Mauli the lab-mutt will be fine.....200 or so quills, a drive from Seward to Soldotna and back, $324 vet bill, and $40 in gas, she better be fine.
My wife and some friends had pulled quite a few quills before i got home from work, but the dozens in the lips and roof of her mouth and snout were too painful for to deal with. Vet sedated her, and I did the bulk of the pulling with some assistance. Mauli wowed the vet with her apparent tolerance for pain, valium, and morophine, because despite repeated dosings, she never went to sleep and was awake through the whole thing. Had a few that were through and through her lips, and a couple that pierced her tongue.
I am glad that my dog will survive. I am REALLY glad that all the stories of having to put dogs down because the quills will work their way in vitals and kill the dog are untrue.
Though it was kind of odd that in all this time I never seen a live porcupine on the road before, much less hit one, but the day my dog gets a faceful of quills, I tag one. If this was some sort of test, I failed, miserably, but my sense of vengence has been satisfied, though I feel like shit for killing something for no reason other than revenge.
So I guess I will not go on with my plan to annihilate the porcupine race. A vendetta against them would be empty and self serving and unjust. Long live the porcupine for he is a mighty creature and worthy adversary.
That and a war against the porcupines would only result in a needless reprieve in my continuing efforts to spread death and destruction among the squirrels.