RI man charged with operating on his own dog

[Kadie]

RI man charged with operating on his own dog
9 mins ago

BARRINGTON, R.I. – A Rhode Island man who says he couldn't afford veterinary care for his dog has been charged with illegally operating on the pet.

Alan MacQuattie recently removed a cyst from the leg of his 14-year-old Labrador mix. The dog was operated on again by professionals to deal with an infection from the first surgery.

MacQuattie, 63, who says he is disabled and living on Social Security, said Friday he used local anesthetic to operate on the cyst and removed it on his own since he doesn't have money for a veterinarian.

"In the economy as it is right now, especially in Rhode Island, who in the hell is going to give you a little extra helping hand?" he said.

E.J. Finocchio, a veterinarian and president of the Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, called the surgery a "heinous crime."

He said the procedure was medically unnecessary since the cyst was benign and did not appear to be hurting the dog, though MacQuattie said she was irritated by it.

more...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_illegal_dog_surgery


This Feb. 4, 2010 image from video released by WPRI-TV shows Alan MacQuattie's 14-year-old Labrador mix dog in Barrington, R.I. MacQuattie has been charged with illegally operating on the pet after recently removing a cyst from the dog's leg.
(AP Photo/WPRI-TV)

[farmout rightarm]

1. "heinous crime"???? bullshit. This sounds like something the PETA idiots would come up with.

grr.

I have done minor surgery on my pets now and then for 50 years. Never had a problem but if an infection developed I certainly would take necessary steps.

[angstlessk]

2. hell, the dog lived, got treatment and was fricking 14 years old..musta been well

taken care of during his lifetime...give me a break 'heinous'..NOT!

[Coyote_Bandit]

3. .

Hell, I've operated on myself and used all sorts of alternative non-medically sanctioned treatments. That's the kind of stuff you learn to do when you haven't seen a doctor for nearly 15 fucking years. Some people inflict second and third degree burns on their body to remove pre-cancerous skin lesions. Not a lot of folks get too upset about that.

I guess if I were a dog somebody would give a shit whether I had meaningful access to healthcare.

[Jamastiene]

4. If that dog let the man operate, the dog must trust him.

That says a lot about the dog's well being. The guy tried to help the dog. It got infected. Infections are not good, but it's healing now. It's bad that it got infected, but it's not animal cruelty, at least not IMHO. At least he knows of a place to go now that will help him take better care of his dog.