Pet Plastic Surgery

"General anesthesia is certainly not without risk", says Janet R. Kovak, DVM, ACVS of New York City's Animal Medical Center, "though the chances of complication in young and healthy animals is low. We recommend a chest x-ray and blood work screening for animals over the age of six. Our first priority is to make sure we're not making any decision that puts the animal at risk."

At upwards of thousands of dollars a pop, Brachycephalic dogs (Pugs, English and French Bulldogs, Boston Terriers) with the short nose and face are the most common breeds needing rhinoplasty. Chin lifts might be performed to relieve excessive drooling in large breeds like Newfoundlands, Bloodhounds and Mastiffs. Other breeds such as the Bulldog are prone to skin folds around the eyes, nose, cheeks and vulva, which can cause recurrent bacterial infections. In these cases, veterinary surgeons advocate a ‘nip and tuck' in those areas. Whether or not cosmetic surgery is necessary is determined on a case-by-case basis. The Humane Society's complete policy on the topic of cosmetic surgery can be found on their website. In short, they oppose unnecessary surgical procedures when done for cosmetic purposes or to disguise natural imperfections of any animal.

There are fewer plastic surgeries of any kind performed on cats.With its narrow nose, the Persian is the most likely cancidate for rhinoplasty. When considering felines, however, we get into the hot-button issue of declawing. My mantra? Get a cat or get a couch. Unfortunately, many people choose to do both and it is often at the cat's expense. Commonly believed to be a simple surgery, declawing can be likened to cutting off each human finger at the last knuckle. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has not banned the practice, but it certainly discourages it.