61-years-old OSVALDO SANCHEZ (pictured) is facing charges for his responsibility in the preventable death of a Chihuahua.
According to the criminal complaint obtained by Voice For Us, it all started back on May 18, 2023, when a pregnant 6-year-old, six-pound Chihuahua named Sugar was expected to deliver her babies.
While Sugar’s mom was home with her, she noticed an unusual discharge near Sugar’s vagina and realizing that Sugar was having difficulty delivering, she called her husband, identified as LP in court documents.
According to the affidavit, Sugar’s mom, identified as BD, was not able to drive that week and could not take Sugar to their regular veterinarian, Brown’s Veterinary Clinic in Golden Gate City.
Six months prior, LP had met SANCHEZ through a mutual friend and was told that SANCHEZ, who goes by the name OZZY, was a veterinarian. After meeting SANCHEZ, BD and LP reached out to him on one occasion to treat another one of their dogs so they had no reason to distrust him. LP then contacted SANCHEZ for advice about Sugar.
SANCHEZ told LP he was not far from his home and that he could stop by to check on Sugar. SANCHEZ advised LP that “he may have to perform a Cesarean section on Sugar to deliver the puppy (ies) and complete a spay procedure at the same time.”
After LP and BD discussed the matter and agreed to proceed, SANCHEZ arrived at the couple’s home with a mobile van marked “Ozzy Pet Grooming.” SANCHEZ took Sugar into the van and examined her.
SANCHEZ told BD he would need to operate on Sugar. He then injected Sugar with a painkiller and told BD he “would have to wait for a little bit to let the sedative take effect.”
BD went into her home for less than five minutes and returned to the van to find Sugar cut open and “crying loudly in pain.” According to the affidavit, SANCHEZ proceeded to inject Sugar with “additional sedative to put her under.”
SANCHEZ removed one stillborn puppy from Sugar and threw him/her in the trash. After spaying Sugar and sewing up her incision, SANCHEZ told BD that Sugar should wake up in a couple of hours. He gave BD two pills to give Sugar; one was for pain as needed, and the other one was an oral antibiotic. SANCHEZ took $600 for the procedure and left.
According to BD and LP, Sugar was out for approximately five hours and when she came to, she was groggy and she could not walk. During the night Sugar vomited and peed herself.
The following day, May 19, 2023, Sugar was not doing well and she began shaking. It was not until the next day that BD and LP took her to Brown’s Veterinary Clinic where she was seen by Dr. Ratajski. Sugar was jaundiced (yellow), “extremely lethargic, unable to move, and close to death”, reported Dr. Ratajski.
BD and LP told Dr. Ratajski that two days earlier, Sugar had undergone an at-home C-section and Dr. Ratajski noted that “the surgical incision appeared to have been closed with some type of yarn material, instead of standard suture material.” There was evidence of infection-redness and swelling in the area where the yarn went through the skin.
Additionally, Dr. Ratajski noted an “unusual silver sparkly spray” which appeared sprayed over Sugar’s incision.
Dr. Ratajski and staff at Brown’s Veterinary Clinic treated Sugar throughout the week. She required a feeding tube and staff noticed Sugar appeared to be in pain from the area around her incision. Despite medication, Sugar’s pain went on uncontrollably.
After one week under the Brown’s Veterinary Clinic’s care, staff recommended BD and LP to take Sugar to the Florida Veterinary Referral Center in Estero for an ultrasound. Sugar arrived in bad condition.
Sugar looked depressed, she could not stand up, she was whimpering in pain, and appeared to be in pain from her abdomen. Staff reported that Sugar’s gums and her whole body were jaundiced indicating some type of liver disease or infection.
Additionally, Sugar was found with an elevated heart rate and respiration rate, she had a green-yellow nasal discharge, and was showing signs of respiratory distress which required her to be placed in an oxygen chamber.
Staff at the Florida Veterinary Referral Center noted that the material used to sew Sugar’s incision wasn’t a standard suture one and indicated it could have possibly contributed to Sugar’s infection, as it may have held bacteria.
Staff described the suture job as “amateurish and unprofessional.” Staff then contacted SANCHEZ to get additional information on the procedure he performed on Sugar. According to the affidavit, SANCHEZ yelled at them, he told them he did not have time to talk and hung up.
Meanwhile, the ultrasound showed that “Sugar’s stomach was significantly distended and inflamed with the presence of fluids, and her pancreas was large, swollen, and inflamed.”
Once the ultrasound was completed, BD and LP took Sugar back to the Brown’s Veterinary Clinic for further treatment. They left Sugar and went home. That night, they received a call advising them that their Sugar had passed away.
Collier County Sheriff’s detective Bruce Cordivari assumed the investigation from which it emerged that SANCHEZ does NOT possess “any Florida professional business certifications, specifically licenses in the field of veterinary medicine.”
As part of the investigation, detectives interviewed clinics staff, witnesses, and obtained medical records. They were told by veterinarians that a C-Section is not an uncommon procedure on pregnant dogs and added that if a qualified veterinarian had performed the surgery, Sugar likely would have survived.
On Friday, August 11, 2023, the Collier County Sheriff’s Office announced that its Animal Cruelty Investigations Alliance arrested SANCHEZ, of Naples, and charged him with one felony count of animal cruelty resulting in pain, suffering, and death, and one felony count of practicing veterinary medicine without a license.
SANCHEZ was released the following day after posting a $60,000 bail.
Court records show that SANCHEZ is scheduled to be arraigned on September 5, 2023.
In a statement, Collier County Sheriff Kevin Rambosk said: “Pets’ lives are at risk if unlicensed individuals perform surgery, prescribe medication and claim to provide needed care. Such individuals who believe they can operate outside the law will be arrested and held accountable – our dedicated detectives will see to it.”
Authorities did not disclose whether the stillborn puppy was named before being thrown in the trash. I took the liberty of naming the Voiceless Victim Honey for the tribute image. Should his/her given name be made public, I will rectify it accordingly.
Voice For Us Disclaimer: This story is sourced from official news outlets. Links included.
Details may be removed or additional information may be provided in future should such sources report an update.
