The orphaned spaniel was found in a parking lot and was suffering from several health problems. Since he had no owner, his life-saving surgeries could be performed through community cooperation and international financial support, he writes BBC.
The 11-week-old spaniel was abandoned in September in the parking lot of a department store in Pembrokeshire, Wales, perhaps precisely because he had enough legs, six legs to be precise.
Dog lovers from all over the world raised £15,000 (about 6.4 million Hungarian forints) for reconstructive surgery, so surgeon Aaron Lochman was able to operate on the dog named Ariel. It got its name from its discoverers because its partially fused hind legs resemble a mermaid's tail.
The skinny, exhausted, abandoned dog was taken in by Greenacres Rescue after it was found, and they examined it and found that it not only had more than four legs, but only half a kidney, and two hips in one. side, hence the underdeveloped pelvis. His right back leg had no muscle tone, so there was a possibility it would have to be amputated as well, but fortunately it had gotten a lot stronger since they started working on it.
They performed two operations on the dog. The day after the operation, he ate and drank. According to the doctor's hope, after a few days of recovery, he could be released home to his temporary foster family in West Wales. According to the foundation that facilitated his fate, many people were interested in the dog from New York to Australia, and they were sure to find permanent adopters for him.
The operations were hosted at Langford Vets Hospital, and manager Vicky Black said Ariel was a complex puppy whose care required multidisciplinary teams working together, including orthopedics, soft tissue surgery, anesthesia and radiology teams. But fortunately the interventions were successful, and according to Dr. Lochman, the puppy is now doing well and apparently happy.