When will Dogs ever learn not to play with Porcupines

**AJE** · 05-03-2007, 07:21 AM

Pitbull vs. Porcupine.....

OR any dog for that matter OUCH!

A Pit bull decided he would battle a Porcupine in back of his house in Southern California.

But being both brave and stupid, he ultimately learned the hard way that he can't always win,

No matter how tough you are...
A vet sedated the dog, and then removed a total of 1,347 quills.

The dog survived, and hopefully learned a valuable lesson.......

Don't mess with Porcupines, you'll get the thorn !!!

pk · 05-03-2007, 10:54 AM

ouch!!

Guess this is one time the jaws of a pitbull met it's match!

pk · 05-03-2007, 10:57 AM

Quote:

then removed a total of 1,347 quills.

just wondering, after a porcupine loses this many quills does it survive? Do they grow back? By the looks of this dog it looks like the porcupine had to have lost most of it's quills?

pk · 05-03-2007, 11:02 AM

After checking a little more on this since I thought it was very interesting I found a few more things to add:

Comments: Apart from the fact that the poor pooch pictured above is mislabeled as a pit bull (she's actually a bull terrier), these pictures are authentic. They were originally posted on a community bulletin board by the dog's owner on May 25, 2005. The terrier's name is Inca.

"Thousands of quills were embedded even in her tongue," her owner explained. "The vets worked for quite some time to get quills out and even still could not get them all. The one's that are left will work themselves out over time. Inca is home and on antibiotics and pain killers."

In a follow-up post dated July 13, Inca's owner reported that "she is just fine and has just the odd broken bit come out once in awhile. Other than that she is back to her old self."

Moral of the story: Dogs and porcupines don't mix.

WEBSITE: http://urbanlegends.about.com/librar..._porcupine.htm

pk · 05-03-2007, 11:11 AM

Here is yet another story about a dog vs a porcupine.

Dog meets porcupine— and loses (again)

It's the veterinarian's (and dog's) worse nightmare — a Labrador retriever comes into the hospital at midnight with a face full of quills. He paws gently at his nose and shakes his head, but nothing helps. His muzzle is swollen and his eyes water with the pain, but he won't let his owner come near him because he knows that what comes next is even worse — the inevitable yanking of those darned spines from his sensitive skin. The Labrador has just met his match — Erethizon dorsatum, a.k.a. the North American porcupine.

Porcupines are members of the rodent family and are found throughout much of North America. They are nocturnal vegetarians, lumbering along the ground or climbing in trees in search of tasty leaves, twigs, bark, fruit, and nuts to eat. They are solitary by nature, except in the mating season, and prefer to live in wooded areas, although they are also found in deserts and grasslands. They nest in hollow logs, tree cavities, or earthen dens. Because porcupines move slowly and don't see well, their quills offer them an excellent measure of protection against predators.

Porcupines have 15,000 to 30,000 quills. These quills are modified hairs with hollow centers that are loosely secured within the skin. Like other hairs, these quills can be shed and regrown throughout life. Muscles attached to the quill base will pull the quills upright when the animal is frightened. The quills must be touched to be released; they cannot be "thrown" by the animal. When threatened, porcupines may use their tails to slap the attacker, releasing the quills into the assailant's muzzle, legs, and other regions of the body.

To read the entire story please check out the website:

WEBSITE: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print...177&type=story

pk · 05-03-2007, 11:27 AM

Oh No! Porky Quills!

The following is an interesting story and website that shows several pictuers of dogs and how to remove quills if you ever find yourself in need of this knowledge.

How to remove porcupine quills from a dog. What to do when an encounter takes place.
If you ever see a dog with a face full of porcupine quills it is truly something you'll never forget... and neither does the dog! Well, most dogs. A few years ago I saw the same dog three Saturdays in a row to remove porcupine quills. He must have found a good feeding area for porkies and thought he could get even with them somehow. He learned the hard way.

WEBSITE: http://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...6rlz%3D1I7HPIA

**AJE** · 05-03-2007, 02:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pk

After checking a little more on this since I thought it was very interesting I found a few more things to add:

Comments: Apart from the fact that the poor pooch pictured above is mislabeled as a pit bull (she's actually a bull terrier), these pictures are authentic. They were originally posted on a community bulletin board by the dog's owner on May 25, 2005. The terrier's name is Inca.

"Thousands of quills were embedded even in her tongue," her owner explained. "The vets worked for quite some time to get quills out and even still could not get them all. The one's that are left will work themselves out over time. Inca is home and on antibiotics and pain killers."

In a follow-up post dated July 13, Inca's owner reported that "she is just fine and has just the odd broken bit come out once in awhile. Other than that she is back to her old self."

Moral of the story: Dogs and porcupines don't mix.

WEBSITE: http://urbanlegends.about.com/librar..._porcupine.htm

Wonderful pk thanks for the follow up, I don't know but Inca the Terrier is getting my vote in the bravery catagory. :-)