Cosmetic surgery for dogs on the rise?

Article: From botox to eye opening surgery... dog plastic surgery trending

Source: Chosun Ilbo via Naver

Recently, Im (28 years old), went to the vet to get her five month old puppy his vaccines and was offered a surprising suggestion of 'plastic surgery for dogs'. The vet looked over the puppy and said, "The dog's mouth slightly hangs open and it doesn't look good cosmetically."

With an increasing number of pet owners, plastic surgery is trending on as a part of the grooming process now. One vet had to say, "Plastic surgery for dogs was usually for medical purposes but there are an increasing number of dog owners who will get it for cosmetic reasons now to improve the look of their dogs."

The main customer base of 'pet plastic surgery' are dogs. From cutting tails down to make it look better to cutting ears shorter to make them stand up, the varieties range from cutting open the inner corners of the eyes, double eyelid surgery, removing wrinkles, and even botox. The most current popular surgery is removing fat in the legs and making stretched out nipples lay flatter on the stomach. Prices range from the tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands in won.

Regarding such cosmetic surgeries, opinions are divided between pet owners, vets, and animal protection organizations. When one community was met with a post by an owner saying they had recently gotten the surgery for their dog, netizens said, "We can see how much you love your dog." In a survey held in a May issue of a vet newsletter, however, revealed that 63% of people thought cosmetic procedures for dogs should be banned.

One vet commented, "It's an owner's right to make their dog cosmetically beautiful. It's not right to criticize a medically safe procedure." Animal protection agency KARA, however, said, "It's a form of animal abuse to put a knife to an animal purely for the owner's satisfaction when the animal cannot express his opinion on the matter."

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1. [+16,481, -131] What did I just read... cosmetic plastic surgery...? What a load of shit

2. [+14,213, -118] So did your dog say he wanted to get plastic surgery?

3. [+11,734, -95] This is insane. I have nothing against people who want to voluntarily get plastic surgery... but this is crossing a line. Since when does an owner's want = dog's want?

4. [+9,825, -180] Are you people insane? Fix your own faces, jeez tsk tsk

5. [+5,833, -76] Vets... let's not joke around with these animals. They're lives too...

6. [+1,243, -13] Anyone who gets plastic surgery for their dogs clearly only sees them as accessories. Dogs are not dolls, what are you doing to them?? This is so selfish ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ you put a knife to your dog just to make him easier on the eyes... ridiculous ㅋㅋㅋ

7. [+1,198, -17] How is this any different from a parent forcing plastic surgery on their child because they don't like the way she looks

8. [+1,056, -4] From the vet even suggesting it to the owners going through with it, I feel so bad for the dogs

9. [+1,058, -7] They're all messed up in the head ㅡㅡ

10. [+778, -26] Seems vets need a little extra money nowadays

11. [+702, -17] I'd honestly want to beat someone to death if I knew someone like this in real life

12. [+644, -14] An owner's right? The owner clearly views the dog as a possession. By that logic, the owner should have the right to beat their dog to death too, why stop that? After all, the dog is their possession, right?

13. [+492, -13] My grandma used to live in the countryside and raised a maltese freely on her lawn like the other countryside dogs and although he wasn't well groomed like the other malteses, he lived to a healthy age of 15 years old... I bet that's the kind of life most dogs would want.

14. [+468, -11] This is hopeless

15. [+403, -5] Getting surgery for the eyes because their eyelashes are poking their eyeballs or something is okay but... purely for cosmetic reasons? People are definitely insane now

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