Green Pit Bull Puppy Pops Out of the Chute in Mississippi
“Why are one of my puppies that my American Pit had ... green?” dog owner Annise Tooley asked Google last week.
Tooley and her boyfriend, Greg, were on hand to midwife a new litter of American pit bulls – born of proud dog parents Pearl and Harley – in Hancock County, Mississippi. The first pup out of the chute arrived with a healthy pink nose and ears, but was otherwise a surprising green color.
The weird coloration was nothing to worry about, Tooley learned from the Internet. The unusual tint is caused by biliverdin, a natural pigment that can sometimes mix with a dog's amniotic fluid, as was the case with the mom, Pearl. The pigment can color bile and some bruises, and it can also stain a puppy's fur in the womb.
Tooley named the baby girl Fiona, after the love interest in Shrek, who was also pigmented a verdant green. The name will stick but the green tint will not, as it usually fades after several weeks.
In her web search Tooley learned of other green dogs, including an Italian puppy named Pistachio and a golden (sic) retriever born earlier this year within days of St. Patrick’s day, named Shamrock.
Photo credit: WLOX News via / YouTube
