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Oh No!
Porky Quills!
by T. J. Dunn, Jr. DVM
How to remove porcupine quills from a dog.
What to do when an encounter takes place.
If you ever see a dog with a face full of porcupine quills it is truly something you'll never forget... and neither does the dog! Well, most dogs. A few years ago I saw the same dog three Saturdays in a row to remove porcupine quills. He must have found a good feeding area for porkies and thought he could get even with them somehow. He learned the hard way.
Removing porcupine quills from a dog can be as simple as gripping a quill with your thumb and finger and pulling. On the other hand it just may be a long drawn out affair under anesthesia in the veterinarian's office. I recall many late night emergency calls with the frantic voice on the line wondering how long it would take me to get to the clinic to help a distressed dog with a mouthful of porcupine quills.
Porcupine
quills do not have barbs at their ends, and only rarely will actually migrate
through the dog's tissues. The points of the quills are extremely sharp
and stiff and under the microscope actually appear as if they have scales or 
shingles, not barbs, that point backward. Once imbedded into tissues they
can be difficult to remove, especially the tiny ones that want to break before
they are extracted. Through the last 30 years in the forested region of
northern Wisconsin where I have practiced I have removed thousands of porky
quills from hundreds of dogs. I have learned that even if a small part of
the tip of the quill remains behind when trying to extract the quill, it rarely
causes any problem... especially if an appropriate antibiotic is used for a week
or ten days after the procedure. (Once during a spay surgery I came across
a two inch porcupine quill in the subcutaneous tissue of the dog's abdomen.
It showed no signs of scar tissue or migration and was soft and pliable and had
been there an unknown amount of time.) In other words it seems to me to be
easier on the dog if I do not make numerous incisions and prod and spread
tissues in order to find a tiny segment of a quill tip. As you can see
from the photos below the patient would be nothing but lacerations if incisions
were made whenever a tiny quill tip remains. An entire quill is a
different matter, though, and an attempt should be made to remove any intact
quills that are able to penetrate the skin completely.
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Removing porky quills from a dog...
| Click on each image to see a larger version in a new window. | ||
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| The patient is maintained on gas anesthesia and a careful exam is made. | This photo was made over an hour in to the procedure. | The quill is gripped as close to the skin as possible. A second forceps just above the first one will grip even better. |
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| The little white rectangle above the teeth is the close up area in the photo to the right | The quills do not have to be cut or clipped to "let the air out". They are not under pressure from the hollow area within. | Porcupine quills in the tongue! |
Home Removal
of Porky Quills:
If your dog only has a few quills and you are certain that there are none in the
mouth or throat, you can remove quills at home fairly easily. The first
thing to do is to get a
pair of pliers, then something to cover the dog's eyes
so it doesn't see those pliers approaching. Cover the dogs eyes with your
hand if necessary, speak softly and don't act frantic or you will freak your dog
out even worse! With the dog's eyes covered, bring the pliers up to a
quill and grab the quill firmly and close to the skin. The dog will jerk
backward and will separate himself from the quill. Sometimes you can grab
more than one quill at a time, too. If the dog will be cooperative, coax
it to accept your next attempt at removing more quills and eventually you may be
able to remove a number of them. You may have to give the dog a break for
a few minutes, too, between rounds of quill pulling.
Remember, if there are a large number of quills or if there are a number deep in the mouth, your dog deserves the benefits of anesthesia at the veterinarian's office. If there are only a few, you can certainly try removal at home.
Porcupines are quiet, amusing little creatures who simply want to be left alone. They do not shoot or eject their quills but will swipe their tails swiftly and leave a bunch of needle like quills in whatever the tail happens to touch. When threatened tiny erector muscles in the skin will make the hundreds of quills over the back "stand up" in defense. Any dog, coyote or wolf that dives in thinking an easy meal awaits makes a startling discovery! If the eyes or throat are affected by the quills, the canine is in real trouble. Left untreated, as happens in the wild, the quills will eventually create festering and oozing and eventually the quill may be rubbed or scratched out. The danger to the victim, though, is very real.
Below are some interesting photos of porcupine quills. Click on the image to see a larger version.
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