Two men were arrested in Florida last week after a TikTok video allegedly showed one of them performing an unlicensed c-section on a French bulldog.
Larry Colon allegedly paid an unlicensed man to perform the operation on his dog, Lyla, as his teenage daughter filmed it, according to the Sheriff’s Office in Lake County. Authorities have identified the man who carried out the c-section as Frankie Huertas Rivera, who is not a licensed veterinarian at the state.
An animal cruelty investigator visited Colon’s home in Clermont, about 15 miles west of Orlando, last week after concerns were raised about a TikTok video posted by Colon’s daughter, a probable statement. The video, provided by the sheriff’s office to NBC News, shows a white dog being placed on a table and a man taking her puppies out of her while the dog squirms in apparent pain.
Colon told investigators that Rivera said in the affidavit that he was a veterinarian and that he paid the man $ 650 for the procedure. Colon later took Lyla to an animal hospital, where a licensed veterinarian told authorities the dog died on arrival.
The doctor at the animal hospital said she suspected Lyla had died of septic shock due to contamination due to the unlicensed procedure. The dog had two more unborn puppies in her, who also died.
Colon allegedly told the animal hospital staff that the c-section on Lyla “was carried out at their home by a friend of a friend who was not licensed,” the statement said. He also told staff he was “trying to save money and knowing it was not what needed to be done.”
Lyla’s surviving puppies had not yet been seen by a veterinarian when the animal abuse investigator visited Colon’s home, the statement said.
Colon is facing charges of animal cruelty and was released on bail Friday. He declined to comment on a call to NBC News on Wednesday.
Rivera is also facing a charge of animal cruelty with an extra number of unlicensed practices of veterinary medicine. He did not return a call from NBC News on Wednesday.
