Concerns grow as more pet owners choose for cosmetic surgery on their dogs and cats to create “Mickey Mouse ears
Concerningly, Chinese animal specialists are calling for a stop to the practice of having dogs’ ears surgically altered to resemble Mickey Mouse, the popular Disney figure. Animal welfare activists are becoming more concerned about the trend of pet owners choosing cosmetic surgery to improve the look of their dogs and cats.
In China, cosmetic procedures performed on animals include tail docking, ear clipping, fur coloring, and even operations to create “Mickey Mouse ears”.
The South China Morning Post stated that a pet clinic in Chongqing, southwest China, faced outrage recently after using an advertising to encourage a “Mickey ear” group buy. With the disclaimer that the lower pricing would be dependent on the “factory’s production schedule” and intended to be finished by the Chinese Spring Festival, the clinic offered a special rate of 300 yuan (US$40) for the treatment.
However, how precisely do veterinarians make these “Mickey Mouse ears” for canines and cats?
Liu Yundong, a dean at Beijing’s Loving Care International Pet Medical Centre, says the procedure starts with an unaware animal having a roughly 30-minute anesthetic operation. The ears are then sculpted to stay erect, a process that might take a maximum of 60 days.
Although it’s not against the law to do cosmetic surgery on pets in China, respectable facilities in large cities usually don’t. The animal specialist pointed out that dog kennels and breeding facilities are more likely to use these kinds of practices.
In 2020, China surpassed $14 billion to become the second-largest plastic surgery industry globally, according a Daxue Consulting research. Like South Korea, the nation has seen a rise in demand for cosmetic surgery in the last ten years, with treatments ranging from “lunchtime facelifts” to nose reconstructions. Young women make up a large share of the clients for cosmetic surgery, which is ascribed to the development in the field due to cultural pressures and beauty standards pushed by celebrities and internet influencers.
