GREEN puppies have been born to a breeder in the province of Valladolid, just north of Madrid.
One of Aída Vallelado's Podenco hounds, Micaela, gave birth to a litter of five earlier this month – two of whom were green in colour.
Madrid's Complutense University's Faculty of Veterinary Medicine is examining the puppies, who are now nearly a month old.
Both babies are weaker and smaller than the rest of the litter – about half the size of their brothers and sisters – and are having trouble feeding themselves from their mother, but are under constant veterinary care, says Sra Vallelado, who lives in Laguna de Duero in the province of Valladolid, just north of Madrid.
This situation has never been seen before in Spain, although a green labrador puppy in Brazil was born four years ago and was named Hulk, although he lost his unusual colour as he matured.
In this case, vets found the puppy's colour was caused by biliverdin, a green bile pigment formed by the catabolism of haemoglobin, or red blood cells, present in the placenta and which had been absorbed by the baby whilst he was in the womb.
It is said to be similar to jaundice in newborn humans caused by the pigment bilirubin in the liver.
Vets observing the green puppies in Spain say it would be normal for them to change colour to match their brothers and sisters as they reached adulthood.
