SAN ANTONIO – A playful pup wanted to make friends with a porcupine last week but it didn’t go well.
San Antonio Pets Alive shared photos on Facebook of one-and-a-half-year-old Nugget, an American Staffordshire terrier mix, with a face full of quills after his unsuccessful attempt at playing with a porcupine.
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Nugget was on the city’s euthanasia list in early July but a foster stepped in and saved his life, San Antonio Pets Alive officials said.
He was playing in his foster parent’s backyard when he met the porcupine, but things didn’t go well and Nugget ended up with “hundreds of quills in his face and legs.”
Nugget was rushed to an emergency vet clinic where he had x-rays, fluids, quill removal surgery, anesthesia, medications, and more, according to San Antonio Pets Alive staff.
“The cost of his surgeries has already been $2,500, and he is due for a follow-up and stitch removal in the next couple of weeks. With Nugget’s most recent x-ray, the vet isn’t sure if the lines on the x-rays are quills, air pockets from removed quills, or abscesses,” officials said.
San Antonio Pets Alive is asking for donations to help cover the cost of Nugget’s medical bills. Any funds left over after covering the cost of Nugget’s bills will go towards the other dogs and cats the rescue saves each year.
“Nugget is doing much better now and putting weight on all four legs and was quite the social boy during his time at the veterinary clinic,” according to San Antonio Pets Alive.
He is available for adoption and is potty and crate trained.
According to his profile, Nugget “absolutely loves squeaky tennis balls and stuffed toys, happily playing fetch, running all over the yard, and returning the toy to you to throw again.”
Nugget also loves to give kisses and enjoys getting pets from his human friends.
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