Rhode Island man charged with animal cruelty for performing an operation on his own dog

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BARRINGTON, R.I. — A Rhode Island man who says he couldn’t afford medical 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.

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

Court records show MacQuattie pleaded no contest last week to misdemeanor charges of animal cruelty and unauthorized practice of veterinary medicine.

A phone listing for MacQuattie could not be found. But he told WPRI-TV, which first reported on the surgery, that he didn’t think there was anything cruel about what he had done.

-- Associated Press

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