A special kind of dog with six legs had surgery to remove the extra ones. This is a big deal in animal medicine. The surgery aims to make the dog feel better and have a better life.
There was a spaniel puppy born with six legs. She was left alone in a supermarket parking lot. She recently had surgery to remove the extra legs. They named her Ariel because one of her legs looked like a flipper, like the character from “The Little Mermaid.” Now, she happily runs around outside the animal hospital, getting used to her new life with four legs.
Vicki Black, who is in charge at Langford Vets Small Animal Referral Hospital where the surgery happened, is happy with how well Ariel is doing after the surgery on Thursday.
The dog, born with many health problems, was found in Pembroke, Wales, in September. Greenacres Rescue took care of her and raised money for her surgery.
Black said that the hospital, which is part of the University of Bristol, had never seen a dog with six legs before, or done this kind of surgery.
“Ariel’s situation was quite complicated,” Black said. “At our hospital, we’re always learning new things, and we’re proud that we could find a way to help pets like Ariel.”
Before Ariel had surgery, she had extra legs sticking out from her back right side. They just hung there beside her tail, and she didn’t seem to use them for anything. In a video taken before the operation, you could see her walking a bit strangely, struggling with those extra legs.
When Ariel left the hospital on Saturday, she looked completely different. She walked out confidently, like a well-trained hunting dog. She sniffed around and walked with purpose, showing off her new ability to move easily and her excitement to explore.
Even though Ariel had some tough times before, she showed how strong she is. She quickly adjusted to being able to move around better and fit right in with the other dogs.
