Damn Porcupines AGAIN, post 167... Nos decided to kill one... PICS POST 49

Just when you think you've read every stupid comment on this forum, some subject matter expert shows up and exceeds your expectations.

That sum THAT up quite nicely.

I've never been ripped off or screwed over by a dog that I've helped out.

The money is insignificant, to the value of a good mutt.

I could probably buy a nice car outta the money I've pent on Vets over the years. But, whatever. I don't go hungry, and I don't try to keep track.

Best of luck with Nos. I dunno that you can actually teach a mutt to avoid the skunks or porcupines. Some learn, some just hate stronger for next time.

Cheers
Trev
 
Buddy of mine runs hounds for coyotes. In order to stop them running unwanted species such as deer he e-collars them, takes them out and intentionally puts them on other game then burns the daylights out of them when they start on some track other than yotes. Works like a charm, they quit running other game in a few short lessons.

I had a black lab that got into a porcupine three times. First time wasn't too bad, he had about 75 quills inside his mouth that had to be pushed up through the top of the snout from inside out to be pulled out. Vet charged me $50 and he thought he was charging me lots. He showed me what to do so if it happened again I wouldn't have to spend $$ on a vet.

Second time I spotted the porky just as the dog started acting birdy as we were grouse hunting. He lunged for the porky, I let out my best version of heel or I'll kick your ass and he got lucky that he only ended up with about a dozen quills in his nose before turning to heel. Pulled them out myself right there on the logging road and the dog was no worse for wear.

The third time he got into one real good and had quills in his eyes. His head looked like a cactus and he couldn't see where he was going obviously. He made it to his kennel at my urgance. I called the vet, he said he would have to be put down unless I wanted a blind dog around. Was going to cost a few $$ more than I cared to put out. When I went back out the kennel a few minutes later the dog was in a rage and I couldn't get near him so I ended up having to shoot him. Was a sad moment but that's dog ownership at times I guess.

The vet had told me the first time that it is a 50/50 chance they will go after a porky again. He said some learn to avoid them, other's come to hate them and seek them out. I never killed the porky's though, they are just doing what other things in nature do and then when confronted they protect themselves. Hard to blame them, its like us, you going to roll over and die or fight back??
 
Oh geez spank, that's horrible that your dog was quilled in the eyes & you had to put him down. Ugh, very sad!

I sure hope Nos learned NOT to tangle with them & aversion training with ELECTRICITY is in his future to try & ensure it...

Ugh... Puppies...

Cheers
Jay
P.S. Nos is feeling more himself & we have pulled an additional 29 quills post op... Ugh
 
Too many times I've seen the pain and misery that a dog goes through, after an encounter with a porcupine.
If it is possible, I will kill every porcupine I encounter.
 
Our Golden/Duck Toller cross cost us 3500 bucks before he was 8 months old, swallowing a small piece of corn cob that someone left out around a campfire down the way. Got lodged in his intestines and he was slowly starving to death. Had to have major surgery to get it out.

Our other Golden got cancerous tumors in his neck and throat at 8 years old. Took a lot of chemo treatments and some experimental things before he started to suffer, and we eventually put him down.


Money means nothing. It's replaceable, and anyways you can't be a slave to it. Maybe sounds weird to some.

Those that love their dogs know better.
 
Not only are my labs on e collars when we are out hunting but I think they fear the concequences of not coming when I call more than their drive to get on animals. They are never really more than 30-50m away from me anyways.

Jay you did the right thing mate. Money means nothing when your pal is trusting you to help him out of a jam. I'll take my dogs over some people without a second thought.
 
For everyone that won't spend more than $200, they obviously have NEVER owned a good dog.

Your's seems to have earned your respect and mine as well. To abandon him at this time will do more damage to you mentally than financially. The dog will know that you looked out for him in his time of need and he'll one day pay you back somehow if not with his life.

Don't listen to anyone, YOU know your dog not anyone one else...


I hear ya guys, it's ALOT of money, but Nos is family. He protects my wife & has performed in the field to a level that most never see in their hunting dogs. He's my buddy & as we were driving to the vets on the highway, I was getting ready to keep his tongue out of his airway as his mouth & face started to swell shut... Nope, can't see putting him down for something that he was bred specifically to do, look up predator hardness with the Drahthaar. Every dog before Nos had to kill vermin like racoons, skunks, cats OR they were never bred... The result, a dog that will take on anything you ask him to.

I'm waiting for the vet to call & I'll be going to pick him up at the vets... I'd like to think he learned a lesson, but the vet said he just thinks he won because he killed the porcupine... Ugh...

Cheers
Jay

After Nos's successful first blood track recovery of a deer.
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Yes, I had to put the deer down...
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Goose hunting
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Rabbit hunting
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Duck hunting
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Pictures are worth thousands of $$.
Forget the words, memories are priceless.
You have allowed the memories to grow Jay.
Nos is a sweetie.

Cheers.
 
:agree:

I have had a dog with cancer and we beat it. I find you just can't argue with people that don't get it.... It's just that-They don't get it.

I was very :( when i saw the pics of your poor pup....

Even sadder that poor Nos will likely try to go after the next porcupine with an even bigger vengance... d:h:
 
I sure hope Nos learned NOT to tangle with them & aversion training with ELECTRICITY is in his future to try & ensure it...

Ugh... Puppies...

Cheers
Jay
P.S. Nos is feeling more himself & we have pulled an additional 29 quills post op... Ugh

Glad to see he's doing better. I did warn you about the extra quills it's pretty hard for the vet to get them all.

Best of luck with the training, I never tried the electric training, but it just seems some dogs never learn, in fact, only one dog in my acquaintance learned from the first encounter and didn't go back.

One of my friends had 2 Labradors that were pretty much a yearly quill pull. Three guys trying to hold the dog with one guy in front pulling quills. It wasn't a nice job.
But it was my beagle terrier that took the prize. She had them in her face, in her mouth, in her legs, and all down her side. Hundreds of them.
That was a vet job, but it was years ago, and the bill was only $75.
They were still coming out of her the following summer, and she limped for months.

Next year, she only got a couple thankfully, and I was able to pull those myself in the bush. Found and shot porky, and left him high in a tree, where no doubt some fisher will find him.

My other dog, a beagle with no terrier blood, never got more than two quills in her lip, I pulled those in the bush, and she never bothered another porcupine.
 
Curious story to the above, is that I decided to let her come with us for a hunt after the operation, and a few days rest. I just wanted her to get some exercise to see if I could get her to use that leg she held up. Never figured she'd run a deer but she did, and on three legs.
We finally got her to use the leg when we were walking her by calling her to stand on her hind legs against our legs. She would then forget, and walk a short distance on all fours, before reverting to three. We continued with this therapy on each nightly walk, and gradually, she used four legs all the time.
 
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Glad to hear Nos is ok. Great pictures of your hunts as well, reminds me of a black lab, who was pure gold.

Nos looks like he is quite the hunting machine!

I too have a strong dislike for the porkies, after pulling a few barbs from cow's noses and such. You should also see what they do to a corn field. Chew down the stock, take the cob to their favourite tree, take two bites, drop cob and repeat entire process.
 
Glad to see you made the right choice Jay! Looks like nos is a lucky dog to have a good owner!

I can't believe some of the a**holes in this thread. I value my dogs a hell of a lot more than many members of the human race. When it comes to my dogs and the vet the issue isn't "how much is it gonna cost me?" but "what is best for my boys?". These aren't even trained hunting dogs, matter of fact they don't do ANYTHING usefull, other than keep me happy and sane.

In the last year and half we have spent over $12k at the vet on our 4 year old collie, Muskwa. First, we found out he was epileptic, second he ate a big rock and it plugged up his bowel, third he managed to open a cupboard and eat all of his epilepsy meds and OD'd. Not exactly the smartest dog, but we love him, and so he gets whats best for him.

It's incredibly rare to meet a better person than a dog.
 
Well guys, it's Thursday morning, 3.5 days post porky incident & Nos is almost acting himself... Wagging his tail & now back to following my wife & I around rather than just laying on his matt...

He isn't limping, but is still on pain meds so I guess we won't know how this will all play out for a bit yet. We have pulled 30 additional quills, most on the outside of his face, with some inside his mouth.

Ugh puppies! Nos is definitely hard on the head, heart & WALLET! ha ha ha

Cheers
Jay
 
we had a terier cross on the farm in the 50s he killed three that i remember ,, my father jammed his head in the narrow side of a wagon wheel and pulled them all with pliers ,, he lived to be 18 years old , tough old bugger ,,lol wade,,
 
Bless you for doing the right thing by your friend.:cheers:

Our 2 year old German Shepherd had her first porky encounter a few weeks ago. She got maybe 2 dozen quills, but thankfully none in any nasty places.

We were lucky - the vet was still open.

It cost us $400 to have her sedated, and the quills removed.

She's a strong and feisty dog. Unlike our previous GSD, who would let you do just about anything to her, Kara won't.

She was miserable for a day or so, then she got back to ripping around and being the big, goofy kid that she is.

I'm bugged by the comments of a few guys here. Obviously they don't understand the kind of relationship that is possible between owners and their dogs. I pity any dog owned by someone like that.

It's also evident that some people take all the wrong messages from their beliefs. We are meant to be compassionate, and give love in return for love. I feel sorry for anyone who cannot feel love for their pets.
 
Jay

As a life long hunt'n dog owner I completely understand and appreciate your feelings.
Two of my labs would have fully understood "Nos's" feelings.

In my experience with dogs and porkies, one of two things is going to happen next time he encounters one.

a) he will have learned there bad news and stay clear of it... OR

b) he will seek revenge and try to kill the porky


An intelligent dog follows (a). Nos appears to be an intelligent dog... here's hoping anyways. Lucky for me and my two labs they both choose (a).

As a side note : to all the fella's who posted on this thread that the dog is not worth spending the money on.

Please do not ever get a dog of any description as you just do not understand, and never will. Make all dogs everywhere happy and buy a gold fish.! And hope that next time that you need medical attention your wife just doesn't have you put down, as she feels your not worth the time or expense.
 
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