A San Fernando Valley man who allegedly introduced himself as a doctor and performed surgery on a cat that died later that night was charged Wednesday with the unlicensed practice of veterinary medicine.
Hector Antonio Menjivar, 52, is scheduled to be arraigned on the misdemeanor count in a Van Nuys courtroom on Aug. 5, according to the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office.
The California Veterinary Medical Board received a complaint last year from a woman who reported that she had her sick cat treated in December 2013 at Holiday Humane Society in Van Nuys, according to the City Attorney’s Office.
The woman was allegedly instructed by Menjivar to bring her cat in after 6 p.m., an hour after the business closed.
Menjivar — who owns the business but is not a licensed veterinarian — allegedly introduced himself as a doctor and accepted $300 in cash to perform surgery on the cat, which died that night.
An undercover state investigator who posed as a potential customer contacted Menjivar in December 2014 for an appointment to bring in her dog, according to the City Attorney’s Office.
Menjivar made the appointment after the clinic had closed, introduced himself as a doctor, examined the dog and prescribed pills for an infection although the dog was not sick, according to the City Attorney’s Office.
Menjivar faces up to one year in jail and $2,000 in fines if convicted.
City Attorney Mike Feuer urged the public “to take care to assure they entrust their pets only to licensed vets.”
“Animals’ lives are in jeopardy if unlicensed individuals perform surgery, prescribe medication and purport to provide needed care,” he said. “My office takes very seriously protecting the safety and welfare of animals, and we will aggressively prosecute when animals are endangered.”
— City News Service