More and more dogs across the country are going under the knife for plastic surgery, but when Spot gets a tummy tuck, it’s not just to look good at the local dog park.
Veterinarians say more pets are undergoing cosmetic procedures in order to relieve painful medical issues, particularly in popular breeds like French bulldogs, pugs and Shar-Peis. Procedures that may be seen as frivolous in humans like eyelid lifts and tummy tucks can often have important medical benefits in pets.
“When it comes to animals, the plastic surgery we do is not necessarily for cosmetics,” Dr. Jeff Werber of Los Angeles-based Century Veterinary Group told Jo Ling Kent on TODAY Thursday.
“It’s more for what we call function. These are animals that are coming in for problems that are persistent – infection, inability to breathe, eye problems.”
Among the most common procedures are tummy tucks to prevent bacterial infections, eyelid lifts to avoid scratched corneas, and laser nostril procedures to help dogs with wrinkled noses breathe easier.
