It’s a mint chocolate Labrador! Dog owners in Lancashire are stunned when their brown pet gives birth to a GREEN puppy

  • Elaine Cooper has named the pup after a Shrek character due to its green coat
  • Female puppy was the only girl birthed out of five by two-year-old mother Milly
  • Green tinge is caused by exposure to substance in the placenta called biliverdin
  • Elaine and husband Mark, from Chorley, nickname pup Fifi after Princess Fiona

By Alexander Robertson For Mailonline

Published: 07:26 EST, 6 February 2017 | Updated: 08:05 EST, 6 February 2017

A dog owner has named a new puppy after a character from Shrek after her chocolate Labrador gave birth to a green puppy.

Two-year-old mother Milly had four male puppies and one girl during her first litter.

But gender wasn't the only difference that marked the female puppy from her brothers because she emerged not golden like the others - but green.

The green tinge is down to over exposure to a substance called biliverdin, which can be found in the placenta.

A dog owner has named a new puppy after a character from Shrek after her chocolate Labrador gave birth to a green puppy
The green tinge is down to over exposure to a substance called biliverdin, which can be found in the placenta

A dog owner has named a new puppy after a character from Shrek after her chocolate Labrador gave birth to a green puppy (pictured)

It's a rare condition and owner Elaine Cooper believes their pup - could be just the third case in the world.

Elaine and husband Mark have now nicknamed the pup Fifi after the famous green ogre Princess Fiona from Shrek.

Elaine, of Chorley, Lancs., said: 'She came out in the sack so we thought that it was the placenta that made her look very dark. We thought she was a black Labrador.

'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 OK".'

 Two-year-old mother Milly had four male puppies and one girl during her first litter (shown)

 Two-year-old mother Milly had four male puppies and one girl during her first litter (shown)

Elaine and husband Mark have nicknamed the pup Fifi after the famous green ogre Princess Fiona from Shrek

Elaine and husband Mark have nicknamed the pup Fifi after the famous green ogre Princess Fiona from Shrek

Elaine, 56, and 46-year-old Mark are planning to sell the puppies once they're old enough.

She added: 'The colour's faded now and she's doing well even though she was the smallest of the litter, she's so sweet.'

Elaine, who owns a motorhome business, has researched the condition online and has found just two other cases of Labradors born green - on in Spain and the other Clayton-le-Moors, Lancs., in 2012.

While it stains, Fifi's green tinge is only temporary and she will soon resemble her boisterous brothers.

WHAT CAUSES THE GREEN TINGE?

Puppies can turn green because of a green bile pigment called Biliverdin that is found in the placenta of dogs.

On very rare occasions, the substance can stain the puppy's coat when it mixes with the mother's amniotic fluid - the liquid that protects and nourishes the pup.

It is most visible on light-coloured breeds such as Labradors, is harmless and wears off after a few weeks.

In humans, Biliverdin is responsible for the greenish colour seen in bruises and also causes jaundice in babies.

It is also found in the blue-green blood of many fish, the wings of moth and butterflies and the eggs of frogs.

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