After an ultrasound revealed seven foetuses many months prior, Trevor Mosher and his wife Audra were expecting Freya, their three-year-old valley bulldog, to give birth to seven puppies.
Freya gave birth to the seven puppies on Jan. 27, 20 to 25 minutes apart, “like clockwork,” according to Mosher.
As the mother settled in with her new litter, Mosher started cleaning Freya. Then all of a sudden Freya went into labour for the second time. This time, things turned out very different.
Unlike her brothers and sisters who were all born in translucent sacs, the puppy’s body was surrounded by a black sac. The pair assumed something was seriously wrong and that the dog had died.
They then observed she started to move and make noise.
“We noticed she was green as we attempted to towel her off. Immediately it felt like something was wrong.”
“So we googled it,” Mosher continued, “and it turns out it’s really rare. It has only happened a few times around the world.”
When light-colored puppies come in contact with a green pigment found in bile, the unusual discoloration can sometimes occur.
In an email, Dr. Bronwyn Crane, a veterinary reproduction specialist at the University of Prince Edward Island’s Atlantic Veterinary College, said the incidence is “very rare.”
“I’m not sure I could estimate a precise rate of frequency,” she said, “but I’d assume it’s one in ten thousand.” This is my first encounter with a green puppy.”
Meanwhile, Mosher considers himself fortunate to have seen the unusual discolouration.
“I’m actually rather surprised. As strange as it may appear, I consider myself fortunate to have watched and shared in it. Y you hear stories about stuff like that, but it was good to be there and witness it,” he said.
The green pigment has diminished dramatically since the puppy’s birth and will continue to do so as she gets older.
Mosher claims he posted about his green puppy on Facebook, asking for suggestions for a name for the unnamed canine.
Many people provided some quite creative responses. Wasabi, Hulkette, Fiona, and Pistachio were among them.
