Florida - Second Fake Vet Surrenders After Neuter Procedure Kills Dog

Hialeah police in Miami-Dade County, Florida have arrested a man they suspect of running an illegal veterinary clinic inside the apartment he shared with his girlfriend.

It took the authorities nine days to nab the man. His girlfriend, Sophia Gonzalez, was arrested and charged with animal cruelty and practicing veterinary medicine without a license on May 23.

Hialeah Lt. Eddie Rodriguez said that the suspect, Jose Alvarez-Moreno, turned himself in and arrived at the Hialeah Police Department with his attorney after more than a week on being on the run.

The 58-year-old Rodriguez faces three counts of practicing veterinary medicine without a license and animal cruelty with an intent to injure or kill. He was booked into Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.

The illegal practice of the couple was discovered when pet owner Omarnestor Delrio took his 12-year-old American bulldog named Royalty to Alvarez-Moreno and Gonzalez to be neutered on April 23 at the couple’s apartment on East 50th Street. It was supposedly a simple procedure. Delrio didn’t hesitate to avail of the said service from the couple since he has brought his pets to them before.

However, after several procedures, Delrio saw his beloved Royalty being in such a bad shape that he took him to a Knowles Animal Clinic in Miami. It is there that he found out the truth about the illegal practice of the couple. A legit vet told Delrio that the neutering procedure is done on Royalty “was beyond medical malpractice.” The police report, in fat, described it as “pure animal cruelty.”

Unfortunately, Royalty died on April 30, in large part due to the messed-up procedures performed by non-vets.

The Hialeah police appealed to the public to help them find Alvarez-Moreno. Lt. Rodriguez even came out with a release urging other victims of the fraudulent vet practice to come forward and hold Alvarez-Moreno accountable for his actions.

Rodriguez said they are thankful that they received a lot of leads from the public and that the media covered the story well.

Source:

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/crime/article212401769.html