The trend of performing cosmetic surgery on pets to round their ears to resemble those of Disney’s Mickey Mouse is causing controversy in China.
For example, for 300 yuan ($38), a veterinary clinic in the central city of Chongqing is offering “Mickey Ears” surgeries for pets as a “special offer” ahead of the arrival of Chinese New Year, according to the South China Morning Post newspaper.
The offer illustrates a trend that is sparking outrage among animal rights advocates, who are calling for a ban on these types of operations because of the physical and psychological damage they can cause, especially to dogs and cats.
The operation, which is legal in China, consists of two stages: the first, which lasts half an hour and is performed under anesthesia, consists of surgically cropping the animal’s ears to make them round; the second consists of “styling” the shape so that the auditory appendage remains upright.
Liu Yudong, director of the Loving Care International veterinary center in Beijing, quoted by SCMP, said the second stage lasts between 20 and 60 days and requires “regular adjustments” to ensure the ears remain straight.
Although it has become fashionable, Liu says the procedure is rarely performed in veterinary clinics in major cities, although it is performed in kennels.
“It’s a moral issue,” he said, adding that he and his colleagues are strongly opposed to this type of operation because their main professional duty is to work for the welfare of animals.
Several professionals also warned about the impact of this practice on the physical and mental health of companion animals, from the risks of anesthesia to the possibility of animals developing self-harming behavior due to pain, warned Chen Young of Lianhe Veterinary Hospital in Shenzhen city, in the southeast of the country.
Several Chinese internet users also criticized this new trend.
“If the owners think it’s so cute, let them cut off their own ears,” said a user on the social network Weibo. Another called the practice “animal abuse, not love.”
Source: DN
