A man masquerading as a veterinarian was using an ambulance as his “mobile office” the day he performed a fatal C-section on someone’s Chihuahua, according to a Florida sheriff’s office.
The dog, named Sugar, died of an infection linked to the surgery, the Collier County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
Osvaldo Sanchez, 61, was arrested Aug. 11 and is “charged with animal abuse and practicing veterinary medicine without a license,” officials said.
An investigation revealed he is a licensed pet groomer — not a veterinarian, officials said.
“Sugar’s owners contacted Sanchez because the tiny dog appeared to be having difficulty delivering her puppies. Sanchez had been previously introduced to the couple as a veterinarian,” the sheriff’s office said in an Aug. 11 Facebook post.
“Sanchez came to their home to examine Sugar and performed a C-section and spay procedure on the dog in his mobile office, a converted ambulance. He removed a stillborn puppy during the procedure.”
The surgery was performed May 18, and Sanchez charged the dog’s owner $600, officials said.
Complications arose days later, when Sugar developed an infection and spent a week “in dire shape,” the sheriff’s office said.
An ultrasound performed May 25 revealed the incisions on Sugar were “closed with string or thread and not the standard suture material,” the sheriff’s office said.
Sugar’s death was attributed to “multiple complications from the surgery,” and the use of thread “could have contributed to her infection,” officials said.
“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 office said.
