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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Allen" data-source="post: 437972" data-attributes="member: 389">I've had the pleasure of a dog getting quilled a number of times in my life, both hunting and farm dogs where I was the first responder.  I'd say it is usually the dog's fault, and sometimes it's nobody's fault as the dog just literally RAN into it in tall cover.  Anyway, there have been a number of outcomes.  Some of the dogs just sat and stoically let me pull them, others were bordering on rabid if I got anywhere near the quills.  Depends on the dog's temperament. My go-to tool for quill removal is a pair of needle-nose pliers with a 90-degree bend in the jaws.  They are far superior in getting a quick grab on a quill than any straight-jawed implement I've tried, forceps, leatherman, etc. If your dog has any quills that became broken off, I would strongly encourage you to take the dog to the vet.  When knocked out, the vet can freely feel around for those broken off quills.  Those that are not found and removed will continue to work their way through the dog.  One of my GSPs had some broken off in the roof of his mouth.  A couple years later he developed some sores on the upper side of his snout.  Yep, they were the quills coming up through his upper jaw.  As Snow noted, in the chest...these can kill your dog if they work into the heart or lungs.As far as cutting the quills, it doesn't do any good as far as I can tell.  If you look closely at a quill, deflating the shaft won't do anything to lessen the gripping power of the barbs on the quill as the barbs are not hollow.   It's like saying cutting your arrow shaft would help you in pulling an arrow out of a deer, or XXXX.I won't tolerate porcupines around the home, but in the field I usually give them a pass.  They are just another part of nature, and nature is cool.If I am fortunate enough to run across a live or dead porcupine with a E-collared dog, I immediately turn that into a training experience.</blockquote>

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