Good Morning! in 2018

[SusanH]

I took my mutt to the vet for porcupine quills and was glad my pet insurance covered most of the $800. Yikes. A friend told me that the secret to pulling the quills out is to cut them first to "let the air out" - does that make any sense?
OC - how scary! And how smart you are to charge in with a pitchfork! bravo! That's a sad splash of feathers, just like the splashes of feathers near my poor girls. I wish I had heard something. Maybe I should get a pitchfork to satisfy the urge to protect them, although, like you, I don't think I could actually stab anything either.

[WLLady]

Porcupine quills have barbs on them so quite often it causes less damage to cut them off and push them through to get them out if lips etc....theyre just like barbed fishing hooks. I have removed so many in my day....up north of montreal the vet just gave us the anaesthetic after my cousins dog got 4 in a month (dumber than dumb dog). All my dogs got one ONCE and thankfully so far none with skeet.....but hes only been in porcupine territory twice. Thats one skill i prefer not to practice....
Glad everyone is okay....

[kenya]

Oh those poor stupid dogs and your poor pocket book. Thankfully we don't have porcupines here. My neice has though up north and she had both dogs get quilled about every other day. Boxers not the smartest, they finally went out and killed all the porcupines on their property and haven't had it happen since. They hated to do it but what else could they do.

[baronrenfrew]

That fox will keep coming back until it is "dispatched". one day you won't be home.

[Ontario Chick]

I took my mutt to the vet for porcupine quills and was glad my pet insurance covered most of the $800. Yikes. A friend told me that the secret to pulling the quills out is to cut them first to "let the air out" - does that make any sense?

Apparently new research according to the vet has shown that cutting the quill makes no difference to easy removal.

That fox will keep coming back until it is "dispatched". one day you won't be home.

My birds are never loose when we are out, the only way to live and let live around here.
No way to remove every predator anyway, nature hates vacuum. :)

[TomK]

Yeah..its the same here...porky's come ambling through every once in a while and gosh but they have to be the sweetest animals God ever made....Otis, however, doesn't get it...must be the half lab part in him...the Pyr part says "just hang back a bit and see what this thing is all about "...the Lab part always wins...he tends not to bite the beast but comes back with a nose full of quills every time...the cutting of the end of the quil off doesn't really help I dont think except maybe not to make things worse..quills are hollow so grabbing the end of the quill with pliers would displace internal air and make the embedded part swell a tad..but they gotta come out..Otis just sits back on his haunches and takes his medicine like a real trooper...he knows relief is in sight...there's something about glue in OSB board and plywould that Porcupines really are attracted to so they just hafta come check out a coop building to see if its munchable...so the quill hing is inevitable...but 800$ !!!!!.. Are you totally serious?...get another vet..thats just plain theft in my book...vets need to make a living and run their practice but c'mon...anyway...I startedoff wanting to talk anbout moving roosters and got sidetracked...typical.. ..today i took Coach and Wonky Toe out and put them in with the rocks and sex links who have been roosterless for a coupla months...they have been living in bachelor heaven for almost two years and nary a squawk...well...that lasted about an hour... Coach is back in the pen alone with a bloody comb and no other damage but Geez...i need the pen for the young Marans...thought the move would work...bloody %#€*^%{} testosterone...anyone want a fairly docile splash Cochin roo?...I want him but theres just no room...hes gorgeous and a really nice bird...orrrrrr an easter egger?.....either works..

[Killerbunny]

Anyone have an Email for AL @thegawd ? I have PMd him but I don't know how often he checks in.

[WLLady]

KB i texted him you were looking for him. He just wrote back so i am sure you will hear soon.
Well jet lag day for us! We just got back from 2 weeks in germany.....
Long day yesterday....but everyone has feet on the right side of the grass and looking great.
Grass needs cutting....wow
Everything is 3 feet tall! Amazing the difference 2 weeks can and has made!

[thegawd]

Im Here! got your msg and replied.... been busy and all. i gotta run though. i hope everyone had a great may 24! we sure did!

[Ontario Chick]

Actually the price is pretty standard, it's $800 with general anesthetic and $600 (which I paid) with just temporary anestethic. Seeing that it was Sunday I didn't even haggle:)
He had the quills on the inside of his mouth and lips, no way to get them while he was conscious :)
What I found interesting, is that about half way thru Sunday afternoon both Emergency animal Hospitals in Ottawa stopped taking new "patients" glad we went early.
I newer saw the porcupine, ( had the dog on a leash) just saw him stick his nose behind a tree and yank back with a face full,apparently the babies are left in the nest on the ground until they can climb trees, so I think he just stuck his face in to a baby porcupine.