Internet Shocked at How Doodle With 'Color Fading Gene' Looks in 1½ Years
A chocolate doodle dog in New Orleans has become a social media sensation after his owner revealed something very unusual about his fur in a video that quickly went viral.
The viral video, shared on TikTok earlier in August under the username @acatalanottomack, shows the dog's dark brown fur in a clip recorded when he was about a year old. It is followed by a clip of the pup now, at age 2½, looking gray as his fur keeps fading.
"When your doodle has the color fading gene," says a caption shared along with the video.
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Based on the clip, the pup's fur clearly appears to have changed color with the years. But how could this happen?
Dog wellness experts at the website Dogster say there are several possible reasons for this phenomenon. As dogs get older, their coat is likely to start fading and look a bit dull, and gray hairs will start appearing on their face and body.
Also, their saliva contains porphyrin, a natural pigment that can lead to a rust-red color on light-colored fur.
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Other reasons are nutritional deficiencies, hypothyroidism, parasites such as mites, exposure to sunlight, post-trauma healing and cancer.
Some breeds are more prone to color changes than others because of genetics. While a gradual or seasonal change in color is probably nothing to worry about, sudden or patchy changes can sometimes signal health problems.
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@acatalanottomack Seemed appropriate ð @Ashley Mack #fyp #fypage #goldendoodle #chocolatedoodle #chocolatedoodleð¤ #doodlesoftiktok #goldendoodlesoftiktok #goldendoodlelife
⬠I am a white woman - kas (taylorâs version)
The video quickly went viral and has so far received over 674,400 views and 24,300 likes on the platform.
One user, MB, commented: "So does mine...it's so weird! He's not even 2 yet! His red coloring has faded to a light blonde."
User Nolan Prince said: "How long did yours take to fade that much? I also have a one year old doodle that started the same color as yours and is starting to get some white coloring."
User 3367883720685 added: "My baby yorkie went from black to gray in one year lol."
Another user, Daddieswood, wrote: "Wait! I didn't know this was a thing!!! My dood did the same."
Newsweek reached out to acatalanottomack for comment via TikTok comments and could not verify the details of the case.
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