- A pet groomer posed as a veterinarian and performed a C-section on a pregnant dog.
- The tiny 6-year-old chihuahua, called Sugar, died a week later
A pet groomer is accused of posing as a vet and illegally performing a C-section on a tiny, pregnant dog that led to its death.
Osvaldo Sanchez, 61, was arrested on Friday, several weeks after the death of Sugar the Chihuahua in late May. The dog initially survived the procedure — which resulted in a stillbirth — but died a week later.
Per court documents filed in Collier County, Florida, Sanchez carried out the C-section despite being untrained.
He was charged with cruelty to animals resulting in pain, suffering, and death, and practicing veterinarian medicine without a license, records from Collier County's Sheriff's Office show.
Detectives were alerted after the six-year-old chihuahua called Sugar, who weighed only six pounds, died on May 25 following a botched surgery, the sheriff's office said.
The surgery took place on May 18 after the owners noticed that Sugar was having trouble giving birth to her puppy, detective Bruce Cordivari wrote in a sworn affidavit.
The dog's owners had encountered Sanchez months earlier through a mutual acquaintance and believed him to be a licensed veterinarian, according to the affidavit. In reality, he was a licensed pet groomer with no veterinary qualifications, it said.
Sanchez arrived at their home in his mobile van, which had "Ozzy Pet Grooming" signage on it, the affidavit said.
After an initial examination, he started performing a C-section and spay procedure on Sugar in the van, per the document.
During the surgery, Sugar started crying loudly, leading the owner to express concern to Sanchez, according to the affidavit. In response, Sanchez administered additional sedatives to the dog, it said.
Sanchez removed a stillborn puppy, discarding it in his van's trashcan, according to the affidavit. Afterward, he gave the owners two pills, one of which he said was an oral antibiotic for the dog.
However, the pill was later identified as a human-grade substance instead, according to the affidavit.
Sanchez then invoiced the owners $600 for the procedures, the Sheriff's Office said.
Sugar quickly became ill from complications. Her owners took her to their regular veterinarian on May 20, who said the dog was close to death, according to the affidavit.
Scans showed that the surgical incisions appeared to have been closed with string or thread, instead of the standard sterile suture material, risking infection, it said in the affidavit.
Sugar died overnight while staying at a pet hospital in Golden Gate City on May 25. A doctor at the pet hospital told detectives that had the C-section been performed by a qualified veterinarian, she would likely have survived.
Sanchez's bail was set at $60,000, which was posted before his release on Saturday. He was unable to be reached for comment.
Sheriff Kevin Rambosk said in a news release published on Facebook: "Pets' lives are at risk if unlicensed individuals perform surgery, prescribe medication, and claim to provide needed care."