A family in Barangay San Simon, Bani, Pangasinan, was shocked after their pet dog gave birth to a “faceless” puppy, a condition that left the animal with no eyes, no nose, no mouth, and no ears.

The puppy, one of six born to a two-year-old aspin named Luna on June 13 at around 5 a.m., appeared to have a healthy body but had severe deformities in its head.

“Nagulat ako kasi first time kong makakita ng gano’n na aso, na walang mukha,” Raziel Doctor-Sercado, the pet owner, said.

Raziel said it was Luna’s first pregnancy and that the other five puppies appeared completely normal.

The faceless puppy only lived for about three hours.

According to veterinarian Dr. John Mark Gassingga, the condition is known as a congenital defect and is often caused by poor maternal nutrition during pregnancy.

“Ang widely used na term dito is congenital defect... nakukuha siya sa poor nutrition during the pregnancy of the mother,” Gassinga said.

Raziel said she noticed a change in Luna’s behavior after the incident.

“Nag-iba ang ugali. Naging matapang siya. Takbo ng takbo, parang may hinahanap siya lagi,” she said.

Gassingga believes this could be related to hormonal changes.

“Anxiety or more on hormonal din ang problems. Biglang bagsak ng hormones kaya siya nagkaganun,” he added.

Despite the loss, Raziel’s family remains hopeful that Luna’s other puppies will grow up healthy.