Gypsy Meets a Porcupine

 

There was a big fuss this morning about 4 AM.  The dogs insisted on going outside and, once there, barked and yipped and carried on for a bit.  There was no way to know what poor critter they were so worked up over.  Klaus hates armadillos and dispatches them fairly quickly.  Howling coyotes will also set them off, but that usually happens in the evening.  They don’t like deer coming close to the house and an encounter with a skunk is very rapidly apparent to everyone.  Raccoons and possums are also nocturnal critters that frequent this place.  And porcupines…

We let the dogs in this morning and, sure enough, it was a porcupine that had caused the fuss earlier, no doubt about it.

 

Klaus, who has experience with the prickly parts of a porcupine, has only a single quill in the end of his nose.  Gypsy, however, had a face full!  She is a very vocal pup and here she was telling me all about it!

I was able to easily remove the quill from Klaus’s nose, but was only able to a few from Gypsy.  The quills are barbed and are painful to remove, so it is hard to get them to be still to pull very many.  I wasn’t able to tell if she had them in her mouth, too.

Nothing to do but call the vet.  He sedates them for the removal and can thoroughly exam their mouth and throat to be sure the quills are all gone.  Since there are more than a few porcupines in this part of the world, they have a lot of experience at removing quills.

The quills are not poison, but can prevent an animal from eating or drinking, depending on where the quills are and this can lead death.  After attempting to eat a bit, she just gave up and laid down for a nap.  No rest for the weary, though, just a leash and a trip in the car!

These are the quills I was able to remove.  As you can see, they aren’t very long.  The dark tip is the business end.  They are sharp and have microscopic barbs.  They expand on contact with warm flesh and will work themselves in more deeply if left alone. 

North American porcupines are about the size of a miniature poodle and a large male can reach 30 pounds.  They may sport as many as 30,000 quills spread over their body and tail.  Only their tummy, legs and head are free of quills.  When threatened, they turn their backs to the danger and raise their quills.  They don’t shoot quills, but the slightest contact will make them turn loose.  They use their tails and strike their attacker or just back into them.  While the threat is busy with a suddenly prickly predicament, the porcupine beats a hasty retreat, usually into a tree.

Miss Gypsy will be just fine.  I will go get her from the vet this afternoon.  They always want to keep animals that they sedate until they are fully awake and doing well.  For those of you in my area, I use Westside Animal Clinic in Altus.  They are very capable and take care of your pets as if they were their own.  For established patients, they even have after hours and weekend emergency care for the furrier members of the family.