Our Dog Was Quilled – It Was Latham, NY To The Rescue

Jackie and I were having one of those rare Friday nights that parents of five can truly appreciate. The kids were gone, the house was quiet, and we were actually relaxing. It lasted about an hour.

Around 10:00 p.m. the dogs needed to go out. One of them came back in looking a little different than when he left. Cowboy, our 9-year-old collie mix, had about 20 porcupine quills buried in and around his snout. He was anxious, licking nervously, and desperately trying to dislodge one that was lodged right below his nostrils.

Neither Jackie nor I had ever dealt with this before as dog owners. We knew it wasn't going to be fun.

It was 10:30 on a Friday night. Nothing local was open. The internet made it pretty clear - don't try to remove quills yourself, get professional help. Well, we tried anyway. The very design of a porcupine quill is to barb itself in and not let go. Holding Cowboy still while Jackie attempted to remove them was not a pleasant experience for anyone involved. He was yelping, recoiling, and fighting us with everything he had. We finally gave him some Trazadone to help him sleep through the night and made a plan.

Saturday morning she drove out to the Capital District Veterinary Referral Hospital in Latham, New York. They sedated Cowboy, removed every quill, and took excellent care of him. Besides the bill, we can't recommend that place enough - truly an excellent experience.

Cowboy is home, he's fine, and he has absolutely learned nothing from this experience.
If your dog has ever had a porcupine encounter, you know exactly what our Friday night looked like.