Canine Acupuncture

**Stryder** · 08-04-12, 08:19 PM

Forget your pictures of cute kittens for a moment and contemplate the shear pain this poor bulldog must have gone through:

[source:BBC]

Dogs suffering from Porcupine defense wounds occur from time to time, but apparently this one was news worthy, while other lesser known ones weren't reported.

[source:thinknice.com]

As for the point of the thread, well it should at least make those in area's effected by the porcupine hoards concern themselves about what there dog is sniffing around, otherwise feel free to discuss the defensive evolutionary traits of the porcupine.

* ignore
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porcupine-pitbull-attack-11.jpg

**Stoniphi** · 08-05-12, 08:12 AM

Ouch!

Well, porcupines are very good at killing trees by eating all of the bark off all the way around the trunk.

If you have a dog and take them out into the forest you should keep an eye on them. If your dog won't listen to you off - lead you shouldn't let them off - lead. (State law here.)

Last year my dog got skunked while she was out in our back yard.

Our neighbors had to pick up their spaniel and get out of the forest as they were being stalked by a group of coyotes intent on eating their dog. My dog and I have been confronted by young white tail deer bucks on several occasions. I have thus far been able to frighten them off a short distance by snapping a 'test spark' with my 400kV stunner, will have to try pepper spray if any get too close though. I hear those antlers aren't just for ornament. A fellow near here was killed by a white tail buck some time ago, run through the guts with the antlers and tossed 20 feet into a tree where he broke his neck. Last summer we had 5 deer attacks that left the humans injured. Porcupines are not the only woodland creatures to be concerned over.

**Fraggle Rocker** · 08-06-12, 08:37 AM

We had coyotes in Los Angeles, but none up in northwestern California. They've evolved into camp-followers and prefer city life with all the garbage and small pets to eat. But we do have cougars/mountain lions/panthers/pumas whatever you call them. Like all predators who have settled for a lazy life on the edge of civilization, they're opportunists and will stay away from a house with a big dog because it's just not worth the trouble.

Out here in Maryland where I work, deer are the biggest wildlife problem, but only because they cause road accidents. One ran into the side of my truck and caused $7K damage. It was like being T-boned by a Harley, I had whiplash all night.

Well, and also because their population density is about ten times what the environment will sustain--and the Washington region has America's third largest tree canopy, after Portland and Atlanta. They'll jump into a garden at night and eat all the plants down to the roots.

They know that most dogs have ancestors who were bred to guard livestock. So they figure they can sleep INSIDE a fence and be protected from the occasional bear. They're usually right.

**KilljoyKlown** · 08-06-12, 03:06 PM

Poor dog, watching this video was painful to say the least.

http://now.msn.com/bulldogs-face-paw...rcupine-attack

An Oklahoma City bulldog named Bella Mae wound up resembling a pin cushion after she accidentally frightened a porcupine that wandered into her backyard on the weekend. More than 500 of the spiny critter's quills were unloaded into poor Bella Mae's face, body and paws, described by veterinarians as "the worst porcupine attack" they'd ever seen. "You can't imagine the intense pain that she had to have been in," said Bella Mae's understandably distressed owner Allison Noles. There's no word on the fate of the porcupine attacker, which is presumably now wandering around Oklahoma City completely bald.

**R1D2** · 08-06-12, 03:32 PM

Interesting.
What happened to the dog? Did it die/or put down, or is she going to be ok?

**KilljoyKlown** · 08-06-12, 04:28 PM

Originally Posted by R1D2

Interesting.
What happened to the dog? Did it die/or put down, or is she going to be ok?

Dog's fine, but they lost track of the now bald porcupine.

Normally they give the dog something to knock him out before they start pulling out the quills. I find it hard to believe the dog would stick around long enough to get that many quills stuck in his face.

**youreyes** · 08-06-12, 06:55 PM

poor porcupine, so much shock...he fought bravely. I hope someday in future people will grant porcupines the social rights they deserve, they are no more evil than the dogs. Their needles take time to grow, energy spent...and now this disaster. I pray that the porcupine survives the harsh environment of the forest now that he is defenseless thanks to the outrageous attack by the dog.

**KilljoyKlown** · 08-06-12, 07:15 PM

Originally Posted by youreyes

poor porcupine, so much shock...he fought bravely. I hope someday in future people will grant porcupines the social rights they deserve, they are no more evil than the dogs. Their needles take time to grow, energy spent...and now this disaster. I pray that the porcupine survives the harsh environment of the forest now that he is defenseless thanks to the outrageous attack by the dog.

Every dog that lives where porcupines live needs to learn the hard way. If the dog isn't to bright for a dog, he might go back for seconds. But there is undeniable evidence that the dog attacked the porcupine. Even a good lawyer couldn't clear the dog's name.

**Stryder** · 08-06-12, 07:56 PM

Moderator Note:
Merged two threads which were the same topic....

**R1D2** · 08-06-12, 10:19 PM

KilljoyKlown you said the dog is fine. Did the quills poke his eyes? I would think it had with that many in its face...

**KilljoyKlown** · 08-06-12, 10:26 PM

Originally Posted by R1D2

KilljoyKlown you said the dog is fine. Did the quills poke his eyes? I would think it had with that many in its face...

You think? Did look bad but nothing was said about any eye puncture. They did say it took at least 2 hours to pull all the quills out. It would have served that dog right if they pulled them all while he was awake. A positive learning experience that might keep him away from porcupines in the future.

**youreyes** · 08-06-12, 10:36 PM

Who will do the poor porcupine an acupuncture? the needles need to be placed back

**R1D2** · 08-06-12, 10:40 PM

Knew a dog that got attacked by a coon. The dog was a walker hound. His nose was "Messed" up. An he couldn't smell things right the rest of his life. He was used once as a deer blood tracker. An he I guess got to close a raccoon. He was tried out a couple times to track the blood trail. But he was kinda a 60% miss rate. So he was utilized for other means. An he was a good "pet" he passed away like a couple years ago now.
(An no he was not mine)