North American Porcupine With Tooth Trouble

North American porcupine in indoor enclosure — Courtesy of Alberta Institute For Wildlife Conservation

anesthetized North American porcupine on exam table — Courtesy of Alberta Institute For Wildlife Conservation

The following story about a North American porcupine was shared with us by Alberta Institute For Wildlife Conservation in Alberta, Canada.

This North American porcupine arrived on July 17, 2024, from Tuscany LRT station in Calgary after exhibiting abnormal behavior. He was found distressed and disoriented while pacing between the tracks.

From a brief visual exam on intake, he did not appear to have any obvious injuries, but once sedated the exam showed a fractured incisor.

closeup on the incisors of a North American porcupine — Courtesy of Alberta Institute For Wildlife Conservation

Staff opted to offer a soft, easily digestible diet until the fractured incisor returned to a normal length. Unfortunately, the porcupine was not self-feeding during the beginning of his rehabilitation journey, because of this the staff elected to syringe feed him EmerAid Herbivore twice daily until he started eating on his own.

Using a combination of EmerAid Herbivore and a blended smoothie including carrot, sweet potato, and apple, this porcupine started on his road to recovery. After 31 days in care, the porcupine’s incisor had fully grown in and he was released into a green area close to where he was found, allowing him to re-establish his territory.