Plastic surgery for dogs and beauty queens

September 29th, 2008, 12:26 pm · 3 Comments · posted by Colin Stewart

Dogs as well as women undergo plastic surgery to boost their chances of winning beauty contests.

But while the rules for humans are lax, those for dogs are strict.

With specific traditional exceptions, plastic surgery is prohibited for dog show entrants. It’s allowed only if the history of the breed includes practices such as cropping the tail or ears.

In contrast, anything goes for beauty contest contestants. In fact, plastic surgery is routine among students at the Venezuelan beauty academy that has graduated seven Miss World and Miss Universe winners, including Miss Universe 2008.

Dogs with a similar background of plastic surgery would be barred from the Westminster Dog Show. The American Kennel Club prohibits surgery to change a show dog’s appearance outside of traditional breed standards — and even those are controversial.

Yet beauty queens’ use of plastic surgery is an issue that’s not often discussed.

One exception was an unscientific survey that this blog posted in July, which showed that 82 percent of respondents think plastic surgery should also be prohibited for beauty pageant contestants. (The survey, “Is plastic surgery OK for beauty pageant contestants?,” is ongoing, so readers can still participate.)

When Dayana Mendoza (left) won this year’s Miss Universe pageant, she was coy about her own plastic surgery. Asking about it, she said, was “like you asking me my age.”

Brazilian veterinarian Dr. Edgard Brito is among the most prominent of plastic surgeons operating on dogs. He offers Botox anti-wrinkle injections, eyebrow correction and face lifts.

“It’s perfectly reasonable to use simple surgery to make a dog beautiful,” he says. “There’s nothing unethical about that.”

“Plastic surgery is good for dogs,” says his Web site.

But he’s an extreme case. Debates about plastic surgery for dogs focus on more common practices such as:

Tail docking. This refers to permanent trimming of a dog’s tail, an operation that has been performed on Rottweilers, Dobermans, Vislas, Weimeraners, German Shorthaired Pointers, Poodles, Schnauzers, Old English Sheepdogs and Springer, Brittany and Cocker Spaniels. The advocacy group In Defense of Animals states:

Tails are usually docked on 2-10 day old puppies, without either general or local anesthesia. If the procedure is done by a veterinarian, the tail is clamped a short distance from the body, and the portion of the tail outside the clamp is cut or torn away.

Ear cropping. This is a surgical procedure (pictured above) that makes floppy ears stand up straight in breeds such as Great Danes, Boxers, Schnauzers and Doberman Pincers. The Web site Vets4Petz.com explains:

Usually recommended to be done around the age of 10-14 weeks old, the procedure requires full anesthesia. The ears are then cut in a way that instead of flopping down to the side of the head, they stand erect on the head to a point.

In most breeds however, the ears require a period of bandaging and support splinting in order to get them to stand. This is essential for the ears to ultimately stand, and if not done sufficiently, the ears may not stand erect. The longer the ear length is, the more time required for splinting is necessary.

The American Veterinary Medical Association opposes those procedures. Its policy states:

Ear cropping and tail docking in dogs for cosmetic reasons are not medically indicated nor of benefit to the patient. These procedures cause pain and distress, and, as with all surgical procedures, are accompanied by inherent risks of anesthesia, blood loss, and infection. Therefore, veterinarians should counsel dog owners about these matters before agreeing to perform these surgeries.

In Defense of Animals uses stronger language:

“The historic tradition of cropping and docking should be made as obsolete as the equally historic tradition of slavery.”

Dewclaw removal. This refers to surgery that amputates a vestigial toe in dogs such as Dobermans.

Prosthetic testicles. These are barred by the American Kennel Club, but sometimes are implanted in dogs that are “monorchid,” which means that only one of the two testicles is visible. As one online pet enthusiast writes:

An animal with one or both testicles undescended cannot win prizes or be used to breed from. Although a monorchid dog or cat may well be fertile, there is evidence that the trait can be inherited. By fitting a monorchid animal with a prosthetic testicle to match the one that has descended normally, no one need know that it has a potential genetic defect.

Silicon testicles have even spread into dog show urban legend which tells the story of a dog whose “missing” testicle descended naturally and whose prosthetic was revealed when the judge encountered three testes in its scrotum during judging.

Except for prosthetic testicles, these practices are accepted by the American Kennel Club if the procedures are traditional for the breed. The group states:

The American Kennel Club recognizes that ear cropping, tail docking, and dewclaw removal, as described in certain breed standards, are acceptable practices integral to defining and preserving the breed character and/or enhancing good health. Appropriate veterinary care should be provided.

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