Arrielle, german shepard recovering from dens aplasia. Photo by Vernon Miles.
By all accounts, Arielle should be dead. The black-haired, big-eared German Shepherd suffered from dens aplasia, a condition in which the first vertebrae of the neck does not form properly and the instability creates damage along the spinal cord.
At the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria in August, things were not looking well for Arielle. The condition could be treated with surgery that relieves pressure on the spinal cord and permanently stabilizes the affected joint, but there were problems. While the surgery has a 75 percent success rate, a surgery in such a sensitive area for a dog has a 30-40 percent mortality rate. What’s more, the surgery was expected to cost $10,000.
“We had to figure out whether to euthanize her when it became clear that she was in pain or whether it was worth a donation in a [potentially fatal] surgery,” said Shannon Swanson, communications manager .
But as Arielle’s chances started to look worse, the dog and the shelter received some unexpected good news. The Hoffman Town Center, one of the shelter’s partners, had stepped in and was willing to cover the entire cost of the surgery. On Sept. 9, Arielle had her surgery and survived. She still needs a harness and assistance to walk around, but the dog is spry and active.
“She’s super goofy,” said Amber Baker, one of Arielle’s caretakers at the Animal Welfare League. “She’s very happy and she likes people. She’ll roll around and throw a tennis ball up into the air, and then flop over and play with it like she’s chasing it.”
Those who help walk her at the shelter say Arielle is extremely social and that she wants to be where the people are.
“She whines when people aren’t there or when you’re leaving the room,” said Laurie LeSage, a vet tech at the shelter. “She just wants to be right by people. She loves all kinds of treats and toys too.”
It’s unknown yet whether Arielle will ever be able to fully walk independent of her harness.
“We have to see how she progresses,” said Dr. Kaci Angelone. “We can gradually increase daily activity. We will do an update to make sure everything’s still in place. We can eventually do more intensive physical therapy.”
For right now, Arielle seems thrilled just to be able to have an assisted walk outside into the grass.
“If there was ever an animal worth saving, it’s Arrielle,” said Swanson. As a breast cancer survivor, Swanson says she has a certain empathy for Arrielle’s situation. “As long as she’s mobile, happy, and not in any pain, it was worth it. There’s always hope. There’s always a humane solution.”
At some point this week, a foster family is scheduled to come to the shelter and pick up Arielle.
“Ariel is a Disney princess [from the Little Mermaid], so we always say that Arielle is trying to get her legs,” said Swanson. “She’s our princess, and now she’s heading towards her happily ever after.”