New Lenox Woman Thinks Parakeet Made Her Ill

A New Lenox woman thinks she caught something from a bird she bought at a suburban PetSmart.

Wendi O'Brien believes the parakeet from PetSmart in Orland Hills gave her a respiratory illness, WJOL reports. 

PetSmart has reportedly tracked the diseased birds back to one supplier, and has stopped selling those birds in 500 stores across the country. Birds purchased between March 12 and May 20 may have "parrot flu" (psittacosis), which can be passed to humans, surfacing in flu-like symptoms. 

O'Brien said she wasn't informed of the parakeet recall, and didn't realize anything was wrong with her bird, until her daughter found it dead.

"The parakeet was chirping before we left. We had dinner at grandma's and we got home 9 o'clock and she started crying and brought the bird," O'Brien told NBC

Watch O'Brien's story on NBC5. 

Any customers who think they may have the parrot flu should see a doctor immediately, the store said in a letter. Store officials will pay for testing and any follow-up treatment if a person is diagnosed. 

To date, 16 cases of parrot flu have been confirmed in PetSmart stores nationwide.