For tattoo Removal
L.A.
Body Art For Animals, Tattoos and Piercing
Marian Murdoch
BellaOnline's Animal Life Editor
I just discovered an aspect of animal ownership I never knew. It seems many
owners are having their pets pierced and/or tattooed.
Most of us have heard about tattooing animals for identification purposes to aid
in their recovery should they become lost or stolen. With recent innovations in
computer chips that can be placed under an animal's skin, the need for tattooing
should have become almost zero. However, chipmakers didn't count on body art for
pets.
Tattooing:
Most tattoo artists would turn away a pet owner who asked for an appointment for
Fluffy, but there are some unscrupulous individuals out there who will do
anything for a thrill or a hefty price. There were some pictures floating around
on the internet for a while of a poor white dog, whose belly was elaborately
tattooed. On the plus side, research has shown that a horse with tattoos placed
below the eyes gets fewer incidences of cataracts and melanoma caused from the
reflection of the sun.
Piercing:
No longer is the bull out in the field the only creature with a nose ring.
Giving a dog or cat a pierced ear or nose is all the rage today in certain
circles today. I've seen pictures of pit bulls with multiple piercings,
including lips, eyebrows and cheeks. For a human with these body ornaments,
that's fine. We know how to take care of them, not to scratch with our toenails
or to get our earrings caught in a fence. Animals will only learn the lesson
when the piercing is pulled violently out of their flesh by accident. Oh, did I
mention that some aquarium owners have pierced their fish??
Physical alteration - ears:
Doberman Pinschers sure look cute with those ears that stand at attention, don't
they? Well, they're not born that way. Those ears have been physically altered
to have that perky appearance. I saw a recently-docked dobbie in the vet's
office and the number of stitches on his ears made me cringe.
Physical alteration - tails:
Docking of tails is an emotional issue amongst pet owners and animal advocates.
Most veterinarians, when asked, said they would love to see the practice banned,
but find it hard to say "no" to a persistent owner. Those who support docking
say that it prevents their working dogs from getting their tails damaged.
Physical alteration - claws:
See my article on declawing.
Recent legislation in some parts of the world are seeking to put an end to the
unnecessary body art and physical alteration of pets. However, I find it
unfortunate that a law has to be made to prevent an animal from being treated
with cruelty.
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art14765.asp
