When you head out to the hills with your dogs, the last thing you want to think about is what could go wrong. Porcupines are slow-moving, mostly nocturnal herbivores that pack a mighty punch with a tail full of long quills that can be easily embedded into your pets face if they aren’t careful.  Luckily, the remedy is fairly simple, but rarely cost-effective. Depending on how obsessive your dog is, and how badly they’ve been “quilled,” a porcupine can shut down a weekend in the mountains pretty darned quickly.

Most dogs refuse to learn when it comes to these curious little creatures. You may think that a nose-full of quills would be enough to deter a dog from hunting these little creatures. But sadly, that’s not the case. I’ve had dogs that return to a campsite and within hours of being seen by a veterinarian, have found their prickly little friend and received yet another nose full of quills. Here’s a little information on what you can do if your best four-legged friend insists on learning the hard way:

As a newbie pet owner way back in the day, I didn’t pay one stick of attention to the nutritional quality of the food I gave my pets. I loved them dearly, but I let the commercials of happy pets with lustrous coats dupe me into thinking those products were healthy. As I became more aware of the food I was putting into my own body over the years, it naturally followed that I started making better choices for my pets too.

Sure, most of the healthy pet treats are generally pricier than the alternatives offered by the usual major brands, but the extra money you spend now will lengthen their lives and keep your vet costs down. Take a few moments with me to see the differences between the low-cost “junk food” treats and the high-quality treats. When you’re done reading, I think you’ll be running to toss those bags of crunchy “treats” in the trash as fast you can!

Here’s a sampling of the usually long list of ingredients you might find in standard, and highly marketed, pet treats: