Delilah fights a porcupine - and loses
Anyone that knows Delilah the ninja dog, knows what an incredible companion she is. She loves everyone she meets, will cover you with kisses, and is always down to play fetch (with a solid nose in your butt to get your attention!) The joy she brings to my life, and everyone else's, is indescribable.
On Monday May 10th when we got home from work, I let her go in the yard as I always do. She immediately raced across the yard and started wrestling with something. Once I realized that it was a porcupine, and knowing her hunters instinct, I knew she would not leave it alone until it was dead even if it mangled her in the process. I somehow had to snap her out of her hunting frenzy without hurting myself, and thankfully I still had her leash in my hand to hit her with. Once she let go, she started frantically pawing at her face to try to get the quills out. I had to pin her down to the ground to stop her hurting herself more, getting covered in bruises and scratches in the process. My incredible sister kept calm by my side, helping me hold D, calling our mom for advice, and driving us to Tufts as I held D in the back seat. We were able to get her in the ER within half an hour and under their incredible care.
Normally when a dog is quilled, it is pretty straightforward: a couple hours at the vet pulling the quills out, because the dog got hit and ran away. Delilah's case was so much worse, and after pulling over 200 quills out of her face that night, they knew there were still so many smaller quills underneath the skin. Those quills have a significant chance of migrating through the body and puncturing organs, so she would need multiple surgeries to remove them all and give her the best chance of recovery. After fifteen hours of surgery, five days in the ER, and another 75 quills removed, she is finally home and starting to feel more like herself. It will be a long recovery but I am hopeful she will be back to her bouncy self soon!
Delilah's hospital bills total over $8,000 over the last week, and she may still need more surgeries down the road. Any amount helps tremendously and is so appreciated. I would do anything to help Delilah, and I know so many others would do the same!
THANK YOU! Sending each one of you all our love - Caraline & Delilah
