A woman is facing aggravated animal cruelty charges after she allegedly performed a caesarean section on a dog without anaesthesia and then sealed the incision with non-medical glue.
Candace Hauser, who is not medically qualified, is said to have performed the procedure on the Mastiff which belonged to her friend on 4 March, RTV6 reports.
The 31-year-old, of Polk County, Florida, is said to have told the dog's owner she would be able to help deliver the final two of her 14 puppies.
The dog later died in its owner’s car, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
The paper adds Hauser denied the dog had died, then claimed she was its owner and that it and its puppies were healthy and in her home.
A spokesman for Hillsborough County Animal Safety told Bay News9: “This case is one that makes your skin crawl.
“To cut a dog open with no anaesthesia. Oh my gosh. I have a 30-year-old law enforcement career and the circumstances in this case make my skin crawl.”
Hauser could also face charges of practicing medicine without a license. Of the 14 puppies in the litter, 13 survived.
She was booked in jail on Saturday and is out on a $2,000 bond.