A retired man has fallen victim to a pet poodle hoax after his local veterinarian uncovered he had been sold two giant rodents pumped up with steroids.

Bargain hunters rummaging around Argentina’s largest flea market, La Salada, have been duped into spending hundreds of dollars on what they have been told is the dog of their dreams.

In reality, they’ve just been sold what locals call the ‘Brazilian rat’ – a ferret pumped up on steroids and groomed to resemble a fluffy toy poodle.

The retired man was initially fooled by the $75 price tag for a pet that usually costs closer to $1000.

Soon after his purchase the Argentinian man became suspicious and decided to take his new ‘pet poodles’ to a vet for vaccinations.

The local vet confirmed his suspicions that he had paid $150 for two steroid-pumped ferrets.

Long thought to be an urban legend of South America’s biggest illegal market, local news outlets discovered that another woman ended up with a ferret after being told she was buying a Chiuhuahua.

Neither the woman or the retired man have filed an official complaint.