SAN DIEGO (AP) — A San Diego family is suing Petco after the death of their 10-year-old son from a bacterial infection they say he contracted from his pet rat. 
 
 This undated photo released by Gomez Trial Attorneys courtesy the Pankey family, shows Aidan Pankey and one of his pet rats. Lawyers representing the Pankey family have filed a lawsuit against Petco Animal... (Associated Press) 
 
 Attorney John Gomez told The Associated Press on Tuesday that his firm filed the lawsuit Monday in San Diego County seeking an unspecified amount for the suffering endured by the Pankey family, whose son, Aidan, died June 12, 2013, hours after he was rushed to the hospital with severe stomach pains. 
 
 The San Diego County medical examiner's office ruled that the cause of death was streptobacillus moniliformis infection, commonly known as rat-bite fever, after exposure to an infected rat. 
 
 The retailer in a statement expressed its condolences. 
 
 "We are deeply saddened by the Pankey family's tragic loss," Petco said in a statement. "The health and safety of people and pets is always a top priority, and we take the family's concerns very seriously." 
 
 The boy's grandmother purchased the male rat, which Aidan named Alex, because her only grandson wanted a mate for his female rat, Gomez said. The boy took the rat home May 27, 2013, and woke up the night of June 11 in severe pain with a fever and stomach problems. He was pale, lethargic and could barely walk, according to the lawsuit. He died at 1:09 a.m. the next day. 
 
 "He was a bright, energetic, friendly, happy kid who actually had a prior rat, who was a female, and he had this idea in his young head of having his female rat get married," Gomez said. 
 
 The lawsuit was not filed until now because attorneys were awaiting the lab results from the federal Centers for Disease Control, which tested the rat to confirm it was infected, Gomez said. The agency could not immediately confirm the results Tuesday. 
 
 Gomez said the Pankey family was not giving interviews, but they are devastated by the death of their only son and want to raise awareness among parents. 
 
 "It's a means to ensure this doesn't happen again," Gomez said of the lawsuit. "Apparently there was some breakdown in procedures. They want tighter controls." 
 
 According to the lawsuit, the rat appeared safe. But the lawsuit says Petco should have known about the rodent's health and did not adequately test for the disease. It also says that negligence led to the boy's death, which has caused his parents, Andrew Pankey and Vanessa Sauer, emotional and economic hardship, and that the retailer did not post adequate warnings about the potential risks, especially for children. 
 
 Petco Animal Supplies Inc. said it is "in the process of investigating these claims and will respond appropriately when we have more information." 
 
 According to the CDC, people can contract rat-bite fever from bites or scratches from infected rodents, such as rats, mice and gerbils, or even just by handling an animal with the disease without a bite or scratch. It can also be contracted by consuming food or drink contaminated with the bacteria. It is not spread from person to person. 
 
 Antibiotics, such as penicillin, are highly effective at treating rat-bite fever, and it is rarely fatal, according to the CDC. 
 
 The CDC says those at higher risk of contracting the illness are people with pet rats or who work with rats in laboratories or pet stores, or live in rat-infested buildings. The agency recommends that people who handle rats or clean their cages wear protective gloves, wash their hands regularly and avoid touching their mouths with their hands after being in contact with rodents. 
 
 Petco also mentions preventative measures for rat-bite fever in information it posts online and provides in stores. The company warns that all rats are potential carriers and that pregnant women, children under the age of five and people with weakened immune systems should contact their doctor before buying a rat and "should consider not having a rat as a pet." 
 
 Only about 200 cases of rat-bite fever had been documented in the U.S. as of 2004, according to the Center for Food Security and Public Health at Iowa State University. Scientists believe the disease may be underdiagnosed because it is hard to detect and responds to commonly used antibiotics. But the number of cases, they say, may be increasing, especially among children, with the growing popularity of rats as pets. 

 The family of a 10-year-old-boy who died from rat bite fever is now suing Petco for the boy's death. 
 
 Aiden Pankey died last summer from rat bite fever, a disease reportedly carried by a rodent purchased from a Petco in San Diego, Calif., according to the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office. 
 
 The family, as a result, filed a lawsuit and is now waiting for a response from the national company. 
 
 "He was such a good care taker and so loving," Sharon Pankey, the boy's grandmother, told ABC News. "The dilemma is that taking care of the rat and wanting her to have a family ultimately lead to him dying." 
 
 (Credit: Gomez Trials Attorney) 
 
 The boy and his grandmother went to the pet store on Memorial Day last year to buy a companion for his pet rat Oreo. The family called it their "the summer science project." 
 
 Two weeks after buying the male rat, the boy was struck with what his grandmother called "flu-like symptoms" and died over the course of 48 hours. 
 
 She described the moments before his death as "numbing" and "soul biting." 
 
 "I put him to bed after a day at the doctor's office and the next thing I knew it just was too late," she said. "I went into his room and he couldn't speak. He was unstable on his feet. I got him down to my room and he collapsed on the floor. I called 911 because it was scaring me that his breathing was shallow and he seemed to be losing his ability to function." 
 
 The San Diego Medical Examiner's office said in a report issued to ABC News that "despite aggressive resuscitative efforts, death was pronounced." 
 
 "We didn't know what he died from at first," Sharon said. "When I took him to doctor he said he had the flu, but you don't die from flu in less than 48 hours." 
 
 She said that it wasn't until Christmas - more than six months after the boy's death - that the medical examiner reportedly confirmed to the family that Pankey had died from the infectious disease. 
 
 Hamilton Arendsen, the family's lawyer, told ABC News that his client is suing Petco for failing to have sufficient procedures in place to prevent incidents like this to occur. 
 
 "Obviously the family is devastated," said Hamilton Arendsen. "This was an all-around great ten year old boy doing everything ten year old boys like to do. He loved his friends, loved his family, and loved playing with animals. One day he was doing what normal 10-year-old boys do and the next day he is dead." 
 
 A general manager at Petco who would not identify themselves briefly commented on the incident and said they are waiting to receive more information before commenting further. 
 
 "We are saddened by what has happened and we take their claims very seriously," he said. 
 
 Petco officials also expressed their sympathy today. 
 
 "We are deeply saddened by the Pankey family's tragic loss," the company said in a statement to ABC News. "The health and safety of people and pets is always our top priority and we take the family's concerns very seriously. We are investigating the claims and will respond when we have more information." 
 
 The boy's family is suing Petco for strict liability and negligence and will be seeking compensatory and punitive damages, the lawyer said. 
 
 Rat-bite fever can caused by two different bacteria and when not treated can be serious or even fatal disease, according to the CDC's website. The disease is usually passed on from infected rodents or consumption of contaminated food or water.
– A California family whose 10-year-old son died of rat-bite fever just two weeks after he brought home a male companion for his female pet rat is taking Petco to court for alleged negligence. Aidan Pankey died hours after being rushed to the hospital with severe stomach pains last summer, but the family waited for lab results to confirm that the rat was infected before filing the lawsuit, their lawyer tells the AP. The lawsuit accuses the national pet store chain of failing to have adequate procedures in place to prevent this kind of tragedy. Petco says it is "in the process of investigating these claims and will respond appropriately when we have more information." "I put him to bed after a day at the doctor’s office and the next thing I knew it just was too late," Aidan's grandmother, who describes the death as "soul-biting," tells ABC. "I went into his room and he couldn’t speak. He was unstable on his feet. I got him down to my room and he collapsed on the floor. I called 911 because it was scaring me that his breathing was shallow and he seemed to be losing his ability to function." The family's lawyer says Aidan's parents are devastated by the death of their only son and want to raise awareness of the disease. Experts say there have only been a few hundred documented cases of rat-bite fever in the US, though it may be underdiagnosed and cases appear to be on the increase with the growing popularity of pet rats. Per the CDC, people can contract rat-bite fever from bites or scratches from infected rodents, or even just by handling an animal with the disease without a bite or scratch.