Dog porcupine quills

Video: Porcupine Quills or Spines in a Dog

Dog Porcupine Quills: dogs are inquisitive creatures, if there is something that triggers their curiosity, very likely they will inspect it and give it a nice investigative sniff. However, a porcupine is the last encounter expected, and very likely the dog will yelp in pain and be basically left to deal with quite a prickly situation.

Video: Quill Pickin' with Doc Pawsitive!

Porcupines are animals that are best left alone. With 30,000 quills or more its the last place a dog would think to put their nose if they knew the consequences. Hopefully, though they may have learned a valuable lesson, so next time they will mind their own business.

When porcupine quills embed in a dog’s skin it is a very painful situation to deal with. As a matter of fact, when there are many quills embedded, veterinarians may give sedatives and even anesthetics. However, if the quills are just a few, owners may attempt to remove them at home but being very careful not to get bit.

Video: Homeless, Scared, and Full of Quills

Your dog may trust you and love you to death, but when painful situations arise you really never know what to expect. A bite from pain is a quite natural response in a dog suffering from acute pain so caution is recommended. Even the best dogs are sometimes muzzled at vet offices because you just never may know.

How to Remove Porcupine Quills from Your Dog

• First you want to get some gloves. The best are strong leather gloves, latex surgical gloves are not enough to protect yourself.
• Next you want to sooth your dog and keep him/her as calm as possible. Remember, it is very painful. Talking to her softly and distracting her with some treats may help calm him or her down.
• You must equip yourself with the right tools. Scissors should never be used as they cause the quill to likely shatter creating much more problems. The ideal tool therefore would be a pair of blunt nose pliers.
• If your dog has any quills in its mouth, you want to provide your dog with immediate professional care. Do not attempt to remove quills from the mouth at home and if there are lots of quills embedded in the skin a veterinarian is the best choice.
• You must grab the quill as close to the skin as you can, pulling until the quill successfully exits.
• It is not abnormal for your dog to cry out in pain, the quills have backward scales that make them difficult and painful to remove.
• Disinfecting the area is a wise choice. Beatadine solution will help keep the area clear of infections.
• After removing the most visible quills, ensure that there are no remaining quills by carefully feeling your dog’s skin. Some small quills may not be visible under the fur.

Video: Three Dogs Encountered Porcupine, Outcome Was As Bad You'd Expect

Porcupine quills are a very bothersome situation to deal with. Hopefully your dog will have learned to stay away from these prickly creatures!

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