Pups vs porcupine: Canadian farmer crowdfunds treatment for dogs after brush with spiky friend.

By Jacinta Bowler

Three dogs have run into a prickly situation after a scuffle with a porcupine in Saskatchewan, Canada.

The dogs, Mahalo, Nestah, and Soljah, were injured by the porcupine’s quills, with the female Mahalo having to have extensive surgery to remove the quills from her heart and lungs.

Dennis Mazur, the dogs’ owner, is a farmer outside of the city of Regina, in the middle of Canada.

Mr Mazur said the dogs were recovering well but would need more trips to the vet for further treatment.

Mike Gerrand, a friend of Mr Mazur, has set up a crowd funding campaign on Go Fund Me to help raise the money for future vet bills.

“These dogs are the love of my dear friend Dennis’ life, they travel everywhere with him and are loved by the special needs clients Dennis works with,” Mr Mazur said on the page.

“The vet bills are nearing $US8,000 and climbing to save Mahalo’s life, so I have started this campaign to offset some of the costs.”

The campaign reached the $US10,000 goal after just seven days.

Although porcupines look cute, their quills can be dangerous, with many dogs in North America suffering quill-related injuries every year.

The Australian equivalent, echidnas, do not cause the same issues with pets, as they have spikes which do not become attached to skin of animals or humans.

This post originally appeared on ABC News.