Going under the knife for plastic surgery is not as rare these days, but these surgeons aren’t just operating on people – they’re cutting into their pets. The most bizarre revelation may be the plastic surgery done – in Singapore – on fish. You read that right.
Fish Facelift
The idea of plastic surgery for a fish may sound extreme, but we’re talking about the Asian arowana, which can cost up to tens of thousands of dollars. Even the tanks they’re housed in are actually custom-made ‘tanning salons’ made to enhance the fish’s reddish hue. In Singapore, owning one is supposed to bring you luck and wealth – plus, it means you have status.
But having a perfect fish – with straight feelers, bright eyes, large round fins and tails, and shimmering red scales – is even better, so you’ll find owners dropping more cash to give their prized pets chin jobs (costing about S$80) and eyelifts, the most popular procedure in Singapore (costing around S$120) which involves loosening tissues behind the fish’s eye and pushing the eyeball up into the socket!
However, some owners insist that it ‘beautifies’ the fish instead of harming it.
It’s no surprise that some owners spend upwards of half a million dollars over the years on their prized fish. At one point, the demand for Arowanas was so crazy in Singapore that there were four fish heists in one week; during one of the robberies, the thief punched an elderly woman and ran away her sloshing bucket of fish.
Botox and Balls for Doggy
South Korea may be famous (infamous?) for plastic surgery, but their client list has since expanded to those with four legs and fur, following a trend in the US.
According to Chosun Ilbo, popular plastic surgery procedures for dogs in South Korea include tail shortening and ear trimming (which is common for breeds like Dobermanns), as well as procedures humans get. These include facelifts, eyelid lift, removing stomach stretch marks, canine breast reduction, and even botox and liposuction! In fact, both doggies and kitties actually get liposuction for weight loss.
Most bizarrely for male dogs, owners can opt to give them ‘neuticles’ – fake testicular implants! Apparently it makes Fido think that he didn’t really get neutered, so that he doesn’t get too depressed. Well, it’s so popular that it made the dude who invented these fake testicles into a millionaire.
Thankfully, while some crazy pet owners have no qualms putting their pets under the knife for beautification purposes, a majority of pet owners believe that the practice should be banned, citing that these unnecessary procedures tantamount to animal abuse.
Chiobu Camels
Meanwhile in Saudi Arabia, another kind of 4-legged pet have been having cosmetic surgeries performed on them – basically going under the knife to make their ears more perky, or having botox injections to ‘improve’ their facial features.
These camels were participants of the King Abdulaziz camel festival – a major competition where the most ‘beautiful’ camel takes home the prize money of up to $66 million. It’s no surprise that some owners would buy cheaper camels and have surgeries done on them. As this practice is illegal, camels found to have undergone surgery have been disqualified. In a 2020 competition, more than 40 “enhanced” camels were disqualified using “specialised and advanced” technology to detect tampering, according to the state-run Saudi Press Agency.
People have an obsession with beauty – whether its on other people or their pets. What’s next? Plastic surgery on hamsters and bunnies?
