On June 13, the Civil Guard together with the Environment Prosecutor’s Office of Móstoles-Fuenlabrada and the Community of Madrid, released more than 250 animals, dogs of the greyhound breed, cats and rabbits. Animals that were kept overcrowded and in terrible sanitary conditions and detained two people for their alleged involvement in a continued crime of animal abuse and professional intrusion.
A very profitable business
All the animals were used to extract their blood and sell it to veterinary clinics and hospitals for transfusions to pets. A very profitable business, a turnover of more than 150,000 euros per year is calculated. He sold the blood at a price of 80 euros for 400 milliliters in the case of dogs, and 85 euros for 40 milliliters if it was cat blood.
LMVF pretended to be a veterinarian and an expert in transfusions , he is also the president of the Association of Hematology and Homeopathy, he taught hematology and blood transfusion courses and was a speaker at numerous congresses . For decades it has been in the business of selling blood for pet transfusions. He received the orders by WhatsApp, in a few hours the clinic had the blood . For all veterinarians it was a legal business because it issued invoices , what nobody expected was the horror and suffering of dozens of animals that the business hid, which for years it maintained despite not having any qualifications . The question that we all ask ourselves is : How is it possible that he kept the business without anyone detecting that he was a person without the necessary qualifications for the activity? It is clear that something has failed in the controls and inspections of this type of business.
Illegality of the activity
His clients were in the Community of Madrid, but he sold blood throughout Spain and European countries such as Belgium, Italy, France and Portugal . His business was illegal , he did not have authorization for the activity . The farm where he kept the animals did not have any authorization to keep animals. The center where the blood was processed and stored in Madrid did not have the necessary authorizations either . The detainee had registered a company with the name: CENTRO DE TRANSFUSIÓN VETERINARIO SL , which allowed him to issue invoices, but the reality is that the corporate purpose of said company is: PROVISION OF SERVICES, MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES AND ADMINISTRATION EDUCATIONAL SERVICES, LEISURE AND ENTERTAINMENT , nothing to do with veterinary activities.
How was the blood drawn?
He had a farm where he kept a total of more than 260 animals , mostly dogs of the greyhound breed, their blood is universal and suitable for transfusions , cats and rabbits. In an old dirty shed and without any hygiene measures , he subjected the animals to terrible abuse practices to extract their blood by puncturing the left ventricle of the heart to exsanguinate them faster, he punctured them until they died of hypovolemic shock , that is, the left no blood . Throughout the process he had the help of an operator who was also arrested during the operation. The carcasses of the animals were transferred to an incinerator in Toledo . The Civil Guard has counted, between the months of April and May, the transfer of 60 corpses of dead animals after the cruel practices to which they were subjected: 27 dogs , 29 cats , 3 rabbits and 1 ferret . At the same time, it is being found out who provided the animals and if he had the collaboration of a veterinarian, taking into account that to obtain certain drugs he needed a prescription with the signature of a doctor . In any case, we must be cautious and wait for the investigations to conclude .
Status and fate of animals
The animals lived overcrowded , full of wounds , ticks , with little food and water , in facilities that did not present the minimum conditions of animal welfare and hygiene . The cats are the worst off, all malnourished and with respiratory problems.
Given the large number of animals, the collaboration of the animal protection entities that usually collaborate in these operations and without which the animals could not have been rescued was requested. They will all be subjected to all kinds of tests to detect infectious diseases , in which case we would be facing a serious situation, the possibility that sick animals that have needed a blood transfusion could have been infected through blood.
During the eviction scenes of great sorrow were experienced when seeing all those animals with the suffering and terror in their eyes , some victims that we hope can recover and live a better life . Without a doubt, an experience difficult to forget for all those present.
No one doubts that a blood transfusion can save the lives of our animals , but nothing justifies the horror experienced by those dogs, cats and rabbits on that farm . One can only hope that justice is served.
Sources:
www.guardiacivil.es/es/prensa/videos_descarga_medios/2022/index.html
https://empresite.eleconomista.es/CENTRO-TRANSFUSION-VETERINARIO.html
http://www.colvema.org/WV_descargas/congresomurcia-15012014183448.pdf
http://extensionuniversitaria.unileon.es/euniversitaria/curso.aspx?id=544
