BARRINGTON, R.I. - A 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 dog. The dog was operated on again by professionals to deal with an infection from the first surgery.

Veterinarian E.J. Finocchio, 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 misdemeanour charges of animal cruelty and unauthorized practice of veterinary medicine.

He told television station WPRI, which first reported on the surgery, that he didn't think there was anything cruel about what he had done.