Man posed as veterinarian and carried out surgical procedure on pregnant canine who died, authorities say

NAPLES, Fla. — A southwest Florida man was arrested Friday for claiming to be a veterinarian and performing surgical procedure on a pregnant canine who died of issues from the process, authorities mentioned.

The man was a licensed pet groomer however not a licensed veterinarian, the Collier County Sheriff’s Office mentioned in a social media put up.

The 61-year-old Collier County man was charged with animal abuse and training veterinary drugs and not using a license.

The 6-year-old Chihuahua named Sugar died following the surgical procedure in May. Sugar’s house owners had been launched to the person as a veterinarian and reached out to him as a result of the 6-pound (2.7-kilogram) canine seemed to be having issue delivering her puppies, the sheriff’s workplace mentioned.

The man got here to the house owners’ residence and carried out a cesarean part on Sugar in a transformed ambulance. He eliminated a stillborn pet and charged $600, in line with the sheriff’s workplace.

After Sugar grew to become sick from an an infection every week later, her house owners took her to an emergency pet hospital the place employees instructed her that the incision was closed with string or thread as a substitute of normal suture materials. They mentioned that might have contributed to her an infection. Sugar died hours later.

“A doctor at the emergency pet hospital told detectives a C-Section is not an uncommon surgery on pregnant dogs and that had a qualified veterinarian performed the procedure on Sugar she likely would have survived,” the sheriff’s workplace.