animal 5

It’s no secret that South Korea has something of a fondness for cosmetic surgery. We’ve published countless articles about how woman and men are flocking to the clinics to enlarge their eyes, tuck in their chins and shape their noses. The results are startling and the “before and after” images are definitely impressive, but now, sadly, pets are also finding themselves on the receiving end of the worrying craze.

According to a Focus-Asia report, earlier this month the Chosun Ilbo (Korea Daily) newspaper featured an article which documented the rise of cosmetic surgeries being performed on dogs and other pets in South Korea.

Existing cosmetic procedures for pets apparently range from making an animal’s eyes bigger to removing wrinkles from their face, all in the name of making the pet cuter. One lady, who had recently taken her five-month-old dog to the vet for vaccinations, was even advised by the doctor to get a procedure to remove the wrinkles from around her dog’s mouth.

▼ We’re not sure that puppy fat is the same as wrinkles…

animal 1Flickr/Lisa L. Weidmeier

Of course, there are medically sound reasons for performing plastic surgery on an animal, such as certain in pugs and bulldogs when the long roof of their mouth and short snouts make it difficult for them to breathe. In such cases, a “nose job” is conducted to help open the nasal passages and facilitate proper respiration. Other plastic surgeries include removing wrinkles to prevent the build up of bacteria and removing fur and skin from around the eyes to aid vision.

Yet, the rise of purely cosmetic surgeries on pets say quite a lot about the importance of appearances in today’s society. One veterinarian in Korea was quoted in the article as saying: “Surgeries such as these are completely safe. There is a right as a pet owner to make your pet cuter.”

Animal rights groups strongly disagree and have been quite outspoken against the unnecessary procedures, stating that while people can make the choice to get plastic surgery, pets cannot tell their owners what they are thinking – nor, for that matter, would they care about their physical appearance enough to want an operation in the first place. Protestors have also argued that forcing an animal to have cosmetic surgery is abusive and should be prohibited by law immediately.

We can’t help but agree – I mean, aren’t pets perfectly cute as they are? If the following pictures – of, thankfully, perfectly ‘natural’ pets – don’t convince you of that, then we don’t know what will.

animal 2Flickr/Tommy Hemmert Olesen

animal 3Flickr/BusyBee-cr

Source: Focus-Asia
Top Image: Jorbasa Fotografie