CANTON, N.C. (AP) The Avengers may have gained a canine sidekick after a North Carolina familys dog gave birth to a bright green puppy named Hulk.

Gypsy, a white shepherd owned by Haywood County resident Shana Stamey, delivered eight puppies Friday morning. Gypsys three-hour labor was going smoothly until the fourth puppy came out as a small, but mighty tuft of lime green fur, Stamey said.

I started freaking out, Stamey told news outlets. But everybody was healthy.

Experts said theres a normal explanation for the puppys coloration and no, he wasnt exposed to any gamma rays. Liquid from inside Gypsys stomach likely stained the white dogs fur during pregnancy, Suzanne Cianciulli, the manager of Junaluska Animal Hospital in Waynesville, told news outlets.

Regular baths and daily licks from Gypsy are expected to fade Hulks green hue in a few weeks, Stamey said. However the puppys newfound superpower, which the family has deemed an aggressive appetite, will likely remain.