It’s all the rage in South Korea right now as pet owners are actually paying for cosmetic surgery for their furry companions.

Some of the popular procedures include tail shortening and ear trimming for dogs, to make them “cute” with pointy ears. Fat reduction is another popular surgery, along with stretch marks removal, wrinkle smoothing, double eyelid removal and even botox injections. These procedures start from US$60 and ostensibly run into the thousands.

It’s not entirely surprising, given that South Korea is the plastic surgery capital of the world. This is the place where tourists become unrecognizable to the extent that they need special doctor certificates to return to their native lands after having work done on their faces. So it was only a matter of time before people started thinking of botoxing their pets as well. According to one anonymous veterinarian, plastic surgery for pets in the past were for medical reasons but the result also brought better-looking dogs, so there is a growing customer base getting a plastic surgery for cosmetic reasons on their dogs.

Apparently, a few doctors believe that these surgeries are medically safe and ethical. They say it’s the “owner’s right” to make their pets look beautiful. In fact, a few vets are actually pitching cosmetic surgery to pet owners. According to an article in Chosun Daily, a woman visited a vet to get vaccinations for her 5-month-old puppy. The doctor, however, asked if she wanted to close the gap in the canine’s mouth which he considered unappealing from a cosmetic perspective.

Animal lovers in South Korea are horrified by the trend, which many consider animal abuse. Lots of them feel people have no right to inflict their distorted sense of aesthetics on helpless animals. Korean veterinarian magazine Daily Vet conducted a survey in which 63 percent of pet owners wanted plastic surgery for dogs to be banned. Many of them have taken to social media to express their disgust.

“Did the dogs say they want plastic surgery?” one person asked.

“What is the difference between this and forcing your own children to get plastic surgery,” another pointed out.

主人花钱给宠物做美容手术在韩国已掀起一股热潮。

一些受欢迎的美容手术包括为狗狗剪短尾巴、修饰耳朵变成“可爱”的尖耳朵。抽脂术也是很流行的美容手术，此

外，去除妊娠纹、除皱、去双眼皮甚至是注射肉毒杆菌也很受欢迎。这些手术收费从60美元到几千美元不等。

鉴于韩国是世界整容之都，出现这种现象也就不足为奇。到韩国的游客可以整容整到面目全非，必须出具医生的特别证明才能回到本国。因此，韩国人想要给宠物注射肉毒杆菌只是早晚的事。

一位匿名兽医称，过去通常是出于医疗考虑才给宠物做整容手术，结果正好令狗狗更漂亮了，导致越来越多的消费者为了漂亮而给自己的狗整容。

显然有些医生认为整容手术符合医疗卫生安全，没什么不对。他们称让宠物更美是“主人的权利”。

事实上，确有部分兽医向宠物主人推销整容手术。《朝鲜日报》的一篇文章指出，一位女性让兽医给自己五个月大的小狗注射疫苗，结果这名医生称从美容角度考虑，狗狗的嘴不大好看，问她是否愿意给小狗做口部缝合手术。

韩国动物爱好者对这股潮流感到恐

惧，多数人认为这是虐待动物。许多人认为人类无权将这种扭曲的审美观加诸于无助的动物。韩国兽医杂志Daily Vet做过一项调查，63%的宠物主人希望禁止给狗狗整容。许多人还在社交媒体上表达对该行为的反感。

“狗狗说过它们想整容吗？”有人问。

还有人指出，“这和强迫你自己的孩子整容有什么区别。”

    Words to Learn 相关词汇

   【肉毒杆菌素】ròudúgǎnjūnsù botox a purified form of botulinum, a neurotoxin injected in minute amounts especially to treat muscle spasms and relax facial muscles in order to reduce wrinkles

    【合乎道德的】héhūdàodé de ethical being in accordance with the rules or standards for right conduct or practice