An abandoned puppy with six legs has more than 200 people clamouring to adopt her.
The 11-week-old spaniel, who has been named Ariel after The Little Mermaid character was discovered in a car park of a B&M in Pembroke, south Wales – before being taken to a local vets.
The vets’ initial inspection showed the puppy had birth defects, including two extra legs and two vulvas.
Staff at Fenton Vets named the pooch Ariel as her additional back legs, which are partially fused together reminded them of a mermaid’s tail.
Speaking to BBC News Mikey Lawlor, founder and manager of Greenacres Rescue said: ‘When Ariel was brought into our centre she was very scared and timid.
A six-legged puppy was found abandoned in Pembroke Dock supermarket car park last week
‘She spent that first night at home with me and she was almost completely shut down due to everything she’d been through.’
He described the two conjoined extra legs growing on the right-hand side of Ariel’s tail as ‘essentially one thigh bone which then splits into two shin bones at the knee joint, but they are not functional and ‘serve no purpose at all’.
The plan for the puppy is to let her settle for a month to get over her ordeal and then her extra back legs and vulva will be surgically removed.
Mikey revealed Greenacres have already received more than 200 offers from people wanting to adopt her, while more than £2,000 has been raised to have her surgery.
Ariel will now remain in foster care until she is reassessed for surgery in one month’s time.
However the vet have warned that Ariel might lose one of her ‘normal’ back legs in the process.
Greenacres Rescue released an update on the pup on Facebook saying ‘internally she is normal’.
An examination revealed that the puppy appeared to have two extra legs and two vulvas
The 11-week-old female spaniel was brought into Medivet’s Pembroke surgery by a concerned member of the public
Staff at Fenton Vets named the pooch Ariel after Disney’s The Little Mermaid after they likened her additional back legs, which are partially fused together, to a mermaid’s tail
It read: ‘So little Ariel is home, the main good news is that internally she is normal, I was so relieved to hear this. Her organs are all as they should be.
‘The X-rays show the extent of her deformity but our wonderful vets are confident we can fix this. Below is what the vet that assessed Ariel today said –
‘Ariel has two additional back legs and the beginnings of an additional vulva. Her pelvis hasn’t formed properly due to the extra hip joint.
‘The plan will be to let her settle after her ordeal and reassess her in one month with the aim of removing the additional limbs and explore the function of her remaining leg’
The plan for the puppy is to let her settle for a month to get over her ordeal and then her extra back legs and vulva will be surgically removed
Greenacres Rescue released an update on the pup on Facebook saying ‘internally she is normal’
‘There is a possibility she may lose one of her own legs due to the structure of the additional limbs and pelvis, but time will tell.
‘Huge thank you to everyone that has donated to Ariel’s appeal, everyone that sent me messages today wishing her well.
‘For now, we can relax and just let her be a pup, she has a long road of surgery and recovery ahead but we are confident we can ‘get her right’ and that’s all that matters.’