Wis. Puppy with 'Exceptionally Rare' Condition That Gives Her 'An Extra Leg' Is Up for Adoption

Vets discovered that a 6-month-old puppy named Bella has an rare medical condition called dimelia that caused her to develop nine toes on one paw and a extra leg

A puppy in a Wisconsin shelter is up for adoption — and she is one-of-a-kind.

On April 25, the Wisconsin Humane Society (WHS) in Kenosha shared on Facebook that a 6-month-old female puppy named Bella, who is under its care, has an extremely rare medical condition called dimelia. Dimelia is characterized by the duplication of bones. Due to the effects of dimelia, Bella has what some might consider an "extra leg" and nine toes on one paw.

"It's basically like an extra leg inside her right hind leg," the organization wrote on Facebook. "A normal canine hind leg would have one femur, one tibia, one fibula, and 4-5 toes. X-rays of the affected leg revealed that Bella appears to have an extra femur, two tibias, two fibulas, and nine toes on her rear paw."

"It is the first-ever case of dimelia we've seen in our organization's history, and as far as we can tell, she's one of the *very* few documented cases of dimelia in a dog – ever!" the WHS added.

According to a press release shared by the humane society, dimelia is a rare congenital condition. The shelter stated that, before Bella, it had never treated a dog with the condition during its 145 years of operation.

"I've never seen anything like this in a dog," Nancy Weiss, DVM, WHS's medical director, said in the release. "Her radiographs are quite extraordinary."

The shelter also shared images of Bella's x-rays, showing off her extra-wide paw and doubled bones.

Speaking with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on April 26, WHS vice president of marketing and communications Angela Speed noted that vets treating the 6-month-old pup are treading new waters due to how rarely this condition occurs in dogs; Bella appears healthy and is not in any pain.

"It's a little hard to predict what her journey will be like medically because so few veterinarians have ever seen this condition or treated it," Speed told the outlet. "But, right now, she's happy, and she's getting around great."

According to the press release, vets briefly considered amputation and other surgeries to improve Bella's condition, as she walk with an abnormal gait. However, WHS noted that she seems to hold weight on the leg fine, running and playing just like any other dog.

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Per the Journal Sentinel, Bella's condition is so rare that vets had to conduct extensive research to find other dogs who had been diagnosed with dimelia — and they only found one, a Cocker Spaniel in 2006 who only had the condition in its paw, not the whole leg.

"There may be other cases that we're not aware of, but it is exceptionally rare," Speed added to the outlet. She's like a unicorn of a dog. She's also beautiful, playful, and wonderful."

Bella is expected to go up for adoption on Friday, April 26 at the WHS Kenosha Campus. Those interested in adoption can find more information on wihumane.org/adopt.

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