Dogs come in all sizes, patterns and colors. There are black ones with white spots, long ones with short legs, furry ones with stubby tails, and even completely hairless ones. One thing remain the same though, the love and adoration us humans have for our four-legged friends.
However, when a golden retriever gave birth to a green puppy, it came as quick an unlikely shocker for its owner.
Rio is a three-year old golden haired retriever who lived in the Scottish Highlands with her owner Louise Sutherland.
During her second labor on July 7, Rio had given birth to seven males and one female puppy. The first pup was stuck and Louise had to manually pull him out of her together with her daughter Claire.
“It was all hands on deck but then as the puppies started to arrive, we noticed that one of the puppies had green fur! We couldn’t believe it,” she said.
Though extremely rare, the condition is completely explainable. Green-stained puppies come to be due to biliverdin, a green pigment located in bile, which is also found in dogs’ placenta.
When the liquid comes in contact with the mother’s amniotic fluid during labor, the substance is likely to coat the puppy’s body. With light-hued breeds like Labradors and Golden Retrievers, the chances are higher.
Though the condition is absolutely harmless and the stain will subdue and wear off entirely within a month. Relieved by this information, Louise has named the male puppy Forest due to his mint-tinged fur.
The color has already well faded within a few days, though it still appears slightly visible when he is put next to his siblings.
One of the nine puppies in the litter had unfortunately passed away but the rest have all been adopted in healthy conditions.
Louise is keeping little Forest with herself because of how special he is.
This rare occurrence had only been recorded three other times, one with another Labrador and a Great Dane.
Biliverdin is the same pigment responsible for green spots found on human skin post bruises. It also causes jaundice in newborns and is a main component in the bloods and body parts of certain reptiles and moths.
