Fido’s face is full of needles, and it’s not because he spent the afternoon with an acupuncturist. If curiosity of a spiky-looking creature got the best of your canine during a hike, it’s likely he got served with a painful batch of porcupine quills in return. Now he’s wailing like a banshee. You want to help him, but you aren’t sure what to do. Pull them out yourself? Call the vet? The answer depends on just how close to the source your pooch managed to get. If he has a few quills lodged in a paw, you may be able to remove them yourself. But if your pup looks like pincushion after a porcupine attack, get him to the vet pronto.
A quick note on porcupine quills: If your furry boy lost a bout in dog vs. porcupine, do not wait for the quills to work themselves out of his skin on their own. They won’t. Porcupine quills are barbed, so two things may happen. First, your confused pup is likely to break them off as he tries to paw them out himself. This ultimately makes the quills harder to remove and may also result in abscessing. Second, since quills are designed to travel one way only, they tend to bury themselves deeper with time, and eventually they can even soften and migrate far enough to puncture an internal organ. Translation? They should be removed as soon as possible. Here’s how to determine whether you can do the job, or whether more experienced hands should take over.
Pluck Your Dog: Porcupine Quills Removed at Home
If your poor pup has a half dozen or so quills in his snout, chest, or paws, go ahead and try to remove them yourself—as long as he’s calm enough for you to approach him. Before you begin, put on a pair of heavy work gloves or gardening gloves to protect yourself from both the quills and an inadvertent bite from your frightened pooch. Get a secure hold on him so that, if you’re dealing with a flinchy dog, quills won’t crack off as you’re trying to remove them. Then, with needle-nose pliers, grasp the quill as close to his skin as you can and steadily pull the quill straight out, reversing the direction in which it entered the skin. Don’t wiggle the quill because the barbs could catch in the skin or the quill could break off.
Once you’re sure you’ve removed all the quills, cleanse the area with hydrogen peroxide (available at pharmacies) to keep dirt and germs from invading wounds. Your pet won’t get an infection from the quills themselves because—fun fact!—they actually contain an antibacterial substance on their surface. However, if foreign substances get into the wounds later, they can cause problems.
If you’re having trouble while trying to remove the quills on your own, stop and call the vet. The cost is likely to be much the same whether the vet pulls 6 quills or 60, so why put your pet through the additional trauma?
If you remove the quills yourself, congrats! Now call your vet to report the incident. Although porcupines aren’t prone to rabies, the vet may want to give your dog a booster anyway, especially if there have been cases of rabies in other animals in your area.
Massive Attack of a Porcupine? Dog Doc Should Deal
What kind of damage can be caused by a single porcupine? Dog can get stuck with several hundred quills at a time. If your pup has more than a few quills embedded in him, don’t fool around. Take him to the vet immediately. He’s probably in a lot of pain and will be much more comfortable if he’s anesthetized before the lengthy process of removing the quills begins.
Head straight for the vet if some of the quills are lodged inside your dog’s mouth. It’s very difficult to remove them from that sensitive area, and your dog will be better served with an experienced pro.