TUCSON, Ariz. — A woman is facing charges after a tip led to a multi-year investigation of allegedly illegal surgeries on dogs in Tucson, Arizona.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said Dr. Raquel Marie Mercado-Sepulveda was arrested on Jan. 18 and charged with animal cruelty, according to KOLD.
The sheriff’s office said that search warrants were served at multiple locations on Jan. 17 and 18, according to KVOA.
Fourteen dogs and three rabbits were removed from her house along with other evidence, according to KOLD.
While the warrant and arrest were recent, the investigation had been going on for more than a year and a half.
KOLD reported that Pima Animal Care Center (PACC) received a tip in November 2022 that Mercado-Sepulveda was allegedly “performing unlicensed and illegal surgeries on dogs.”
A search warrant was served on her house and medical office on March 14, 2023. At that time, 34 French bulldogs, a labrador mix and two cats were removed. PACC received a report from the VCA Animal Hospital that same day that a French bulldog was brought into the hospital after undergoing a “botched c-section,” at a kennel allegedly associated with Mercado-Sepulveda, according to court documents obtained by KOLD.
Investigators went into one of her properties and said they found two dogs without water in crates, foul-smelling air, expired vaccines and medicine kept in bad conditions, KOLD reported. The news station did not say when that incident happened in the course of the investigation.
Officials said Mercado-Sepulveda told investigators she took care of the dogs and allegedly admitted to performing artificial insemination and suturing the dogs that had been in a fight, saying that her experience as an OBGYN allowed her to perform the procedures. Police said she also used the internet as a guide.
Victoria Whitmore, Director of the Arizona State Veterinary Board said that suturing and treating dog wounds without a license is illegal.
Mercado-Sepulveda is an OBGYN in Tucson, KVOA reported. Her practice is listed on HealthGrades.com and WebMD doctors website.
Authorities say additional charges may be filed.