Dogs and Porcupines

If you´re camping with your dog, be prepared for porcupine incidents. Take along a pair of hemostats or pliers for the unfortunate, but quite possible run-ins between your pup and those porcupines. To remove the quills, remember that they are hollow, and that a vacuum forms when they are embedded in your dog. To make removal easier, clip the ends to reduce that vacuum. Look for the quills around the muzzle, on the roof of the mouth and under the tongue. Also, keep an eye out for the quills that penetrate the chest; these can be very dangerous since the barbs, combined with the dog´s movements, can draw them in deeper, causing infection and possible damage to vital organs.