porcupine nailed my dog

[JeffB]

Last weekend I was pheasant hunting, and as we entered a pothole with tall grass and cattails my dog got birdy. As I aproached the area he was working all heck broke loose and he comes out of a batch of tall grass with about 30 porcupine quils sticking out of his mouth and lower jaw. I didn't want the quills to get pushed in further going back to the truck and riding to the vet, so I had a friend hold him and pulled them out with my leatherman. After pulling them out I was going to give my dog a break and consult with a vet, but he ran to where my son was and started looking for birds again. In the end I let hem hunt the rest of the weekend and took him in on Tuesday as his lower jaw showed signs of infection. The vet gave him antibiotics which already has his jaw looking much better. Do you think I should have taken him to the vet right away. The vet said some of the barbs may have stayed in causing the infection. Anyways just looking for any advice on what to do in the future if I would have this happen again, hopefully he learned his lesson and will steer clear of the porks.

[Jmnhunter]

a procupine kit is another item i add to the bag, all you really need is white vinegar, your pliers, and disinfectant. you essentially want to soak the kills with the vinegar, this relaxes the barbs and makes them easier to pull out, just be careful not to get the vinegar in the eyes. depending on severity, you maybe able to hold off on the vet until you get home..

[GSP4ME]

My two males get at least one quillpig a year for the past 5 years at least. Normally at least 50 quills to pull out. I dont normally take mine to the vet unless I feel there is an issue. I have had to though when the quills are in the inside of the throat and tongue. hard to get to those

[Ufatz]

Best to get the dog to a vet soon if you can. Sure , you CAN pull them out but you might miss small ones or you might break off the tips of some and end up with a severe problem.

I have had to do it a few times when hundreds of miles off the road in the north country. First, cut the ends off a bit. Quills are hollow and full of air and that will help when you pop them out. Look closely for small ones. And NEVER try to jerk them out around a dogs eyes.

It's a miserable situation all around. Worst part is: some dogs learn their lesson the first time; some never do!!!

[Scott M]

Man, I'll have to remember the vinegar and disinfectant. I know one of these years my dog is gonna run across one.

[Lindy Lee]

I heard once that a person should cut the tip off the quill. They said that there is air inside and when you pinch the quill with the pliers the air causes the quill barbs to stick stronger. I will have to ask the vet about this sometime.

[charliepete]

Cutting off the tip of quills is an wives tail. It does nothing more than waste time and give you a smaller piece to grab when taking out the quill. Vinegar also does not work quick enough to aid in removing quills. A guy should have a nice leatherman or hemostats and start pulling as quick as possible. If you look at the very tip of a quill under a microscope you will see it is shingled almost like fish scales. That what makes them stick, and that's why they are hard to pull out.

[LMITOUT]

Cutting off the tip of quills is an wives tail. It does nothing more than waste time and give you a smaller piece to grab when taking out the quill.

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