Puppies and porcupines don’t mix! Two Texas canines got a face full of quills after a nighttime encounter with the sharp-spined rodent.
A Brown County dog owner woke up “scared to death” when she saw her beloved pooch, Bullwinkle, covered in quills, according to BigCountryHomepage.com.
“I told my husband, ‘Oh my god! He’s had a fight with a porcupine,'” Peggy Gamblin told the outlet, noting that Bullwinkle and their Australian Shepherd had encountered the porcupine sometime during the night at their home. Despite living at the property for 48 years, the frightened dog-mom revealed she has never experienced something like this.
The dogs were were rushed to Brown County Animal Clinic where Dr. Joe Speck and other members of the clinic’s team spent more than an hour pulling the spiky quills out of the four-legged friends.
The Texas-based veterinarian revealed to the local news station that he treats around two to three animals with similar encounters each month, and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Game Warden, Travis Allen, added that it’s possible that breeding season is playing a part in the abundance of cases.
The nocturnal animal is highly attracted to pet food, trash and like other rodents, will scrounge areas to find food.
Both dogs are recovering well and though some quills are still embedded in their skin, over the next two weeks they’ll make their way to the surface of the dog’s skin.
According to the website, “a single porcupine can have up to 30,000 quills, or around 100 to 150 per square inch of body surface.”
