DO NOT TRY TO REMOVE THEM YOURSELF. QUILL REMOVAL IS NOT A DIY PROJECT. The porcupine is a peaceful, timid rodent whose unique method of self-defense often causes grief to inquisitive animals. There can be more 30,000 quills on a single animal. Many of these myths are deeply wrong, dangerous, and can result in infections, migrating quills, severe illness, and possibly death if not addressed properly. Add to Favorites Reading Time: 5 minutes By Heather Smith Thomas — Removing porcupine quills from pets, cattle, and other livestock is an unpleasant task for everyone involved. Porcupines and skunks are primarily nocturnal animals that unleash nasty surprises on unsuspecting dogs and their humans. Porcupines, on the other hand, have a much more severe weapon: quills. One good tug should be all it takes. Quills look smooth to the naked eye, and it can be tempting to think they'll come out easily. If they break off, are missed, or are left in the pet, the quills can migrate through the body. Tack the carcass upside down to a board and place a bin beneath it to catch the quills. An emergency vet would mean an even bigger bill. We have seen a dog that got quills in his face have one appear in his foot months later. Debunking porcupine quill removal myths: The danger of quills is not that they expand in the tissue and cutting them off will not help. As far as the face, they can work themselves into the soft tissue of the cheeks, eye sockets and jaw causing serious infection, blindness and death..make the trip to the vet! Porcupine quills can be very dangerous. Your poor pup probably bit and/or pawed at the porcupine, so the broken-off quills will be near their mouth and feet. The work, which also explains why the quills are so hard to remove… Still, porcupine quills are not just passive weapons. Porcupine quills shed naturally, and also come loose in inter and intra-specific confrontations; and this is how one comes to find them on the ground. The quills can work themselves deep into the skin, muscle and organs if not removed. Aside from wearing them like armor, a porcupine may charge at a predator if it feels threatened, even swinging its quill-covered tail. Sometimes, broken quills can be hidden in a dog’s feet. Norton says some broken quills might be stuck in your dog, too, making it even more important to head to the vet for the delicate removal process. this is VERY painful for the animal, and he needs help. We have seen a dog die six weeks after encountering a porcupine as a result of quill migration. Going to the vet means a bill. To pierce your skin, a porcupine quill needs only about half the force of a hypodermic needle, according to a new study. Toby Walrath Because of their barbs, porcupine quills can get stuck in a dog's soft tissue can move deeper into the body if they're not removed right away. There are several ways to remove quills. the quills have a hook on the end, they will not come out easily, and if you did manage to get them out yourself, there is a good chance of the becoming infected. One of the best is to gently press the base of the quill with a knife blade right at the skin. It is likely, then, that the quills would be dirty and would infect wounds. The more the dog moves, the more likely quills are to break and travel further into his face or paws. Porcupine quills have microscopic barbs that prevent them from being easily removed. Many of us have thought, "He lets me clip his nails. Skunk spray is mostly annoying, although it may have health effects at close range. This scenario often leads to death. 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