Nip, tuck, bark
The United Kingdom's largest pet insurer has paid claims in 2010 totaling 1.5 million British pounds (more than $2.4 million) for nose surgery on cats and dogs – a 25 percent increase compared to the previous three years, according to London's The Telegraph.
Petplan, the United Kingdom's largest pet insurance provider, also provided care valued at more than 250,000 British pounds (more than $407,000) stemming from eyelid lifts and dental work, the newspaper reported in its Aug. 16 online edition.
The Telegraph quoted a company spokesperson as saying the cosmetic surgical procedures helped those animals live "healthier and more active lives."
ABC News also reported Aug. 18 that a veterinarian in Idaho has injected dogs with Botox® to relax "tight puppy wrinkles."
"We usually don't do things for cosmetic reasons in pets," veterinarian Marty Becker told ABC News. "There's usually a medical reason."
Pet procedures aren't a new development, according to The Telegraph: In addition to controversial procedures such as ear cropping and tail docking - which have been around for hundreds of years to prevent health-related issues such as rabies - the "neuticle," an implant designed to give neutered pets a "more masculine look," was invented in the mid-1980s, while the 1990s saw the rise in popularity of chin lifts to limit excessive drooling.
Animals have also received reconstructive surgery - at times from ASPS members - to repair injuries.
Advertisement
