Rescue pup left with thousands of quills on his face after trying to eat porcupine

Brutus was left with thousands of quills on his face after he tried to eat a porcupine (Picture: SWNS)

A poor rescue pup lost his eye when he got 1,500 quills in his face after trying to eat a porcupine.

Brutus the Staffordshire bull terrier, aged two, lived in a First Nation community in the Treaty No. 6 Territory near Edmonton, Canada, after he was abandoned.

While out looking for food earlier this month he came across a porcupine den and tried to eat one.

The quills were found all over his face, including in his snout, his mouth and his eyes.

He was taken to an emergency 24-hour vet by Ashley Bard, 40, president of the animal rescue organisation Paws Up Program (PUP).

Seven of the quills were found in his left eye which eventually had to be removed.

Ashley said: ‘As well as the quills all over his face and eye, he also had many quills inside his mouth.

‘In an attempt to eat the porcupines, he ended up with quills in his teeth, gums and roof of his mouth.

Brutus found with the quills on his face (Picture: Ashley Bard/SWNS)

Brutus was taken to the vets by Ashley (Picture: Ashley Bard/SWNS)

‘He has been a total sweetheart throughout.

‘Even when he still had the quills in, some dogs get a little aggressive, but Brutus was very calm.’

This is not the first time PUP has dealt with such issues as porcupine quills are a common problem for dogs in the area.

Ashley said: ‘Unfortunately, these types of incidents happen all too often.

He is now looking for his new home (Picture: Ashley Bard/SWNS)

‘A lot of the dogs living in First Nations are outdoor and will often find food of their own, which leads to these interactions with porcupines.

‘This is the 27th porcupine quill call we’ve had in the last two months.’

Brutus is expected to make a full recovery from his surgery and is now looking for a new home.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.