There is truly no need for plastic surgery on dogs

South Korea has always been enthusiastic about the plastic surgery industry, but now it seems that performing surgery solely on humans no longer satisfies their demands; recently, they have even started performing plastic surgery on dogs. Indeed, some dogs have congenital appearance issues that affect their looks to some extent. However, whether plastic surgery can resolve these problems for dogs is debatable. Ignoring safety issues for a moment, just like in humans, plastic surgery carries a certain failure rate. If the surgery fails, wouldn't the dog suffer unnecessarily, and possibly look worse than before?

Originally, pet plastic surgery was performed for therapeutic purposes, but after surgery, pets indeed became more attractive. This led more and more people to hope to change their pets' appearance through plastic surgery. Although pets can become more beautiful post-surgery, there are also inherent risks involved.

Although tail docking, ear cropping, and similar procedures have existed for a long time, these are often necessary for certain dogs to participate in competitions, and comparatively these two surgeries have a low risk rate. However, the current concept of plastic surgery is quite different. Some people even subject pets to wrinkle removal, double eyelid surgery, canthoplasty, stretch mark removal, liposuction, and Botox injections, with surgery costs ranging from 60 dollars to over a thousand dollars.

The earliest reports of pet plastic surgery came from a Korean variety show. Because their dog became unattractive after illness and surgery treatment, this Korean owner performed double eyelid surgery on their pet. The dog had an eye abscess and bronchitis that had not healed; surgery was necessary to treat the inflammation. However, during the surgery, too much polyp tissue was removed, leaving the dog looking unattractive, so double eyelid and canthoplasty procedures were performed afterward. Indeed, the dog's eyes appeared rounder and more spirited after the plastic surgery, but this all relied on the premise of a successful operation.

Anesthesia also carries certain safety risks

However, even Koreans themselves feel that performing plastic surgery on pets is unreasonable. A survey by the Korean veterinary journal "Daily Veterinary" revealed that 63% of pet owners believe non-therapeutic plastic surgery on pets should be banned. An animal protection organization called this behavior animal abuse.

After reporting on pet plastic surgery, the "Chosun Ilbo" newspaper received thousands of reader responses, with people expressing anger over the trend. "Do they think pets are decorations?" a netizen commented, "Dogs are not toys. These people are too selfish." Others questioned, "How is this different from forcing your child to undergo plastic surgery?"

In fact, we do not need plastic surgery to change a dog's appearance. Simple styling can also beautifully enhance a dog's look, making them appear more attractive. Furthermore, if plastic surgery is to be performed, anesthesia must be administered. Some dogs have allergic reactions to anesthesia, and the older the dog, the higher the risk they won't wake up after anesthesia. Therefore, for older dogs, unnecessary surgery might cost their lives.

Therefore, rather than plastic surgery, it is recommended to beautify dogs through grooming and styling. Both methods enhance the dog's appearance, but grooming is much safer and generally does not harm the dog's health.