Some
owners remove quills themselves, but if your dog's mouth and/or tongue
are "quilled" your dog may need veterinary attention. Using needle-nosed
pliers or forceps, your Vet grabs the quills at a point close to the
dog's skin and quickly pulls them straight out using a local or general
anesthesia. Slow, steady pulls cause undue pain because quills have
backward-facing barbs.
Even during professional removal, quills sometimes break off. To
prevent infection from left-behind quill fragments, your Vet may
prescribe an antibiotic. For a week or so after your dog's prickly
encounter, keep an eye out for infection and for barb-propelled
migrating fragments that could eventually pierce your dog's skin from
the inside out.
