Porcupines!

Please Don’t Sniff the Porcupines!

It’s 6 a.m. and the ridge line glows brilliant orange with the dawn of a beautiful day.  In olfactory overdrive, your canine companion explores the peaks and fields on your path.  His movement is halted by a rattling sound in the tall grass: pursue!  Yips of excitement. . . swiftly followed by yelps of dismay.  Your pup has found a porcupine on the defense.  His face is now as prickly as the retreating herbivore’s rump.  

Porcupine encounters are frequent in our Northern coniferous forests.  Porcupines (from the Middle French Porc Espin, or “spined pig”) are herbivores that browse on inner tree bark and foliage.  They are most active at dusk and dawn.  Contrary to popular myth, these mild-mannered creatures cannot shoot any of their 30,000 quills, which are specialized hairs.  When threatened, they prefer retreat, facing away from their aggressor to flare and rustle their quills which can make a rattling sound.  Get too close and they slash with their tail.  With direct contact, the quills embed and release into the skin of the intruder.  The multiple barbs at the quill’s tip causes it to stick in flesh, and untreated quills can migrate into deep tissues.  Once embedded, the quills also expand as they absorb moisture, creating greater penetration and inflammation.

Quill injuries should be treated immediately.  The majority of these encounters occur “after hours” and your inclination may be to delay therapy until the next day.  Please do not hesitate.  Call your veterinarian promptly.  The greater the time between injury and presentation, the greater the potential for complications.  The quills quickly migrate into deeper tissues which may involve joints, eyes, vital organs, the thorax and abdomen.  For quills that become inaccessible, we may need to allow them time to “fester” out of tissues - their exit is not predictable or desirable in some cases.  For instance, one that enters near the shoulder may eventually exit into the thorax causing lung injury. 

Your veterinarian will meet with you to provide pain relief, sedation and possibly general anesthesia (depending on severity) to remove the quills.  Duration of quill removal will vary significantly based on number of quills, length of time since injury and location of quills.  Dogs like Pineapple will likely receive several days’ supply of medication to minimize pain and inflammation. 

For the fortunate few, only a few quills may be embedded.  These may be safely removed at home using a pair of hemostats or needle-nosed pliers (think of your Leatherman tool as well).  Hemostats are readily available at medical supply stores, online, or through your  veterinarian.  Grasp the quill near the entrance to the skin and pull slowly and gently, straight out. Quill length generally varies from ½ to 4 inches. 

We share our woodlands with a wonderful host of creatures, from birds to deer to porcupines (and skunks!). Encounters are rare, and shouldn’t prevent us from taking time for a good romp.  So “Cheers!” to many sun-drenched hours in the company of dogs, companions, and our many woodland friends.