Pooch feels the porcupine pinch

GILLITTS resident, Herman van der Merwe, was astounded when he discovered his dog, Missy, had been attacked by a porcupine in his back yard on Tuesday 18 February at approximately 11pm.

According to van der Merwe he found the wounded Missy, a Rhodesian Ridgeback, in a distressed state after he had heard his dogs barking and had gone to investigate. “At first I did not switch on any lights, as I suspected it was a burglar. When I did not hear anything for a while I switched on my torch and saw Missy with more than two dozen quills protruding from her skin. The porcupine had disappeared,” said van der Merwe.

Missy had pulled out approximately 10 quills after the attack, and van der Merwe reported that he had pulled out 24 additional quills from her face, head, chest and legs.

Van der Merwe also reported that he had spotted the adventurous rodent in his vegetable garden three weeks prior to the incident. It is believed that the porcupine returned to the to the garden and perceived the inquisitive hounds as a threat, and acted in self defence.

The following morning van der Merwe took Missy to the clinic at the Kloof and Highway SPCA, where she had to undergo surgery to remove a quill that had broken off under her skin.

Megan Sinclair, a nurse at the clinic reported that Missy’s surgery was a success and that she will make a full recovery. “Her wound has been stitched up and bandaged, and she is on antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medication to facilitate the healing process. A porcupine’s quills have a non lethal dose of poison, which irritates the wound and causes infection,” said Sinclair.

Van der Merwe expressed no ill will towards the porcupine, and said, “I have lived on my property for many years, but I have never seen a porcupine. I have seen bush babies and dassies on several occasions. It is amazing.”