Page 2324 - Cote clinical veterinary advisor dogs and cats 4th

1151.e10 Porcupine Quill Removal

• Further advanced interventions may be kg IV, IM or tramadol 2-4 mg/kg PO q • If left untreated, patients will experience
required to retrieve quills from areas of the 8-12h) or a nonsteroidal antiinflammatory significant discomfort and are at risk for
body other than the skin. Imaging techniques
infection/abscess formation and migration
VetBooks.ir that are most effective for identifying embed- • The duration of postprocedure analgesia of quills to vital organs, which may result
drug (NSAID), such as meloxicam 0.1 mg/
kg IV, PO q 24h.
ded quills include ultrasound and advanced
in catastrophic complications (e.g., pneu-
imaging such as CT and/or MRI.
• Thoracoscopy or a thoracotomy may be depends on the extent and location of the mothorax, septic peritonitis, septic arthritis,
CNS disease, blindness).
quill injury, but most patients are provided
required for quill retrieval from the thorax. 3-5 days of analgesia.
• Laparoscopy or exploratory laparotomy • Patients should be provided antibiotic therapy SUGGESTED READINGS
may be required to retrieve quills from the (cephalexin 22 mg/kg PO q 12h or amoxicil- Brisson BA, et al: Ultrasonographic diagnosis of septic
abdomen. lin/amoxicillin-clavulanic acid 14-22 mg/kg arthritis secondary to a porcupine quill migration in
• Arthroscopy or an arthrotomy may be PO q 12h) for an average of 7 days. dog. J Am Vet Med Assoc 224:1467-1470, 2004.
performed for removal of quills from the • A longer course of antibiotics should be Johnson MD, et al: Porcupine quill injuries in dogs:
joints. provided in severe cases, in which quills a retrospective of 296 cases (1998-2002). Can Vet
• An ophthalmologist should be consulted have migrated into the thorax, abdomen, J 47:677-682, 2006.
regarding how to best address quills that joint, or central nervous system (CNS). Sauve CP, et al: Identification of intra-cranial
intra-axial porcupine quill foreign body with
have migrated to the ocular/retrobulbar or • An e-collar should be provided in cases computed tomography in a canine patient. Can
periocular region. where patients may cause postprocedural Vet J 53:187-189, 2012.
self-induced trauma.
Postprocedure AUTHORS: Valerie Madden, DVM, DACVECC; Søren R.
• Analgesia should be provided to all patients Alternatives and Their Boysen, DVM, DACVECC
who have suffered a quill injury. Relative Merits EDITORS: Leah A. Cohn, DVM, PhD, DACVIM; Mark S.
• Analgesics after the procedure often include • There are no humane alternatives to quill Thompson, DVM, DABVP
opioids (e.g., buprenorphine 0.01-0.02 mg/ removal.

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