Meet Bella, the 5-legged dog up for adoption
A puppy named Bella is up for adoption in Wisconsin but unlike other shelter dogs, Bella has a unique physical characteristic that sets her apart.
The six-month-old canine with a brindle coat was born with five legs – a rare congenital condition called dimelia, according to the Wisconsin Humane Society, where Bella is currently under the care of.
Angela Speed, the vice president of marketing and communications at the Wisconsin Humane Society, said veterinarians at the shelter immediately noticed the pup had a wider-than-usual right hind leg and extra toes when she was surrendered about two weeks ago.
Bella, a six-month-old puppy, was born with dimelia, a congenital condition that has resulted in her having five legs.
Courtesy of Wisconsin Humane Society
“They wanted to X-ray her and were shocked to discover on her X-rays that she basically has a mirror image of the bone structure in that leg. And so she has two femurs, two tibias, two two fibulas and instead of four to five toes, Bella has nine,” Speed told “Good Morning America.”
Bella has two femurs, two tibias and on her right hind paw, nine toes.
Courtesy of Wisconsin Humane Society
Bella’s right hind legs and an X-ray of the area shows a closer look at her nine toes.
Courtesy of Wisconsin Humane Society
Speed described Bella as “a unicorn of a dog” and said it’s the first time a five-legged dog has been brought into a WHS shelter.
“There’s only a few documented cases in veterinary literature of [dimelia] being found in dogs. It’s more primarily seen in cattle. It’s also a condition that humans can have as well,” Speed said. “But in our 145 years of operation, this is definitely the first case of dimelia we’ve seen in a canine and it’s really blown us all away.”
A close-up view shows Bella’s right hind paw, which is larger than her three other paws.
Courtesy of Wisconsin Humane Society
According to Speed, Bella was not surrendered due to her rare condition but because she was “too rambunctious.” With her extra leg, Bella is still active and runs and chases, just like other dogs.
Bella was surrendered to the Wisconsin Humane Society and is now up for adoption.
Courtesy of Wisconsin Humane Society
Bella, who is spayed, is one of 17 dogs up for adoption in the Kenosha area this week and Speed said she’s very social, full of energy and also loves to snuggle once she’s tired out.
For anyone interested in potentially adopting Bella, Speed said they should consider if they can keep Bella active and have her seen by a veterinarian on a regular basis.
Speed and the WHS staff said they hope in sharing Bella’s story they can encourage people to consider adopting an animal looking for a permanent home.
“We’re hoping that Bella’s story does shed a light on the fantastic animals who are available at animal shelters. Across the country, shelters have been experiencing really high dog intake but slower dog adoptions and we’re feeling that same pressure right now so we’re hoping that this inspires people to consider adopting a shelter dog,” Speed said.
