Someone on H2M2 posted about their dog and porcupine quills.  Had an incident in May, yesterday came home from surgery.  The quills migrated to the lung, pneumothorax, surgery, removed half a lung, checked the other lung and removed 4-5 quills!!!

Since both Ami and Z'ev had their porcupine adventures, I'm more than as bit concerned.  Especially with Z'ev. He didn't bounce back as quickly, the first night I lifted him down the steps and he shrieked.  So much so, I asked Wayne if it was possible I broke s rib!  He proceeded to limp and walk gingerly for about a week, but, still better every day.  Then, I noticed him really working at something, found blood on his paw, went looking, he had a  puncture on his chest just beside his shoulder.  And it smelled purulent.  I cleaned it up, next day walking completely normal and back to his old self.  Theories:  a broken quill festered and worked itself out,  he had a fight with Archer 5 days before this and that left a tear (I saw no blood at the time) or... Also that week he had broken as weld on the shop crate, pulled it inside the crate and punctured himself on that (that crate is now history and on its way to recycling)

Ami perked back up 24 hours after his surgery but with all his fur, who knows what was hiding in there.

So now, I sit, wait and stew.

I'd be seeing a vet for x rays or an MRI. If there are migrated quills, removing the sooner is better than later. Maybe catch one before it does any organ damage.

A quill is not going to show up on x-ray.  And, both dogs were examined and treated by a vet asap, under heavy sedation.  Husband says in most cases, the body pushes a foreign body out or walls it off.  We have palpated the area frequently and no tenderness, no reactivity, no lumps or thickening.  Vet is quite certain she got them all. Not sure MRI available locally and really do not want to subject either dog to another sedation. Especially Z'ev.

I would think if there was another in there you would have a little infection to deal with that might would show up in blood work. The body is going to show some reaction to a foreign object still wandering around inside.