A local dog is on a long road to recovery after a dangerous porcupine encounter in NW Calgary earlier this year.

The dog, Ava, ended up with a snout full of quills after encountering a den filled with porcupines while at an off-leash area at Nose Hill Park with her owner.

The damage was so severe that Ava’s owner, Mackenzie Braun, was worried her pet wouldn’t survive.

“It was so awful my first thought was I was shocked she was alive,” says Braun. “She was absolutely covered in quills, the worst the vet hospital had ever seen.”

Braun says Ava had a puffer jacket on that likely saved her life.

After the frightening encounter, the dog was rushed to Paramount animal hospital where she underwent a six-and-half-hour surgery that involved 14 large incisions, including five in the dog’s mouth.

And while it’s been weeks since the incident and surgery, Braun says she worries everyday if Ava is going to make it.

“She just had 10 more removed from her throat, so it is the risk of them migrating to her esophagus and her lungs,” says Braun.

She says off-leash areas will be off limits for them, for now, and Braun is cautioning other dog owners to be careful at Nose Hill.

“I would hate to have this happen for anyone else,” she says.

More information on Calgary’s off-leash dog parks, including what to do if you dog or its owner encounter wildlife, can be found on the city’s website.