Porcupine Quills...

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IndyIan

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Anyone else deal with these? Our dogs were barking at something in the woods near the pasture last night, so I let them out to check out whatever was out there. Anyways after a few minutes of barking and then a yip, and Suzie comes right up the hill with a quill moustache...
She came right to me, so I guess she figured I could help, so we got out the pliers and proceded to pull them out. It actually went pretty well once we got a few out. She's ~100lbs so even with my wife and I holding her, if she started snapping at me we would've had to take her to the Vet today. Since we got to them immediately they weren't too deep but it is amazing how hard they are to pull out... Anyways she whined abit but didn't resist too much and was happy to get a couple eggs for being such a good dog.
Hopefully that's the last time she tangles with a porcupine, our male dog must've been watching and learning as he left it alone and came back quill-less. I don't think we could've de-quilled him ourselves, he's too big and uncooperative at times.
 
I know the quills have a barbed and rough surface so they are very hard to pull out. Quills, horns, etc. are defences for animals against those who want to eat them. Even tarantulas have urticating hairs.
 
Yup, first they run away..then realize they cant get them out with paws, then come to people with hands. Their noses are soo sensitive. Pure agony. any pics?
 
Originally Posted By: mechtech2
Dogs do seem to learn which animals can be messed with on a regular basis.


Yep. My daughter's Cocker saw a toad hopping around the yard a couple of years ago and managed to run over and get his tongue on it before I could grab him. After a lot of foamy slobbering, head-shaking and running around the yard sliding his mouth in the grass he was fine. But now he just barks at toads from a distance.
 
My dog is a beast. She has never flinched when I've needed to do something for her well-being even if it causes her pain. Talk about trust.

As for the toad story, my dog once ate on whole. It was a mess. Let's just say I saw the toad again, but in a completely different form.
 
Sorry to be OT, but Ive never owned a dog. What's the deal with toads, dogs and dogs tongues?

Feel sorry for the OP's dog. Ouch.
 
Originally Posted By: LeakySeals
Yup, first they run away..then realize they cant get them out with paws, then come to people with hands. Their noses are soo sensitive. Pure agony. any pics?

No pics, time was of the essence as the more she fussed with them, the deeper they got. Most were 1/4" or less and you had to grab the quill near the skin level otherwise they would break at 1/2-3/4" mark... So if you let them stay in it wouldn't be long before you couldn't pull them out. I guess we're lucky it didn't happen when we weren't outside. If coyotes have been particularly bold lately, we leave the dogs out overnight to give the coyotes a scare when they realize the dogs aren't behind the fence today. Never thought about porcupines as they tend to be in the trees and not on the ground. Hopefully the dogs learned not to mess with them anymore.
 
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
What's the deal with toads, dogs and dogs tongues?

The toad's natural defense is to urinate. It obviously tastes pretty bad.
 
Originally Posted By: mechtech2
Dogs do seem to learn which animals can be messed with on a regular basis.

Yet for some reason, some dogs get skunked multiple times.
 
I had a dog who got skunked a few times, usually while trying to herd, pick up, or groom the local skunks. Eventually the skunks learned to tolerate her and stopped spraying. A big dog licking the belly of a willing skunk is much cuter than a whining dog shaking her head and smelling of skunk. That dog's natural defense was to [censored]. Her groomers became very familiar with this trick, but never quite found a way to deal with it except to keep a fan running. Did you know that a dog can [censored] over and over again at will?

edit:
Is "pass gass" okay?
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: yonyon
I had a dog who got skunked a few times, usually while trying to herd, pick up, or groom the local skunks. Eventually the skunks learned to tolerate her and stopped spraying. A big dog licking the belly of a willing skunk is much cuter than a whining dog shaking her head and smelling of skunk. That dog's natural defense was to [censored]. Her groomers became very familiar with this trick, but never quite found a way to deal with it except to keep a fan running. Did you know that a dog can [censored] over and over again at will?

edit:
Is "pass gass" okay?

That is one interesting dog you have! Our dogs got sprayed last year but they live outside so it only bothered them and the goats for a day or two.
 
Originally Posted By: Kestas
Originally Posted By: mechtech2
Dogs do seem to learn which animals can be messed with on a regular basis.

Yet for some reason, some dogs get skunked multiple times.


Maybe that critter hunting instinct is just so unconditionally strong that it overrides any pain or discomfort (or memory thereof)??
21.gif
 
Those quills are hollow and are full of air. Cut off the ends to release the air and they will pull out easier. If U grab them without cutting off the ends, the air inside will expand when U grab the quill and make it harder to pull out.
 
Originally Posted By: Kestas
Originally Posted By: mechtech2
Dogs do seem to learn which animals can be messed with on a regular basis.

Yet for some reason, some dogs get skunked multiple times.


I've never known a dog to learn that porcupines are bad. Even after multiple encounters (which all ended the same way) dogs seem to gravitate towards them.

Clark
 
Originally Posted By: ridgerunner
Those quills are hollow and are full of air. Cut off the ends to release the air and they will pull out easier. If U grab them without cutting off the ends, the air inside will expand when U grab the quill and make it harder to pull out.
thats good to know in the future. Thanks!
 
The big problem around here the last few years has been large raptors. I haven't seen the usual 3 or 4 cats that were always around in a long time.
Large and small dogs have been attacked some with terrible wounds.
 
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