PAH 'Advice'

[Catjane]

My hubbie once had to free some kind of bird ( large bird ) in PAH whose feet had got stuck on its perch while the shop assistants ummed and ahhed about what to do.

My local PAH has a resident escaped bird that lives in the rafters!  I think it's some kind of cockatiel.  They put special food out for it every day, high up, but no-one can catch it so they just let it live there!  The weird thing is (or is it not so strange?) that it will occasionally go for a flyabout around the store outside in warm weather when the doors are kept open, but always returns!

[Mark]

I have got Kylie onto a mainly wet diet, supplemented with Orijen and RC and slowly but surely she seems to be losing weight. I will find out next month when she goes for her boosters. She originally gained her weight on a diet of Hill's light.

[Desley (booktigger)]

I know someone who works in my local PAH, and she is a lovely person who works in a rescue on her weekends, but I wouldnt ask them for nutrition advice, and there isn't many people I see in the store that I would ask. Mind you, I dont ask my vet either, as she feeds Whiskas and Hills.

Mark, when I had Tom and Ginger at teh weight clinic, they were quite happy that I was feeding both of them mainly wet, as my vet rarely recommends prescription diets.

[Mark]

Maybe I can let them off on that one but they certainly won't be recommending anything other than Hill's diet food? (which from personal experience, doesn't work as it is full of carbs)

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

They have never heard of Orijen so I don't think they are qualified to advise.

To be fair, it is made by a small canadian company, and not available in shops over here.  Most people haven't heard of orijen.

[Mark]

My vet does an obesity clinic. I rate them as vets but noticed the clinic is sponsored by Hills 

They have never heard of Orijen so I don't think they are qualified to advise.

[Susanne (urbantigers)]

I'd be a bit concerned that a shop assistant feels qualified to advice on animal nutrition. 

My thoughts exactly.  I would be wary of any kind of nutrition advice, but worryingly some people will listen and feel that they must know what they are talking about if they work in a pet shop.

The staff at my local store do seem to be pretty good and on the few occasions when I've seen them discussing, selling or handling animals they have appeared gentle and careful, and I've seen them sit prospective owners or rabbits, hamsters etc down to give them advice on care.

[Hannikat]

I think its aview the gernal public have of pets at home being very commercial. I went to get some food a few months back and a friend asked if she could come. While paying I otherheard her asking an assistant if they could ORDER her a fawn coloured rabbit as she didn't like the look of the one in the pen......I just wanted to hide with embarassment...it sounded so wrong

[Indys Mamma]

my local PAH is fairly good, but then again most of the staff are genuinly interested in animals and the pets they do sell are fantastically cared for.

This however is because they were heavily fined a few years back for dead rabbits in pens, poor hygene all round and selling animals with no care of the owner, now they quiz people on the basic care of an animal before they will sell it to them

The manager there has cut down on the number of animals they hold in stock/will sell and often expresses her desire that they stop selling pets at all

[J (Indoorcatsuk)]

My hubbie once had to free some kind of bird ( large bird ) in PAH whose feet had got stuck on its perch while the shop assistants ummed and ahhed about what to do.

[Dawn F]

mmm well there were some bad stories circulating when it was (if indeed it is the same shop) petsmart about dealing with old stock ie hamsters

[Mark]

They do concern me. I heard a conversation a while ago. It was about stock rotation. One was saying to the other about selling the old stock before putting new stock out. Were they talking about litter trays?, bags of food? - no, they were talking about rabbits 

[Dawn F]

well I don't know about you but most of the staff at my pah are only about 12 anyway!

[Pinkbear (Julie)]

I'd be a bit concerned that a shop assistant feels qualified to advice on animal nutrition. 

[Indys Mamma]

my local PAH advocate dry food for the teeth, but also push wet food for cats with weak jaws (ie kittens, the very elderly)

[Gillian Harvey]

I asked what she meant by 'better' and she explained that a dry diet was MUCH better for cats than anything else.

Are these people trained do you think? or are they just after my money I wonder 

I find that quite worrying in that so many owners will go on that advice. I would have asked her to expand on why she thought it was much better - might have been interesting! 

[Hannikat]

lol nooooooo they didn't have any hi-life kitten lol they didn't even have any of their purely one in. They dont like whiskars and I cant stand the smell of felix.

[Gwen]

what?  they didnt have any wet food attall?

[Hannikat]

I went into pets at home at lunch to get some more wet food but they had run out. When I asked they said some wasn't due in for a few days but not to worry because they had a better 'dry' option which was better for them. I asked what she meant by 'better' and she explained that a dry diet was MUCH better for cats than anything else.

Are these people trained do you think? or are they just after my money I wonder