Shaping a calf's head (cosmetic dehorning) can make a really big difference in their overall appearance - aside from just making the head itself much more attractive, it lends the appearance of a longer, cleaner neck and even makes the top look thicker and the shoulders look smoother as viewed from the rear (as opposed to a wider poll, either squarer or more rounded in appearance). It definitely makes enough difference to be worthwhile if you expect to be truly competive. Most of the vets around here have gotten up in the $125 price range, but there are others who can do a better job than most vets for alot less. All of the rule books I've ever read allow cosmetic dehorning, so I see nothing ethically wrong with it - the horns need to come off anyway, no reason not to make it look right. The younger you do it, the better the calves take it, btw. If you put them where there's nothing to rub on (especially round bales, and a hot wire pen is best) or fight with (other calves, especially those they're not used to being with) for a few days to keep them from busting the stitches, be sure to keep the flies off of them, and give them a good dose of penicillin when you do it and again about 5 days later, you shouldn't have any problems.
I hear of people banding navels quite a bit. I don't really have a problem with that, though I can honestly say I've never done it myself. Other than that, I haven't heard of anything else that qualify's as cosmetic surgery actually happening in a long time. Years ago, we used to see a few that had their necks worked on, but every one I ever knew of for sure had pretty noticeable scars and alot of them ended up looking just plain freaky.
