An unfortunate St Bernard was left with an excruciating mouth full of quills following an encounter with a porcupine – and it wasn’t the first time.
The huge pooch, called Ruckus, apparently has history of attempting to befriend porcupines and sadly hadn’t learnt from his previous mistakes.
Ruckus was rushed to an animal shelter in New York by his owners, where vets had to remove every fish-hook shaped quill from his face.
As well as getting the quills stuck in his mouth, Ruckus’ jowls and face were also covered in the spines following the attack.
A dog named Ruckus was left with an excruciating mouth full of quills following an encounter with a porcupine
Luckily for the pup the veterinary team where able to remove all of the quills, after Ruckus got too close and activated the porcupines ability to ‘shoot’ their spines.
A spokesperson at Lollypop Farm said: ‘Ruckus arrived at Lollypop Farm with a face full of porcupine quills – and it wasn’t his first time.
‘He was surrendered to Lollypop Farm so that he could receive treatment for the quills that were stuck into his jowls, face, and inside of his mouth.
Ruckus was rushed to an animal shelter in New York by his owners, where vets had to remove every fish-hook shaped quill from his face
Ruckus had a painful run in with a porcupine (pictured)
‘His previous owners indicated that Ruckus had an unfortunate history of going after porcupines.
‘Our veterinary team worked quickly and carefully to remove the quills from Ruckus’ face and mouth.
‘Porcupines can have upwards of 30,000 quills at their disposal, and will release them into the face of what they perceive as a potential attacker, even if a dog is just curious and not acting aggressive.
Luckily for the pup the veterinary team where able to remove all of the quills, after Ruckus got too close and activated the porcupines ability to ‘shoot’ their spines
Apparently this isn’t the first time that Ruckus has attempted to befriend a porcupine and ended up with a mouth-full of quills
‘The quills are easily detached from the porcupine, but are quite difficult to remove once they’ve been embedded in another animal like a dog.
‘Contrary to popular belief, porcupines can’t actually ‘shoot’ their quills, but a simple swipe of their tail at a dog that’s gotten too close is enough to release them.
‘The tips of porcupine quills that puncture the skin are actually shaped like a tiny fish hook, and can be very difficult to remove.
‘Luckily for Ruckus, our team was able to safety remove all of the quills, and this big pup was feeling better in no time at all.’