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Camo met a porcupine and lost! - Printable Version

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Camo met a porcupine and lost! - Everyroadleadshome - 01-08-2021

Walking one of our favorite trails in town and Camo goes off into the woods like a bat out of hell and barking bloody murder.....wouldn't come when I call which he never does.  So I go trudging off into the woods following the sound of his voice......looks like he's barking at a skunk and I think "oh no"  Finally get up to him and he's muzzle to muzzle with a porcupine!  Dragged him away and pulled them from his snout and one paw.....second paw had a lot that looked like they were broke off in the joint.  Give my vet a call and they say to bring him by......meanwhile we are a mile into the woods and im thinking it's going to be a long walk to the truck.  But he walked like he didn't have 75 quills in his foot.  Get to the vet and we had to put him under so she could get the ones broken off in his joint.  She made a few small incisions and was able to get the rest out.

He was very woozy after the anesthesia wore off and it was pretty comical all night.  Next morning he was up and ready for his 10am walk like nothing ever happened!  Hopefully no infections take root and all will be normal.  He's on antibiotics for ten days just in case.

40 years in New England with dogs and it's my first porcupine experience.  Hopefully the last!


RE: Camo met a porcupine and lost! - rvpopeye - 01-08-2021

I had a friend with a golden retriever that did that 3 times in one summer.
He cut and /or pulled them out with a pair of Channel Locks , no knockout drugs ,,,a very mellow dog , just hard to a clue !
You could throw a rock out into the bay and he would find it every time , even in water 6 feet deep !

Skip that trail for a while......


RE: Camo met a porcupine and lost! - Everyroadleadshome - 01-08-2021

I keeping my fingers crossed he learned his lesson......I posted this in a hunting forum im on and a lot of people said there said porcupines are like catnip to dogs....they just have to go after them. He ignores all the other wild animals we've encountered so far......a few weeks ago on that same trail 5 turkeys crossed our path 50 ft from where we were and he just kept marking his trees instead of chasing them. Deer he stares at but doesn't chase. A fox I think he thought was another dog and he tried to walk up to it but it bolted into the woods and he didn't bother following. But the porcupine....nope! Had to go after that just my luck. $380 bucks lighter in my wallet too!

I had my leatherman on me so pulling them wasn't a problem until I got to the ones in his joint and only 1/16 of an inch was left sticking out of the skin and wasn't enough to get the pliers to grab. So after i poked at him for 20 minutes he started moving around too much.


Camo met a porcupine and lost! - Cammalu - 01-08-2021

Ouch. Poop pup!!!


Camo met a porcupine and lost! - Scott7022 - 01-09-2021

Poor dog. At least it didn’t fall on him. Did you know the critters climb trees?


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RE: Camo met a porcupine and lost! - rvpopeye - 01-09-2021

Uptah Camp I was sleeping one night and woke up to a "grinding" noise.....It was a porcupine chewing through the wall to get to the food inside ! Happens to many camps and if nobody is home , eventually they get in !

And everybody loses in a porcy battle....


RE: Camo met a porcupine and lost! - RoamerRV428 - 01-09-2021

OW for your pooch and OW for your wallet!! Glad it all came out ok for both of you tho


RE: Camo met a porcupine and lost! - sternwake - 01-09-2021

Glad he is doing OK.

Fiona hates her paws being touched, especially her front paws. It's a chore searching them for burrs or foxtails, or to brush them.

She seems hyper vigilant for squirrels and similar sized / shaped critters.


RE: Camo met a porcupine and lost! - heron - 01-09-2021

(01-09-2021, 03:01 AM)Scott7022 Wrote: Poor dog. At least it didn’t fall on him. Did you know the critters climb trees?


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And don’t they look funny, up in a tree. Like a big old bundle of old leaves and pine needles. Or maybe a particularly untidy nest of some sort.


RE: Camo met a porcupine and lost! - heron - 01-09-2021

Well, maybe I forgot to hit send or something. Anyway, just wanted to send my condolences to Camo and your bank account, and say my dogs who’ve tangled with quill pigs haven’t seemed to need a second lesson, except for one, so there’s hope on that front.