Sticky situation! Moment dog is rescued after being left abandoned in agony with dozens of porcupine quills stuck to his face

This is the amazing moment a dog was rescued after being abandoned with dozens of porcupine quills stuck to his face. 

Brady Oliveira, 26, a dog rescuer from Winnipeg in Canada, was left heartbroken after receiving a call about Trooper - so he decided to make the journey to save the pooch. 

He found the black labrador, thought to be around two or three years old, in a 'ton of pain' on the front steps of a house - with multiple punctures from the sharp quills. 

Brady, a professional athlete with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, often rescues animals in need, posting their journey to his 200k followers on his Instagram account @brady.oliveira. 

Brady said: 'The dog had a face full of quills & was in a ton of pain.

Brady Oliveira from Canada rescued black labrador Trooper (pictured), who had dozens of porcupine quills lodged in his face

Trooper, aged around two, has been given a fresh start in life and has been adopted - although he still has scars from the quill punctures

'I drove out to the community and when I saw him, I was in total heartbreak!

'He was quite scared and timid but I let him take all the time he needed until he started to trust me. His sad eyes were telling me that he was in a ton of pain and discomfort.'

Brady and his friend found Trooper on the front steps of a house in a lot of pain and petrified by the quills lodged in his face after an unfortunate run-in with a porcupine. 

Brady had to sit with the terrified pooch for a while so he could calm down, before putting him in the car and taking him to the vets. 

There, they were able to remove all of the quills from Trooper's face and, despite him being a little bit scarred and swollen, he made a swift recovery. 

Brady, who owns three dogs himself, even came back to visit Trooper at the adoption centre to try and help him find a new home and a few weeks later, the delighted pup managed to find a new family.

Brady has now revealed the happy news that Trooper is to be given a fresh start and has found a new family after being put up for adoption with the Winnipeg Humane Society, which described him as an 'absolute joy'.  

He said: 'I needed to sit with him for a bit until he could trust me and then could slip a leash on him and load up in my truck.

Brady was left heartbroken after hearing about Trooper and rushed to rescue him (pictured together)

Brady put Trooper in his car and took him to the vet, where they extracted the spines

The athlete found Trooper on the front steps of a house, petrified and in agony

Brady had to sit with Trooper for a while until he was calm enough to be put on the lead

'I rushed him straight to the emergency vet where he had the quills surgically removed.

'The next day he was picked up and brought to the Winnipeg Humane Society. I tried my absolute hardest to get Trooper adopted.

'I took him to his first adoption event and a couple of weeks later, he got adopted!'

Brady's Instagram followers were left moved by the touching story and Trooper's adorable attitude.  

One commented: 'What a sweet boy! Thank you for all you guys do!!

Another said: 'I’m so in love with Trooper and would adopt him in a heartbeat if I didn’t already have 3…ugh.' 

Brady already has three dogs of his own so Trooper was put up for adoption with The Winnipeg Humane Society (Brady and Trooper pictured together)

The labrador was described as an 'absolute joy' by the adoption centre and is set for a fresh start in life

Porcupines are large rodents covered with sharp spines, or quills, that protect them against predators. It is not uncommon for their quills to become lodged in dogs or other pets.  

It is advised that porcupine quills should be removed by a vet with the animal under sedation or anesthesia in order for safe extraction. 

Many porcupines live in areas in North America and their quills are so sharp they can puncture the skin and move through muscle. 

The quills also carry bacteria with them, meaning they can serve as a source of infection, so they need to be removed as soon as possible. 

The porcupine can have more than 30,000 quills on their bodies - and in some cases, they can even prove fatal. 

In December 2022, a dog owner was left with a $19,500 vet bill after their pitbull died from a porcupine quill attack.