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Next time you see a fine-looking Doberman with perfectly pointy ears, or a pug whose nostrils are a little rounder and wider than the rest, you might want to stop and wonder: Are those fabulous dog attributes real?
New numbers released by the largest pet insurer in the United Kingdom show that plastic-surgery claims have increased 25 per cent in the last three years, according to a report in the Telegraph.
In 2010 alone, Petplan received £1.5-million ($2.4-million) in claims for kitty and doggy rhinoplasty. Another £1-million ($1.6-million) was doled out for eyelid lifts on young dogs and close to a £250,000 ($404,000) was paid out for pet dental surgeries.
But unlike most human cosmetic surgeries, Petplan is saying that all of these surgeries were done for health reasons and not for vanity's sake.
"So-called plastic surgery is something we have to do regularly to improve the quality of lives in the pets we see as well and repair injuries and deformities. For example, facelifts are commonly required in breeds with excessively drooping eyelids, skin grafts for wounds, soft palate trimming in short-faced breeds," said Brian Faulkner, a vet for the insurance agency.
This is not to say that some self-absorbed owners don't opt for truly cosmetic surgeries for their four-legged friends.
Enter Gregg Miller, the creator of the infamous Neuticles. The synthetic, bean-shaped beads are placed inside your male dog to give Fido that faux-testicle look.
Mr. Miller has been selling Neuticles since the mid-1990s and in almost two decades has sold his cure for emasculated dogs to more than 400,000 people.
"The animal doesn't know anything is missing or changed and the owner has a pet that retains his identity and self-esteem in the dog park," Mr. Miller told MSNBC.com .
Other products by Mr. Miller include a new and improved Neuticlethat comes with an silicone epididymis attached to it, silicone-based fake eyes and a "Permastay ear implant" – a mesh and fluroplastic insert that is implanted into a dog's thin ear to help it stay perky and upright.
Edgado Brito, a pet plastic surgeon in Brazil, has found another way to tighten animal ears: Metacril, a filler similar to Botox.
Mr. Brito doesn't seem to have an ethical issue with his work, saying that the relationship between dog and owner is stronger when the animal is more attractive.
Would you opt to have your pet undergo non-health-related cosmetic surgery?
Madeleine White