Two puppies in Spain were recently born with green fur. They are smaller and weaker than their siblings, and sadly, the female did not survive. But her brother is a fighter, and hopefully there is enough Incredible Hulk in him to thrive.
“I couldn’t believe it when I first saw them,” Aida Vallelado Molina said. “I thought the puppies were dirty and tried to clean them, but the color wouldn’t come off.”
The tiny female died, but veterinarian Daniel Valverde is conducting bacteriological and virological tests to determine the cause of the peculiar coloring and her death.
“There are no other recorded cases of this happening in Spanish scientific literature,” he noted.
But this is not the first time green puppies have ever been born. In 2012, a Lab puppy named The Hulk was born with a greenish tint. Research suggested that the coloring was due to in utero exposure to biliverdin, a green bile pigment which is what gives bruises their greenish color.
In 2008, a puppy born in a New Orleans shelter also had this rare condition.
“Sometimes, when a puppy is born, the amniotic fluid mixes with the placenta and dyes the coat of the puppy and it almost always happens to very light colored puppies. There are not health concerns – it’s really just a discoloration in the birthing process,” said Anna Zorrilla from Louisiana SPCA.
We here at Life With Dogs do NOT encourage breeding while shelter dogs perish. Please spay and neuter your pets, and find real employment of your own.
