Petco Reviews

I had to open up a CareCredit card, because I couldn't afford to pay out of pocket. A day or 2 passed (meanwhile having to administer antibiotics with a syringe 2x a day, force feeding him by mixing canned cat food in water then feeding with a syringe, and also forcing him to drink water with a syringe). The past Sunday (Superbowl), I walked into my bathroom and my kitten was laying on the floor barely breathing. I had to rush him to the Emergency vet in Carrolton, TX. They took him in the back, hooked him up to an IV to pump fluids into him. His temperature was at about 85 (supposed to be 100), so the vet said I had to leave him overnight and could not bring him home or he would die.

He initially brought me a bill out for about $700. I definitely could not afford that. So I then called the head volunteer with the rescue and told her that I could not afford this. She yelled at me saying, "Stop talking and maybe you would understand that you could have saved money if you would have just listened to me and brought him to my vet!" I was left speechless considering this was supposed to be a volunteer and she was screaming at me while I am taking care of a dying cat that they sold me! Also, the vet she wanted me to go to was not even open on a Sunday! So, that day my bill was about $240. I had ** pick Rodeo (kitten) up from the ER and take him home with her to administer home care (which she said she knows how to do) until he was better. I called her repeatedly and I did not receive a phone call back informing me of his condition.

I requested this woman to send me his vet papers to show shots given, etc. I specifically asked about testing for leukemia and she said that none of their kittens/cats are tested for that. All that is given is a distemper shot and that they are neutered. She tells me that KittiCo. is strictly a Spay/Neuter Clinic only. However, if you look at their site, they do not specify anywhere on their site that, that is all they are (Kittico.org/spayneuterprogram). Even the title of the organization is KittiCo. rescue! They do not state that this is all they are. When I did ask for her to fax his shots over, she responded and said, "Why do you need them? Do you have to have them today? Can you just go to Petco on Saturday and get them?" She also made a comment that that is why their adoption fee is only $60, because they do not have them checked for anything or have a vet to make sure they are in any condition to be adopted out.

I believe what this organization is doing is failing to provide necessary care for animals in their custody. This cat was picked up, possibly healthy (albeit stray), put in an unclean environment and anesthetized for surgery, lowering its immune system. He was already not eating on day one when you brought him home, meaning, he was extremely ill already at that point and should not have been adopted out without indicating that he needs immediate medical attention for his illness.

When people get involved in rescuing animals, they need to make sure they are doing more good than harm. This cat and, more than likely, many others coming out of this organization may not have suffered, had the organization simply ran a cleaner operation, one that responds to the reality that most stray cats come in with respiratory illnesses. One other thing that stands out is that I have only been dealing solely with a veterinary technician.

Where is the doctor? Who is treating this cat right now? What trained and licensed doctor is monitoring this cat's condition? When he left your care, he was in grave condition. Is this animal just sitting in a rescue volunteers home, suffering or is he being cared for by a doctor who has his best interests in mind? Are they overstepping their abilities and putting animals in harm's way? Are they even being neutered/spayed by a licensed veterinarian?

Perhaps this group is overwhelmed. This is no excuse. If you look at it at the level of just one cat, each cat should have humane treatment and receive necessary care while in their possession or they should stop taking in animals to limit the number of animals, bringing it to a manageable level. See the TX State Penal Code.

I am not only looking into shutting this inhumane organization down so no more cats are harmed, but I want my incurred vet bills reimbursed. This organization or Petco for that matter, has no right to be selling cats/kittens without properly taking the steps needed to make sure these animals are healthy. I am appalled that this poor kitten has to go through this painful process. Instead of putting the money forth and testing this animal for leukemia, this vet tech is administering antibiotic! Unfortunately, I received a phone call, actually a voice mail, from her assistant (not even the person who was supposedly taking care of him), informing me that Rodeo had passed away the night before! And I didn't hear about this until yesterday at 6 pm!

I spoke with the General manager at Petco on Belt Line Rd, in Addison, TX, and demanded some sort of reimbursement, considering he is allowing this rescue to operate out of his store. He told me that I would have to contact Petco's attorney! Then finally he said to drop off my bills in a sealed envelope and he would take a look at them. I am left speechless with how Petco and this Rescue sells and maintains care of these animals. If anyone knows how I can get them to reimburse me, please help!

On Thursday, January 21 we took our new puppy for her second round of DHLLP shot. When we took her to the Banfield hospital at the Petsmart on Rosecrans in San Diego, they told us her temperature was 104.9, and that she needed immediate attention. We were told we could either take her to the emergency room, or they could give her fluids to help the temperature decrease, and bring her back later if she still had the temperature. We decided to take her to the emergency room, since her temperature was so high. When we took her into the emergency room, her temperature had risen to 106 degrees. At the VCA Emergency Animal Hospital located near Hotel Circle in San Diego, we were faced with $1,000 in overnight, medicine and laboratory fees. We agreed to paying for these items, since we were told she needed the fluids and medicine to control her fever.

We called on Friday January 22 at 6 AM, to find out that her temperature had not decreased, and that she wasn't responding to the medicine. In addition, she had fluid in her right lung, and was now battling pneumonia. We were then told that she would need to stay at least 3-4 additional nights at $1,000 a night. In addition, our concern was if she had distemper, because her blood work came back with an extremely low white blood cell count. They told us to do the distemper test. She would definitely have to pay extra for that, and that she would have to stay the night again. They told us the medication they had given her would cause cartilage damage to her when she was older.

We had to make a decision by 10 AM as to bring her home as sick as she was, or to leave her there and accrue more charges. Under the impression that she needed more treatment (that we could not afford on such a low percentage of her surviving), we chose to put her to sleep (another fee). When I contacted the shelter, she informed us that we would receive a refund for her adoption fee of $250, and she would do everything to speak with the committee at the shelter to try and pay for half of her vet bill. We received $250 for her adoption fee on Sunday, January 24th. I was told today, February 9, that we would not receive anything back from them for her vet bill. We had our puppy for 4 days, and tried to do what was reasonable to keep her alive, and it didn't work. We were sold a very sick puppy that should not have been sold in the first place. We now have a $1,045 vet bill and no puppy.

Now on each transaction, it may be a small amount but over a year this can be quite a large amount of money per customer. And imagine the thousands of consumers that they have and you can imagine the ripple effect (and additional profit) this illegal transaction is having on their customers. I contacted the office of the CFO (Michael ***) and spoke with his assistant, who assured me someone from the Corporate Executive Offices would contact me, which they have not! Also to verify the information, I contacted the GA Dept of Revenue and they also concurred that Petco is illegally charging excessive sales tax.

A week passed and the rash got larger on her eye and on her wrist. She developed sore throat again. I went to the doctor again and they said she has strep again. They gave Ilea more antibiotics and sent us to a cosmetic dermatology. They said my daughter has a fungal rash and it was from an animal. So I went online to the CDC and saw rat bite fever. My daughter has all the symptoms. I was mad. I called my doctor again and they said she had a different strain of strep throat. So I called PETCO and spoke to the assistant manager. I told them what happened and that I wanted a refund for the rats. She said I have to have the receipt or talk to the main manager on Thursday.

I called the Dept of Health in Peabody. They told me to call the Dept of Agriculture Resource Division Animal Health in Boston. They said when you get scratched from a rat, things like that might happen. So then I got a call from the regional manager from PETCO. They are going to reimburse me my $175.00. But what about my daughter and her strep throat and rash that is all over her wrist and face? And my time going to all these doctors? Will this happen to other kids? Do they check these rats before selling them? I just don't want another family to go through what I did.

When I complained to the manager, Christine, she told me that she never had any problems with Renee before and insinuated it was my fault and, "It sounds like it was a personality issue." I have worked customer service in the past and I have never been treated this dismissively. I would think that Petco would want to know if their staff was treating customers disrespectfully instead of making the customer feel bad for voicing their opinion.

Ms. ** appeared to know what she was talking about which proved incorrect when I picked-up the dogs around 3:30pm. She told me that she couldn't bathe one of them because he had a lot of knots on him but isn't that what I was paying for? She said she was going to give me a bargain of $62.00 for both of them which made me more agitated. I found her trying to insult my intelligence when I got there at 3:00/3:30pm and she was still trying to get the knots out of my dogs. What did she save them for last? I remind you I got there for the morning hours and most of the dogs that were groomed that day were gone.

I asked Ms. ** what exactly did she do for this great discount of $62.00 on both pups? The hair was not trimmed around the body and they both looked like two rag muffins. Lalo (the black one) still had hair covering his eyes and their butt area were done very half-** as if they didn't know where to start or where to end. I was furious because I don't think Petco pros were there, and I truly believe these people were fill-ins - for the Thanksgiving Holiday. I think the three women on this shift know very little on how to groom dogs especially Shih Tzus. I wouldn't mind it if they told me they wouldn't be able to do it because they had too many customers that day. However, when I did confront Ms. ** on this she stated it wouldn't be a busy day.

I called the manager of the store and asked him what he thought of the cut on my dogs or did he notice that there actually had been a cut done on these dogs. My suggestion to Petco is if you are going to have a skeleton crew during the holidays and charge high prices for these services, at least hire people that know what they are doing and not these amateurs who try to con you for the almighty buck. It's shameful how people try to get over one another. For this amount of money, I could have gone to a professional salon and had these two pups done really well. Lalo is still walking around with hair over his eyes and when they drink water, they still get it all over them because Ms. Dizzy didn't adhere to what I asked her to do.

When the manager arrived in the aisle, she was very unfriendly as well and unwilling to sympathize with our situation. She said she didn't know which brand or bottle we needed. We pointed out to her the bottle sitting on one of their own aquariums (it was a super-size bottle) and told her that was exactly what we needed. She said, “We only have what is on the shelf.” We asked if we could buy the big bottle, or help us find the smaller versions of the product on the shelf. She basically started to walk away.

At this point, we were very upset as we were wasting time in saving our fish. We finally found the product, but they only had 3 very small bottles left. We called after the manager and asked her if she could check if they had any more of the product in the back storage. She yelled down the aisle that what was available was there and that was it. We asked if she could scan in the product and see if another location had more of the product; again, she refused.

Extremely upset at this point, we took the three bottles and proceeded to checkout. We told the manager that we were upset with the service levels and would be sure to post on Yelp.com about the service we received that day. We just wanted to buy the products and leave. The manager followed us to the checkout and yelled at the cashier to not check us out. We looked at her in shock and asked why we couldn't buy the product. She claimed that we were rude and that she wasn't going to sell us anything. The total sale would have been $8.47. We asked her if she realized that over $8,000 of beautiful Koi fish were in danger, and she stated that she didn't care. We begged her to please let us buy the product, at which point she ran to the cashier, grabbed the product off the counter and put it under the register. My partner raised his voice and asked her again to please let us buy the product.

The manager then turned to a male Petco employee wearing a grooming vest and told him, “Take this guy out and kick his ass.” My partner and I stood back and were in total shock. My partner asked the guy, “What are you going to do?” The guy ripped off his vest Hulk Hogan style and said very loudly, “I’m going to break your body dude!” I started to cry. My partner walked away from the register and towards the door. All we wanted was to save our fish, not be threatened to be beaten up and refused product. I walked towards my partner and together we walked out the door. We were in complete shock and scared. Our luck, as we were pulling away in our car, a police car was coming the other way. We flagged them down and asked them to hear our situation.

The police were upset as well and went into the store to talk to the manager. When they returned, they said the manager claimed that we threatened them with a gun! Well this was just horrible. We would never do such a thing and don’t even own a gun. The cops took our side. They said that Petco has the right to refuse service to anyone, even though they don’t have it posted on the window as legally required. We asked the cops if we gave them money to buy the product if they would do so, and the manager refused them as well. The police asked if we wanted to press charges. We told them that we just wanted to save our fish, and we were shocked that people working at a pet store would refuse to help save an animal’s life. We got home and within 1 hour, all of our beautiful Koi fish were dead.

As Monday was a holiday, on Tuesday, I called Petco corporate office and explained the situation. The CSR typed everything that I stated and promised that a district manager would be calling me within 72 hours. 72 hours go by and no one called. So I called corporate customer service again and explained that I never got a call. I was told that Christopher (the district manager) would call me that night. Again, no one ever called. Today, September 18, 2009, I called and demanded to speak with a supervisor or someone who could help me. I was passed to Ryan who read my case and offered to contact Christopher again. I said that there must be someone else we can speak with, considering Christopher, the district manager, obviously didn't call me back the first two times. I asked him what the escalation policy is at Petco, and he could not tell me. I asked that someone call me back or that I would be posting my story on the Internet and also call the news stations. Again, he told me that I should just be patient and wait for someone to call me back.

My life was threatened, I lost $8,000 in beautiful Koi fish, and I am just supposed to sit and be patient while someone decides to call me back? Finally, I told him that I would be talking to the press, and asked who at Petco handles Public Relations. He gave me the name Tonya. But Tonya was not in the office today and would be left a message to call me tomorrow. I have never dealt with a company that was so unprofessional and unwilling to help from the store front all the way back through corporate headquarters. I should have pressed charges immediately and went to the press that day. I am left with no choice but to wait to see if someone named Tonya will call me, and until then I am posting my story online.

He is now on Enpril and Lasix twice a day for the rest of his life. These meds cost $260.00 every other month to support him. It is truly heartbreaking and makes me sick to my stomach when I think about how careless PETCO has been with regard to my sweet rat. PETCO sells chronically ill animals with poor genetics. It is nothing short of vile when an animal is bred and sold with complete disregard for its well-being. This sweet, little rat has cost me thousands in less than 2 years of purchasing him from PETCO.

PETCO has refused to pay for any other treatment other than the $70.00. PETCO, be responsible for your actions! The health and genetics of your animals are your responsibility! Stop selling sick animals which suffer with a number of genetic defects! Matter of fact, stop selling animals all together!

I bought a bunny about a month later. He was fine for a few days, then he developed diarrhea. So I took him to the vet and she told me he was ridden with parasites. I paid another $100 for the meds and visit, only to have him die hours later screeching in pain. Now since I don't have my receipt, I can't get my money back. Even if I got my money back, I would not be satisfied. The pain the animal felt and the pain I felt is priceless. I am extremely upset and will go to any limits to ruin this business's reputation.

I went to ask her another question. She had left and was back to the manager and other girl who were both employees. The store was very crowded and usually people around will ask if you need help. I had been waiting at the fish department. They were very busy. It was 20 minutes I waited. I asked to see the manager and she and the 2 other employees came out of the manager room. I said I’d like to see the manager, she said “I am.” I was quietly trying to get her alone away from her friends to discuss the issues this didn't happen. I asked her about the tank and why I had to wait for help so long. She said “We are busy.” I said I can see that she had a typical young attitude, stayed with friends the whole time. I asked if there was another manager I could speak to. She said no.

Now I’m really upset because of her inexperience and attitude. I didn't want to cause a scene as the store was crowed and many people would have heard me, and I had my 12 year old granddaughter with me who was getting tears in her eyes. I said “I spend a lot of money here. You can check records since you have been open.” She said “So?” I said “Then I won’t shop here anymore.” She said “Don’t.” Now other customers are hearing this. I was holding my tears back. If I got the tank which was $117.00 and $50 turtle item I put it back and got in line. She never came up, just stayed with her working peer group. So I had to raise my voice to be heard. She had already blown me off. I asked if there was a complaint form I could fill out she said “Nope.” She said there is no official form I can fill out. I said no this is while I was about to check out with just chemicals for my 4 fish tanks. Then while twiddling something, she yelled back up there is a phone number. I said “Fine, what is it?” She hesitated and said “I don’t know.” I again said “I would not shop there anymore.” She said “good”, no eye contact at all.

I felt bad for customers with children who had to hear this because she would talk but from a distance. I apologized to the ones nearby they understood and where shocked themselves. I’m sure, beside myself, you lost other customers that day. My granddaughter was about in tears. I am 57 years old and an RN for 38 years working most of it in management. Even in medical settings patients and family are consumers as well. I am on disability because of several serious medical problems including asthma and emphysema. So in the car I had to use rescue inhaler triggered by her causing such anxiety. Diabetes, again sensitive to stress.

I called Wednesday after I cooled off and talked to the manager on duty, another young girl but professional and at least played understanding. She didn't know what had happened so I asked if the fish specialist could check the tank I was talking about to see if it was one on 30% off during the sale over then. She didn't know what was going on. She said yes, it was the manager I was talking to. Her name was Angela. She was very nice but could do anything (Saturday night, last day of sale - I also had fish specialist another one check yes it was on sale) on Thursday. I talked to Jesse, one of the direct managers that work there. I told him the story. He said, “So what do you want me to do about it?” I said “I would like the tank for 30% off.” I was there during sale and was refused the sale price and thought that Angie who was the manager should be spoken to about customer relations, not just for my sake but the other customers who had a discussion with her. Jesse said to call Peter for an answer Friday after 11 or so.

I went to Waltham from Fitchburg home to help my mother who is 82 and is very sick. I called Peter when I got home about 4:15pm. The manager that answered was the girl I had problems with the previous Saturday. I tried to talk to her saying I didn't want to start trouble for her just to be spoken to and if she could recall any part of my conversation that upset her. She said no. I said I was willing to let things go and she was, I don’t know, very difficult to talk to. She’s like a lot of kids who gets stubborn so she said she would call Peter. She said Peter said I could get 10% off. I said “I thought I should still get 30% off.” I was there when I was supposed to be. I missed last 30% off the tanks by a day so I waited for this as my income is limited. But I have 3 dogs, a cat, 3 fish tanks, and a turtle, plus I feed birds year round. They just don’t care. So not only did they lose me as a customer, I know my friends and family and some people in the store won’t be going back.

I would think in this economy that they would treat someone who has spent so much money since they opened not special, but with respect. My granddaughter refuses to go in with me. She gets nervous when I get upset and can’t breathe. All I wanted was the sale on the tank and when Peter the general manager said 10%, it was an insult to injury. I felt I tried my best to make things better and let it go. But the original child-like manager when I gave her an opportunity to let bygones be bygones refused to treat me with any kind of respect, I had over $200 if I got the tank and $50 turtle item I put back.

I feel since either Jesse didn't talk seriously to her about her management style is why she still had attitude when I was trying to give a little. So she and Jesse should be replaced as managers and Peter never took the time to talk to me even though he was informed of the situation. I also would like the tank for 30%. It’s not a favor or special request. My disability also includes major depression and anxiety and medical respiratory disease. I even had to use my oxygen when I got home. People die from asthma attacks every day and with my COPD which includes emphysema; my health was seriously jeopardized as well as my granddaughter’s (12 years old) trauma of the event. My respiratory reaction, my metabolic syndrome and interstitial cystitis as well as severe gastric problems, all of which I see a specialist for, reacts to the stress and anxiety. This is all in my medical file if needed.

Once examined by the doctor at the emergency hospital, he stated that she was not diabetic. But if there was a stressful situation or trauma for Spunky, the sugar would go up and the fluid would fill her lungs. We had great hope that all would be fine, but I received a call at 2:00AM telling me that her heart stopped. I would like to know what happened to my baby in the 30 minutes she was at PETCO. My husband went to ask some questions, but got a lot of attitude and no real answers.

Later that same day around 7:30 PM, I noticed a red spot on her forehead. When I looked closer, I realized it was a bleeding open wound on the top of her head. A red bow was suspiciously placed over the cut, hiding it. I called PETCO at 7:48PM to inform them of what had happened. Immediately, the assistant manager, **, aimed the blame at my family and I, stating that an incident may have occurred while she was in our care at home and continued to criticize me for not looking over my dog as soon as she returned from the groomers and not noticing the cut earlier. She has lived with us in the same home for more than four years and is more than familiar with the physical properties of the house, which makes an incident at home highly improbable. Shannon continued to inform me that the grooming manager would not be available until Saturday morning.

On August 15, 2008, Mr. Woon ** visited the store with Princess to show the grooming personnel the injury they inflicted upon Princess. Mr. ** continued to demand an apology and for someone to truthfully explain the events that occurred on August 14th that resulted in a bleeding open wound on Princess. Mr. ** received a call from a manager at PETCO, who promised that a representative would contact us again with further information. We never received the call that was promised to us.

On August 26, 2008, I called PETCO at approximately 12:00PM and I spoke with **. She was surprised to hear that we had not been contacted by anyone. ** continued to explain to me that their conclusion was that Princess made an attempt to remove the bow, thereby scratching herself on the head resulting in an open wound. I had responded to ** stating that would be unlikely because Princess wears bows on her head everyday and has never had self-inflicted injuries during the past four years.

On August 27, 2008, after speaking with the manager of the grooming department, **, I was disappointed even further. She continued to stand behind **, stating that the injury to Princess was not their fault. ** continued to say that it would be pointless to pursue the matter further because **, the groomer, would be leaving the next week. So far, we have only heard excuses in an attempt to take the blame off PETCO's hands. I am greatly disappointed in how the representatives of PETCO at the Freehold location have handled the matter.

** and other managers have demonstrated great rudeness and disregard for my family, which includes Princess. If they had just admitted to the incident and apologized on the groomer's behalf, I would have been satisfied as a consumer. This is not how ** or the other managers have handled the situation. Also, I think it is appalling that ** believes that if the employee in question resigns, quits or leaves, then it is no longer PETCO's responsibility to resolve the matter. Therefore, I believe that I must take further action on this matter.

The wound on Princess' head has resulted in a bald spot resembling a buzz cut and not Alopecia that could have only occurred if the hair on that area was cut, which deflates any of the possibilities that the representatives of PETCO have proposed. I am also sure that any pet owners, lovers, media and other interest groups would like to know how PETCO treats pets and their families. Thank you for your time and consideration.

I spoke to the manager, Nick, several times. First, he thought it was the substrate (I purchased from them). Then he said that it was because he thought they liked to be just one to a habitat. The truth was that his frogs were dying also and he continued to sell them stating it was just from shipping stresses. I told him, "No way." I would stop by unannounced and look at their frogs on display. They had the same issues I had, thin skinny frogs. Amazingly enough, they have White's tree frogs fliers right there that state these frogs are easy starter pets!

I told Nick, the store manager, that I was meeting with my vet. I told him what she stated about the inbreeding or virus. I told him she thought it was just a matter of time before I lost the last ones. Unfortunately she was right. My vet recommended Petco to a necropsy. When I told Nick her recommendation, he said he had to email his boss for approval, but he was going on vacation the next day and his assistant would let me know. Of course, I never heard from them. Nick stated that he would replace all 4 frogs with a new batch.

So as per my vet's recommendation, I emptied my habitat (Exottera 18x18x24) bleached it out, boiled all my drift wood, dipped my artificial plants in the boiling water and put all the driftwood and artificial plants in my freezer for 2 weeks to kill the virus - in case that was the problem. After this 2-week period, I purchased new substrate, re-set up the habitat and went back to Petco. Nick stated on the phone that he would not be there when I arrived but that his assistant, Suzanne, would help me. This was on Aug. 22nd, 2008. While Suzanne was helping pick me out some frogs, she told me horror stories of animals they get. She said sometimes they get really healthy ones and sometimes, they get really bad ones. She told me they never know what they are going to get or exactly where they come from. How is this possible? How do you not know if your company is not purchasing from a reputable breeder? Unfortunately, on Monday, Sept. 9th, I lost one of the new 4, with the same exact symptoms!

I am so angry. I am thinking about all these parents who probably bought their children one of these sick frogs and think that their child did not care for it and it died when the truth is the frogs were already going to die. Knowing that Petco was having the same issue and would not pay the $200 for the test to find out what is causing this angers me when they charged me 20 dollars a frog and I have lost 5 so far and they have lost several that I am aware of. It seems like they would have paid for the test to find out the exact issue and deal with it accordingly.

I will never step foot in another Petco and if I ever hear someone mention Petco, I will tell them my story. Most of the pets sold are for children! Please let people know what Petco is doing and protect our innocent children from the possibility of owning one of these sick/dying pets!

The manager said, "No, I'm sorry, I can't do that." I said, "So, you are just going to let the fish die?" He said "Yes, I will let the fish die before I adopt them out." I couldn't believe this. I do understand that this is just fish, but they are animals just like everything else, and just like every other animal that has a person who loves them ... dog lover, etc., I am a saltwater lover. I will not spend another dollar in Petco until they resolve this issue. I understand that they have to make a profit, but it shouldn't be at the expense and lives of pets.

The one night we stopped to check on him, a manager by the name of Tony came raging up and yelling and throwing the igloo over the hamster, almost knocking my 5-yr-old and me over with the tank's lid as we were kneeling beside the tank on the floor to view the sick little hamster who was in a wet filthy mess of paper towels. They claim the hamster went to their vet. I really doubt that. I think Petco was treating the hamster themselves. My daughter is crushed by losing her hamster and, because of the manager's attitude, she thinks that he killed her hamster. She is scared when she see the store and we will never go back there again and never once did they ever call us to give us an update.

The girl working gave both Bentley and Harley to us. Of course, they were very excited to see us. When in line to pay, I happened to look down at Harley's face and noticed that her eyes were completely bloodshot and the whites of her eyes were swollen so bad that her eyes and the whites were bulging out of her head. They looked like they were going to explode. She started hacking and breathing very weird, so I was even more scared. I immediately started freaking out and took her back to the grooming department where they couldn't explain it, but said that the shampoo may have gotten into her eyes so they rinsed them.

They then said if I took her to her vet on Sunday, they would pay a portion of the bill. I told them they would be responsible for the entire bill because when I dropped them off, Harley was fine and her eyes were not pink, let alone red or swelling. I told them I would be taking her to the Pet ER and that I would be contacting an attorney. Of course, once I said that, they were on board. But still no explanation of what happened to my baby. I took Harley to the Pet ER on Cromwell Bridge Road and they looked at her. They did a die/stain test and said there were no scratches, etc. to her eyes. They said that it was very clear that she had been choked. Bad enough that her eyes hemorrhaged and it caused severe conjunctivitis.

They gave me an ointment that has a steroid in it that needs to be put in her eyes 4 times a day for a week. Then she will need to go for a follow-up visit. The Pet ER doctor kept making it very clear that Harley had been choked or strangled. They said that it was impossible that the shampoo caused some kind of irritation because pet shampoos are tested over and over again to make sure they (and other grooming products) are safe for pets, and especially if they get into the eyes. I have never seen anything like this before. The only thing I can describe is when you watch movies and someone is hung to death and their eyes hemorrhage and bulge out of their head. Who knows, a few more seconds and she could have had her eyes burst or been dead.

Someone would have had to seriously choke her. So what we believe happened was that she was left alone on the table and either slipped, fell or tried to jump off of the table. Because they keep those collars hooked to the tables, we believe she choked herself. If that is what happened and she wasn't found in time, she would be dead. If this is not what happened, then someone was extremely rough with her. We will never take our dogs back to a place like PETCO or PetSmart to be groomed. They are like car washes. They are only worried about getting as many pets in and out in a day for monetary purposes and they made that very clear. They did not tell us what happened and acted like we were worried for nothing. We think they kept them all day to make sure she was alert and in hopes that the swelling in her eyes would go down.

Her eyes are starting to slowly get better with the medicine. But now we have so many things to worry about in the future. Will this experience traumatize her for future grooming visits? Will this cause problems with her eyes in the future? There is still no explanation from anyone. I wrote this in hopes that it would make pet owners aware that they should not take their pets to a place like PETCO or PetSmart to be groomed. I am also hoping that people will pass this along to let others know about this incident. I am going to research to see what other incidents have occurred at that specific PETCO, and I am nowhere near done dealing with PETCO on this horrible experience for my baby girl. Still waiting for payment and confirmation they will pay any future bills associated with this.

Earlier, we had asked to look at a male rat; the girl (Kaylynn) had finally come over and asked which one we wanted to look at. When my roommate said the one under the log, she said, "Oh, the sewer rat." We both explained several times that he is not a sewer rat, but an Agouti rat. She then proceeded to pick the poor thing up by its tail! They use their tails for balance, to heat and cool themselves. Also rats have a natural defense called degloving. When something or someone grabs them by their tails, they can make the skin slide off the bone, leaving whatever is left of the tail, with the bone sticking out!

She then proceeded to pet the dogs without asking (which you never do) and my roommate politely said, "Please do not pet the dogs without asking." She got mad, huffed off and said, "Fine, I'll leave you 2 alone!" Well, that was on the 13th of February. I went out into the mall, used a pay phone and called Petco customer relations right after it happened, and have called at least 1 or 2 other times since. They just called today, and when we were able to call back (they had to leave a message as we were out early this morning), we got the assistant manager (I assume, she did not say, but said she was in management). She got very rude, would not listen, and continued to interrupt me while I was trying to explain what had happened.