graham who is the Registered Agent, Owner and Breeder of the animals that are sold in ALL PetSmart stores. The case was the same with reported Psittacosis Chlamydia exposure from Cockatiels. Any Parrot type bird can carry this infection.  Psittacosis Chlamydia is transffered to Humans being an Airborne Bacterial Infection inhaled through the nasal cavity or mouth. The bacteria is released from the Parakeets dust of its feathers and their fecal matter.

Psittacosis is a serious bacterial infection. CDC reports this exposure as rare ONLY because the illness goes undiagnosed, untreated and unreported. Psittacosis signs and symptoms are upper respitory infection, flu-like symptoms and if it goes untreated with a 5th generation techracycline, this infection could spread causing pneumonia. The infection could do longterm damage to your liver due that psittacosis causes immflamation to the liver. Its believed that the infection could led to your pericardium sack around your heart. There has been reported deaths. CDC reports outbreak in 1929-1930 and another Psittacosis case in 1979 where an elderly women purchased a "lovebird" and later died in the hospital due to complications of Psittacosis. If YOU have purchased a PARAKEET from PETSMART in the last 60-90 days....You may have an infected parakeet that may have infeted you, your family or children. Children and Elderly are more acceptable to this infection because of weaker immune systems. Anyone with an Immune Deficency Disorder or RA that causes a weaker immune system are more acceptable to contracting this infection. PLEASE if you believe you are infected, contact your physican, CDC, your local health department and get proper treatment. Quarantine your Parakeets and get them to the Vet.