The Week of the Porcupines

Apparently the dogs in our community (including my own!) need a "Porcupine Refresher" since we have had SEVEN dogs with quills in the last week!! So listen up my canine friends - here's the facts:

1. Porcupines are nocturnal - so just mind your own business and your curfew. Stay in your dog house or your person's house after dark. If you're out working the night shift on the farm you will need to learn to avoid these critters. 
2. Porcupines are herbivores, dogs are omnivores - and herein lies the conflict at the compost pile...I recommend dogs stick to dog food as we see frequent culinary wrecks when dogs stray to exotic foods. Ask your owners to keep the compost areas closed off. 
3. Porcupines can't THROW their quills at you...if you have quills you were not just an innocent bystander (nice try), it's because you tried to bite (or roll on) the porcupine. If you have quills in your tonsils we know you tried to eat the porcupine. Although some cultures do eat porcupine it is generally frowned upon in North America. I refer you to #2 regarding culinary experimentation. If you have quills covering your entire body I have no explanation that doesn't result in a visit to the doggy psychiatrist... 
4. The North American porcupine is the largest of the family and can have up to 30,000 quills on their body - so I guess I should be thankful that most of you rascals usually have less than a hundred quills in your muzzles! 
5. Quills don't hurt going in during all the excitement - but I assure you they really hurt coming out! Quills have microscopic keratin barbs on them that make it uncomfortable to pull them out. We anesthetize our quill dogs to remove the quills.  
6. And finally, if you do get quills it is important to have them ALL removed so you must either sit very still for your owners OR more likely you will require a veterinary visit. Although rare, quills can migrate in the body and cause severe illness. In 25 years Dr. Allen has seen five quill migration cases - two behind the eye, two to the lungs and one to the kidney.