Maggie - 0, Porcupine - 1

Ted is out of town on a business trip. Last night I let the pups out for their final 'elimination'. (Speaking of elimination, can you believe Michael Johns went home???) Thankfully Maggie is the only one that got quilled, and there are only about a dozen. It is hard for me to hold her down and do it, so I've been plucking a couple at a time, and giving her a break. This morning there is only 1/2 a quill left. Phew!

In doing my research on the web about how to remove these pesky things, I learned a few things. This is from a medical/vet website.

Let's dispel a few myths:

• The quills do not have to be cut or clipped to "let the air out". They are not under pressure from the hollow area within.
  
  
• Porcupine quills do not have barbs at their ends, and only rarely will actually migrate through the dog's tissues.
  
  
• They do not shoot or eject their quills but will swipe their tails swiftly and leave a bunch of needle like quills in whatever the tail happens to touch. When threatened tiny erector muscles in the skin will make the hundreds of quills over the back "stand up" in defense.

The points of the quills are extremely sharp and stiff and under the microscope actually appear as if they have scales or shingles, not barbs, that point backward. Once embedded into tissues they can be difficult to remove, especially the tiny ones that want to break before they are extracted.

Home Removal of Porky Quills:
If your dog only has a few quills and you are certain that there are none in the mouth or throat, you can remove quills at home fairly easily. The first thing to do is to get a pair of pliers, then something to cover the dog's eyes so it doesn't see those pliers approaching. Cover the dogs eyes with your hand if necessary, speak softly and don't act frantic or you will freak your dog out even worse! With the dog's eyes covered, bring the pliers up to a quill and grab the quill firmly and close to the skin. The dog will jerk backward and will separate himself from the quill. Sometimes you can grab more than one quill at a time, too. If the dog will be cooperative, coax it to accept your next attempt at removing more quills and eventually you may be able to remove a number of them. You may have to give the dog a break for a few minutes, too, between rounds of quill pulling.

I think the porcupine was under the back step. The pups were out there sniffing pretty hard this morning, and I saw a couple quills laying on the ground there. Any ideas about what I can throw under there (mothballs?) to keep a porcupine from making his home there?