A dog owner received a very unusual surprise when her chocolate Labrador gave birth to a green puppy.
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2-year-old dog mama Milly had 4 male pups and one girl in her first litter, but one marked difference in the girl was that — unlike her golden brothers — she was green.
The green tinge is due to over exposure to a substance called biliverdin, which can be found in the placenta. It’s extremely rare and Milly’s human, Elaine Cooper, believes their pup could be just the third case in the world.
Elaine and husband Mark have named the green pup Fifi after the famous green ogre Princess Fiona in the movie Shrek.
“She came out in the sack so we thought it was the placenta that made her look very dark. We thought she was a black Labrador,” said Elaine.
“But when Milly started to lick the placenta off, she actually had a green tinge. We were laughing and saying no, this can’t be green!”
“All the others are golden and this one’s green. It’s to do with the placenta, so it’s a phenomenon, it’s just very rare in dogs.”
“We were a bit shocked, then laughed and thought, ‘Oh my, is it okay?'”
“The color’s faded now and she’s doing well even though she’s the smallest of the litter, she’s so sweet.”
Fifi’s green tinge is only temporary — she’ll look just like her brothers soon.