Bizzare animal friendships
Puppies and kittens now protected from cosmetic surgery in Rio Reuters

Rio de Janeiro has banned dogs and cats from undergoing plastic surgery following a report by Brazil's National Council of Veterinary Medicine which branded the practice as cruel.

Officials approved draft legislation that bans cosmetic surgery for cats and dogs after it was put forward by Conservative lawmaker from the Brazilian Renewal Party, Graca Pereira.

The veterinary council published a resolution last July stipulating any vet performing cosmetic procedures on animals should be struck off, AFP reports.

Plastic surgeries for pets include tail docking, removing cat claws, and cropping dogs' ears.

A total ban on tail docking came into force in England and Wales in 2007, with exemptions for listed working breeds including Spaniels, Terriers and Hunt Point Retriever breeds.

In Scotland, it is completely banned except where necessary as a result of disease or injury.

Regarding tail docking, Dogs Trust said: "Docking is the surgical removal of a dog's tail. When performed on young puppies the procedure is generally done without anaesthetic and there is good scientific evidence to show that docking causes severe and long lasting pain.

"There is also evidence that the tail remains more sensitive to pain for life in some dogs. Dogs use their tails as a means of communication and so docking deprives them of some of the body language they need to communicate with other dogs. It is illegal for anyone other than a veterinary surgeon to dock puppies' tails."