Two men have been arrested over allegations one of them performed an unlicensed surgery on a dog which was broadcast on TikTok.
It is alleged that Larry Colon paid an unlicensed man to perform the operation in the middle of a living room on French bulldog Lyla while his teenage daughter filmed it on the social media app.
An animal cruelty investigator visited Colon’s home in Clermont, Florida, after concerns were raised about the online video, apparently shot by his 15-year-old daughter.
Authorities have identified the man who carried out the C-section as Frankie Huertas-Rivera, who is not a licensed veterinarian in the US state.
The video, provided by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, shows a white dog being placed on a table and a man taking her puppies out from her as the dog squirmed in apparent pain.
Colon, 50, told investigators that Rivera claimed he was a vet and says he paid the man $650 (£465) for him to conduct the procedure.
He then took Lyla to an animal hospital where a licensed vet told authorities that the dog was dead on arrival.
The expert said she suspected Lyla had died of septic shock to the contamination from the allegedly unlicensed procedure.
When vets examined her, they found tragic Lyla still had two unborn puppies inside her, who also died.
Colon allegedly told the animal hospital staff that the C-section on Lyla “was performed at their house by a friend of a friend that is unlicensed,” according to the affidavit.
He also is reported to have told the staff he was “trying to save money and knew it was not what should have been done.”
Colon has been charged with animal cruelty as is Huertas-Rivera. The latter is also accused of practising without a license.