A sad puppy in New Jersey died after a fight with a porcupine left him covered in quills.
The staff at the animal hospital told Chester’s owner, 22-year-old Miranda DeGennaro, that they had “never seen quills so awful in their entire lives.”
Chester was probably involved in a fight with a porcupine in the backyard of the family’s home in Sussex County, New Jersey, approximately 2:00 a.m. on September 2.
Chester, a 9-year-old pit bull terrier mix, died after a fight with a porcupine left him with too many quills in his chest and abdomen.
The sad dog passed away from his injuries on Saturday during surgery. His distraught owners are now responsible for a $19,500 veterinary bill.
After Chester’s backyard encounter with a porcupine, his 22-year-old owner, Miranda DeGennaro, sincerely believed her cherished dog would survive.
DeGennaro told NJ.com, “We saw him rushing and barking, so we hurried down the deck, but it was too late.”
The family suspects that the dog attacked the porcupine, as quills are protruding from the animal’s face, chest, and abdomen.
The vets were able to remove all of the visible quills, but according to DeGennaro, they were more concerned about the ones they couldn’t see.
Damage is what appears on CAT scans and x-rays, not the quills, according to Dr. DeGennaro.
‘There is nothing that can be done to determine exactly where they are, so they did the best they could. However, when he ingested some, they spread everywhere.’
In addition to the dog’s lungs, esophagus, and digestive tract, a veterinarian detected a needle in the dog’s pericardium (the sac around the heart).
Concerned that the quills were migrating within the dog’s body and would soon pierce an organ, veterinarians at the animal hospital urged surgery to save Chester’s life.
However, DeGgennaro could not afford the $12,000 down payment for the procedure.
The hospital stated that they would do the procedure to save the dog’s life anyway, but she would be responsible for the complete expense.
Unfortunately, Chester passed unexpectedly during surgery on Saturday, leaving DeGennaro with a $19,500 veterinarian cost.
He was in dire need of surgery, and we all sincerely believed he would survive.
It was crucial for him to undergo surgery,’ said a distraught DeGenaro. I truly believed he was going to survive.
The quills in Chester’s face and abdomen were removed, but the quills inside his body caused too much damage for veterinarians to treat.
A family friend created a GoFundMe page to help defray the cost of Chester’s roughly $20,000 in medical expenses.
A family friend set up a GoFundMe page to assist with Chester’s medical expenses.
Chester is a highly active boy who enjoys playing, going on adventures and rides, and most of all protecting and spending time with ‘his humans.’
Porcupines are typically nocturnal and use their quills to defend themselves against perceived predators, such as dogs.
When a porcupine is in the neighborhood, keep your dog restricted or on a leash, according to Wildlifehelp.org, a website that gathers advice from state wildlife management agencies.
In a Facebook post, DeGennaro advised other dog owners in the neighborhood about the porcupines that had killed Chester.
If I had known that my son’s life was at risk, I would have taken additional efforts to prevent this from occurring.
She wrote that $20,000 in debt and all the help in the world were insufficient to repair the damage caused by the quills.