Beauty To The Dogs

Is Simba looking a little bit old of late? Are his ears either too droopy or protruding a tad bit more than you’d prefer? Would you like to refine his eyebrow shape with a bit of Botox?

Pet Cosmetic Surgery is happening and it’s happening big. I don’t know about locally but out there pet owners can now change physical attributes that they don’t like in their pets. And doesn’t anything Western eventually trickle down to these parts with time? You could soon tighten Chelsea’s mammaries in a veterinary clinic near you. The menu sounds pretty much like that of a human cosmetic surgery clinic. Liposuction, facelifts, Botox Injections, Porcelain veneers, Nose Job etc. If Simba barks too much and keeps the neighbors awake, the vet can devocalize him by surgically altering his larynx to muffle the bark. I hope we have that one here soon if we don’t already. I know a few candidates.

Dogs also get this procedure that is not so common in humans – Cosmetic Testicular Implants. Yeah - you can pick between petite, small, medium, large, whatever size tickle your fancy. Unlike some procedures that are done for practical reasons, these implants are mostly fixed for appearance purposes. At least in dogs. Speaking of practical reasons, there are dogs with so much skin in the face that they have trouble seeing or even breathing and surgery is the only way out. Others are so overweight that they risk developing Arthritis due to the excess weight on their joints. Never mind the reasons why they’re overweight in the first place.

As expected there are protests by animal rights activists, dog breeders and some veterinary professionals to some procedures but sometimes the line between medically justified and cosmetic surgery is thin. Dogs that go under the knife for medical reasons often have the pleasant side effect of looking better. As such it’s sometimes difficult to define and prohibit some procedures.

There is the thorny issue of ethics considering that like any other surgical procedures, these operations come with associated risks, possible infections, painful post surgery healing, and distress to the pet. Do dogs really care about sagging body parts? Do they stand in front of the mirror and fret about their disappearing good looks? Do they care for that toothpaste advert smile?

Bottom line, as long as there are surgeons willing to do the procedures and clients willing to pay for it, pets will continue to undergo cosmetic surgery and the owners will get bolder and weirder in their requests.

See Also: Extreme Makeover Jocelyn Wildenstein Style