Porcupine quills are often painful and may need to be removed by a doctor.
Removing pig quills – Thorns, whether from an animal or a human, can be a painful and tedious process. To get started, you’ll need to carefully examine yourself, someone else, or his pet to find all the feathers. Next, use sturdy tweezers to remove each feather from the skin, rinse the open wound with hydrogen peroxide, and apply an antibiotic cream to aid healing and reduce the risk of infection. If any of the porcupine’s feathers are found inside the mouth, or if there are simply too many to remove all at once without causing extreme pain, a visit to the doctor or veterinarian may be in order.
A visit to the vet may be necessary if an animal has porcupine quills attached.
Before beginning to remove feathers from a human or animal, it is important to remember that the process is painful and it is best to avoid breaking the porcupine’s feathers from the skin. For this reason, you may need another adult present when removing feathers from a child or small animal to help contain them during the process. Depending on the pet’s temperament, it may be safer to have the feathers removed by a professional after giving the pet a mild sedative.
Ointment cream can help soothe porcupine quill wounds.
In most cases, a set of pliers will be the most effective tool for removing porcupine quills. To avoid the risk of infection, clean tools with isopropyl alcohol before use. Then place the tip of the pliers around the pen as close to the skin as possible. Using a slow and steady pulling motion, carefully remove the pen from the skin. In some cases, pulling straight up may not be the best idea, as this can increase the chances of a feather breaking if it enters the skin at an angle. When pulling, pay attention to the angle of the pen and pull it in the direction it entered the skin.
A cotton ball should be soaked in hydrogen peroxide to clean the area affected by porcupine quills.
After removing all the porcupine quills, clean the affected area with a cotton ball soaked in hydrogen peroxide. Then apply an antibiotic ointment or cream to each wound and cover it with a small bandage. This will help keep the ointment on the skin, prevent infection, and limit wound exposure to irritants.
If you, someone else, or an animal only has a few porcupine bones embedded in their skin, you can usually fix the problem with this process. However, in general, it is best to remove the feathers if there are multiple feathers, as this can be very uncomfortable, especially for animals. In the event that a feather breaks through the skin, a doctor or veterinarian should be contacted immediately to determine how to proceed.