[Gpdd] misc: PetCo and guinea pigs

shim1990 at adelphia.net shim1990 at adelphia.net
Sun Aug 7 17:59:36 EDT 2005


--The reason Petco isn't selling guinea pigs, hamsters, gerbils, etc, is because these animals are all being quarantined.
If you remember, a short while back, a woman who had owned a hamster died and donated her organs.  Her organs were "infected" by her contact with the hamster's fecal matter.  Evidently the germs carried by this hamster produce cold like symptoms, and are fairly common and generally harmless.  However, since organ transplant requires killing the reciprient's immune system so their body will accept the new organ, the otherwise innocuous infection caused death for reciprients with no immune system to fight this or any other infection.
Of course this was a tragedy.  It was also a very, very rare event.  However, someone, somewhere has decided that the proper course of action is to quarantine
and test all rodents.  While this may eventually prove great for the fight to stop mill type breeders, it may also change how we as guinea pig owners are able to handle our pets.  Let's also hope that innocent animals do not end up suffering/ being put down for no real reason.
  Judi and the Haypile Honeys
www.art4animals.blinkz.com/




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