A rare puppy has caught the attention of animal lovers in Wisconsin. Bella, a 6-month-old female pup with an unusual medical condition, is currently up for adoption at the Wisconsin Humane Society (WHS) in Kenosha. Bella’s condition, known as dimelia, results in the duplication of bones, giving her an extra leg and a total of nine toes on one of her paws.
Puppy with ‘exceptionally rare’ condition ready for adoption
As she has been diagnosed with an extraordinarily rare condition , Bella’s case has fascinated both the public and medical professionals. “It’s basically like an extra leg inside her right hind leg,” the WHS explained on Facebook . X-rays showed that Bella has an extra femur, two tibias, two fibulas, and nine toes on her affected paw, a configuration far from the norm for canines.
Dimelia is such a rare congenital anomaly that the shelter, in its 145-year history, had never encountered a dog afflicted by it — according to PEOPLE . Nancy Weiss, DVM and the WHS’s medical director, said “I’ve never seen anything like this in a dog.” Continuing, she added, “Her radiographs are quite extraordinary.” This condition is so rare that WHS vice president Angela Speed acknowledged the veterinary community’s lack of experience with it, emphasizing Bella’s otherwise healthy and pain-free state.