Ears Stand Corrected:
Cosmetic Surgery For Pets

Are you irked by your Schnauzer’s drooping ears or by your Siamese’s tail that can clear off a coffee table in the disastrous blink of an eye? Is your Doberman barking too loudly and your American Bobtail scratching too deeply? In today’s society, there are myriad cosmetic procedures that can transform our pets into the flawless citizens of their breed, into members of other breeds or into denizens of imaginary breeds altogether.

Some may argue that these cosmetic surgeries improve the overall quality of a pet’s life and others may argue that these procedures are cruel, aesthetically driven and are more for the benefit of the owners than for the pets. This issue of the HealthyPetNet News will discuss the different types of cosmetic surgeries and explore the cosmetic surgery controversy at large.

Nothing New Under the Sun

Cosmetic surgery for pets is not a new phenomenon. In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, cosmetic surgery or cosmetic alteration was a norm … especially in the cat show world. Tail bobbing, hair dyeing, muzzle bleaching and ear reducing to create the illusion of another breed were practices not unheard of.

There are other cosmetic surgical procedures for pets that sound strangely akin to procedures designed for humans. Apparently, we aren’t the only ones that can get a wrinkle removal. This is mostly done for health reasons, as certain breeds have a tendency to get infections in their charming facial folds. And has your kitty eaten too much lasagna and can’t seem to shed the resulting pounds? Well, your pet can also have a liposuction. It doesn’t stop there. There’s also the altering of eyelids to modify eye shape, Botox injections to fix inverted eyelashes and face lifts to surgically enhance the face. And especially for our show pets, there are prosthetic (silicone) testicles for dogs with undescended testicles and laser depilation to improve the appearance of “hairless” cats.

Dr. Jane has performed her share of elective surgeries. Once, years ago, Dr. Jane gave a face lift to a dog that had facial folds so pronounced that its eyes were partly covered over with skin. Dr. Jane had to rid the dog’s face of its seemingly unnatural folds and after it was all said and done, the eyes looked twice as large.

She also did a nose job on her horse, one that she rescued that had a mangled nose. Dr. Jane replaced the nose and stitched it back on. No, she didn’t change the natural style of the nose. She left it as God made it.

Many animal advocates believe that there’s a morality problem doing this to pets that essentially didn’t ask for it — that didn’t willingly sign up for pain and suffering just to look a certain way and fit a certain standard that was imposed upon their breed. The truth is, major or minor, you’d be surprised at all the other cosmetic surgery procedures that are routinely done — some without even a second thought.

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