Rescuers Count 673 Porcupine Quills Between Two Dogs Who Endured Them for Days
Guest Contributor
Two resilient stray dogs in North Dakota are getting a second chance at life after what can only be described as a nightmare encounter with a porcupine. Covered in hundreds of sharp quills and struggling with infection, the dogs, later named Miss Prickle Pants and Cactus Jackie, were brought into the care of a local shelter that quickly stepped in with life-saving porcupine quill removal and intensive veterinary treatment. Their story is painful to read, yet deeply hopeful, and it highlights both the vulnerability of stray animals and the quiet heroism of the people who refuse to look away.
The ordeal began when Homeward Animal Shelter in Fargo, North Dakota, received an urgent plea from their partner group Journey Home Animal Rescue (JHAR). Two stray dogs had been spotted with their faces and bodies full of porcupine quills. By the time help arrived, the animals had already endured days of suffering, leaving them unable to eat or drink normally. Infection had started to set in, turning a terrible injury into a potentially life-threatening situation.
A transporter and a staff member responded quickly, bringing the injured dogs to Homeward Animal Shelter late at night. The dogs arrived around 11 p.m., where staff immediately provided pain medication and comfort. Veterinary care could not wait long, so the following morning the dogs were transported again, this time to two different veterinary clinics that would take on the painstaking and difficult work of removing hundreds of quills from their faces and bodies.
The extent of the injuries became clear when Miss Prickle Pants reached CareVet in West Fargo. She required sedation before the veterinary team could begin. Once they started, they found porcupine quills across her face, chest, legs and even embedded in her joints. Many of these sites were already infected. The staff methodically removed each quill one by one, working through what must have felt like an endless task. By the end of the day, they had pulled out 561 quills from Miss Prickle Pants alone.
Facebook/Homeward Animal Shelter
The shelter later emphasized that this number was not a typo. It represents a staggering level of trauma for a single animal to endure. According to the shelter’s account, more quills will likely emerge over the next several weeks as remaining fragments work their way to the surface of her skin, something that can happen after a porcupine encounter. Yet even with more healing ahead, the immediate relief when she woke up from sedation, free of the majority of those quills, was described as unparalleled.
Cactus Jackie’s injuries were also serious, although not as extensive as those of Miss Prickle Pants. She was anesthetized at Minn-Kota PAAWS in Fargo, where veterinary staff removed 112 quills from her face and the inside of her mouth. Quills in such sensitive areas can make even basic survival tasks almost impossible. The shelter shared that they did not know when she had last eaten and that it might have been days since she had any meaningful sustenance. For a stray dog already navigating life without a home, that kind of extended pain and hunger adds another layer of hardship.
Facebook/Homeward Animal Shelter
The veterinary examination revealed that Cactus Jackie had developed early-stage cellulitis, a serious infection beneath the skin. The shelter reported that this infection would require ongoing monitoring and care. Cellulitis can spread quickly and, without intervention, can become dangerous. In that context, the timing of her rescue and treatment appears especially crucial. The prompt response from the rescue organizations and veterinary teams likely made a decisive difference in her outcome.
Between the two dogs, veterinary professionals ultimately removed 673 porcupine quills. Each quill had to be extracted individually to reduce the risk of breakage and additional injury. It is difficult to imagine the level of discomfort the dogs endured before rescue, but the careful work of the veterinary teams offered them a turning point. I found this detail striking because it illustrates not only what the dogs went through but also the dedication of the people who refused to give up on them.
Homeward Animal Shelter credited a broad network of individuals and organizations for making this rescue possible. Journey Home Animal Rescue sounded the alarm and asked for urgent support. Two transporters helped get the dogs where they needed to go. Two veterinary clinics committed time, expertise and resources to manage an unplanned, labor-intensive medical crisis. The shelter described this as a chain of people who all chose compassion over indifference and who ensured that “two dogs get to wake up tomorrow hurting a whole lot less than they did yesterday.”
Stories like this also underscore the financial realities behind animal rescue. The shelter made it clear that these emergency treatments were not part of any prior plan. Yet saying yes to Miss Prickle Pants and Cactus Jackie felt necessary. The decision to provide care came first, with the knowledge that the cost would have to be addressed afterward. Homeward Animal Shelter has since asked the public for help covering the expense of these life-saving procedures, inviting donations to support the dogs’ continued recovery and the shelter’s broader mission. For anyone who cares about animal welfare, this detail highlights how community support fuels the most dramatic and meaningful rescues.
The emotional tone of this story is layered. On one hand, the images described are difficult: dogs with faces full of quills, days of pain, infection setting in, the inability to eat or drink. On the other hand, there is a powerful sense of hope. The dogs now have names, medical care and people advocating for their future. Veterinary teams worked meticulously to remove porcupine quills from dogs who had no way to understand that help was finally on the way. Every quill pulled represented a small step away from suffering and toward healing.
In the world of animal rescue, this case serves as a vivid example of what can happen when organizations collaborate, when people stay alert to animals in distress and when communities rally behind shelters that step up in emergencies. While Miss Prickle Pants and Cactus Jackie still have healing ahead, their story already reflects a profound transformation. They went from anonymous strays in excruciating pain to cared-for patients with a real chance at recovery. For readers, their journey invites empathy, respect for the professionals who intervened and perhaps a renewed appreciation for shelters that say yes even when the path forward is costly and uncertain.