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Breeds presenting for porcupine encounters and quill encounters. * Over-represented breeds. " Other breeds " includes 43 breeds and crosses
Source publication
The purpose of this retrospective study was to identify factors associated with quill injury in dogs. A second objective was to determine the risk of complications and any factors that would predict the likelihood of complications. Hospital records of 296 porcupine quill injuries in dogs from 1998 to 2002 were studied. There was an increased occurr...
Context in source publication
Context 1
... breed dogs accounted for 96% of cases being presented for quill removal, but only 54% of all admissions. A total of 57 individual breeds or crosses were represented in the study population (Figure 1). Repeat visits by individual dogs for quill injury were censored from breed analysis. ...
Citations
... Porcupine quills are frequent foreign bodies retrieved in canine bodies, especially in the head, neck, and thorax [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]. Quills from Hystrix and Erethizon, frequently break off at the skin level, thus hampering their identification at the time of patient presentation for veterinary care [9]. ...
... Quills from Hystrix and Erethizon, frequently break off at the skin level, thus hampering their identification at the time of patient presentation for veterinary care [9]. Early diagnosis and subsequent complete removal improve the prognosis and outcome [8]; if this is not possible, quill migration and, consequently, injuries in several body tissues or cavities can occur. Migration to the thorax usually causes pleural effusion and pneumothorax [8]. ...
... Early diagnosis and subsequent complete removal improve the prognosis and outcome [8]; if this is not possible, quill migration and, consequently, injuries in several body tissues or cavities can occur. Migration to the thorax usually causes pleural effusion and pneumothorax [8]. When the eyes are struck, the collateral damages are severe and can lead to loss of vision [6,12]. ...
The porcupine is a nocturnal quill-bearing rodent common throughout Italy. When threatened, it defends itself by erecting its quills, rattling its tail, and running sideways or backyard into predators. The quills are released upon contact with assailants and tend to migrate into several body tissues or cavities due to the unique inverted cuticles (crenate) directed downwards to the quill base (a sort of “harpoon effect”). Intracardiac migration of porcupine quills has been reported in a few dogs with severe clinical signs. This case report describes a single porcupine quill [Hystrix cristata, (HC)] migration through the heart in a dog and the use of multimodality imaging for the diagnosis and surgical approach. A 4-year-old 25 kg female mixed-breed dog was presented for evaluation of recurrent fever. Transthoracic echocardiographic examination showed a linear, hyperechoic foreign body traversing the interventricular septum from the heart base to the cardiac apex. Computed tomography and transesophageal echocardiography confirmed the presence of a single structure resembling a quill; a later esophageal endoscopy showed no anatomical alterations or mucosal injuries. Following median sternotomy and after accurate localization by intraoperative ultrasound, the quill was successfully removed. The dog had a good recovery without evidence of severe cardiac injury secondary to an intracardiac quill. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the identification of an intracardiac HC quill by ultrasonography and CT and its successful removal by ultrasound guide has not been previously reported.
... Migrating foreign bodies from the gastrointestinal or respiratory tracts into the abdomen, organs or body wall have been widely reported throughout the veterinary literature. Migrating plant material has been frequently reported (Brennan & Ihrke 1983, Lamb et al. 1994, Schultz & Zwingenberger 2008 and wooden (Hunt et al. 2004, Stander & Kirberger 2011, Lamb et al. 2017, metallic (Pratt et al. 2014) or quilling (Johnson et al. 2006) foreign bodies have also been described. A high palatability of wooden foreign bodies in dogs has also been suggested (Choi & Han 2017), particularly if they have been in contact with food, increasing the likelihood of ingestion (Choi & Han 2017). ...
Objectives:
To describe the clinical presentation, management and outcome of cases presenting with intrathoracic wooden skewers originating from the abdominal gastrointestinal tract.
Materials and methods:
Clinical records of dogs presented and treated for an intrathoracic wooden skewer were reviewed from June to August 2020. Data included signalment, clinical presentation, duration of clinical signs, haematological and biochemical abnormalities, diagnostic imaging findings, surgical procedure, postoperative complications and outcome.
Results:
Eleven dogs were included in the study. In all cases, the foreign body was identified as a wooden skewer. The most common clinical signs were anorexia/hyporexia (n=7), vomiting/regurgitation (n=7), lethargy (n=6), pyrexia (n=4) and gait abnormalities/lameness (n=3). CT correctly identified a wooden skewer in all cases when performed (n=7). A coeliotomy combined with transdiaphragmatic thoracotomy was performed in six of 11 cases (55%), a coeliotomy combined with median sternotomy in four of 11 cases (36%) and a median sternotomy alone was performed in one case. Foreign bodies penetrated from the stomach (n=10) or the duodenum (n=1). Intrathoracic trauma was most commonly identified to the lungs (n=3) and pericardium (n=3). Complications occurred in three of 11 cases (27%), two minor and one resulting in death. Ten of the 11 cases (91%) survived to discharge. Long-term outcome was available for seven of 11 cases (66%), all of them excellent.
Clinical significance:
Despite the challenges of managing wooden skewers penetrating the thoracic cavity from the abdominal gastrointestinal tract, the majority of the patients are stable to undergo diagnostic procedures, surgical exploration and management with low morbidity and excellent short- and long-term prognosis.
... For remains of small prey, if the cost of a CDD team is >4.1 times the cost of two technicians, the cost per detected prey item for a technician team would be lower. Another important consideration of using CDDs includes minimizing predictable risks of encountering wildlife such as wolves (e.g., Edge et al. 2011) and porcupines (Johnson et al. 2006), zoonotic diseases (Guerra et al. 2002), and heat stress (Robbins et al. 2017). Survey work is often done in rugged terrain with dense vegetation and injuries to dogs or handlers can occur. ...
Combining carnivore movements with site visits to investigate predation events can inform investigators of carnivore diets, kill rates, and risk factors for prey. However, detecting remains of prey can be challenging when prey is small or when vegetation conceals prey. Conservation detection dogs (CDDs) have assisted with wildlife surveys to locate objects of conservation interest, often improving detection over human counterparts. We hypothesized that CDDs would improve efficacy for detection of prey remains at kill locations compared to human searchers. We compared the efficacy of CDD teams (1 dog, 1 human handler) and technician teams (2 humans) for locating prey remains at 729 carnivore cluster (potential predation) sites in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, USA, during May to August of 2015. Carnivore species included gray wolves ( Canis lupus ), coyotes ( C. latrans ), bobcats ( Lynx rufus ), and American black bears ( Ursus americanus ). Overall, CDD teams identified prey remains at 2.3 times more clusters, required 42% less search time, and handlers traveled 83% less distance per detected prey remain compared to technician teams. Within carnivore species, CDD teams detected small prey remains at a greater rate than technician teams (4.0–4.3 times greater) for all carnivores except for bobcat which had similar detection rate. Detection of large prey remains (e.g., adult ungulates) was similar between CDD teams and technician teams. Our study supports CDDs ability to outperform humans when searching for objects of conservation interest which are visually cryptic but traceable by scent. Where logistics allow, we recommend use of CDDs over human searchers when it is a priority to locate remains of small prey and when vegetation is dense and may obscure even larger prey items. © 2021 The Wildlife Society.
... In one study of 296 porcupine-quilled dogs, 28 cases (9.45%) developed abscesses or cellulitis that required debridement, drainage and/or antimicrobial therapy. 2 Diseases of the skin and quills have been reported infrequently in E. dorsatum, and include mange (Sarcoptes and Notoedres spp.), dermatophytosis (Microsporum gypsum, Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Arthroderma benhamiae) and yeast infections (Malassezia pachydermatis and Aureobasidium pullulans). [3][4][5][6][7] This report describes the diagnosis and successful treatment of fungal dermatitis caused by Lodderomyces elongisporus in a North American porcupine. ...
Background
Lodderomyces elongisporus is a yeast with a worldwide distribution that has been reported as a cause of infection in immunocompromised humans and in a dog that had been quilled by a porcupine.
Objectives
The objective of this report is to describe the clinical presentation, diagnosis and treatment of dermatitis caused by L. elongisporus in a North American porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum).
Animal
One wild adult male North American porcupine from New York state, USA.
Methods and materials
The porcupine was presented for alopecia and scaling dermatitis over the caudal dorsum. Diagnostic testing included cytological evaluation, trichogram, bacterial and fungal culture, and histopathological examination of skin biopsies.
Results
Histopathological findings from skin specimens demonstrated mild eosinophilic perivascular‐to‐interstitial dermatitis with superficial dermal fibrosis, mild epidermal hyperplasia with moderate‐to‐marked intracorneal and intrafollicular yeast. Fungal culture with matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization confirmed L. elongisporus as the cause of the dermatitis. The porcupine was treated with a six week course of oral itraconazole with clinical resolution.
Clinical relevance
Infection with L. elongisporus should be included as a differential diagnosis for North American porcupines exhibiting signs of dermatitis including scaling and alopecia. This case report may be relevant for the diagnosis and treatment of porcupines with dermatitis and for animals or humans that have been quilled by a porcupine.
... A lesser anteater killed by its mother (case no. 6) had interstitial pneumonia, which is similar to previous reports in injured neonatal giant anteaters that developed respiratory problems (Moford and Meyers, 2003). Although injuries from porcupine quills are common and well documented in dogs (Johnson et al, 2006), there are no previous reports in anteaters. There is one brief description of microscopic scalp lesions in a human who had been attacked by a porcupine (Sphiggurus villosus), 7 days after removal of the quills. ...
There is little information on the anatomical pathology of Brazilian anteaters. Considering the relevance of knowledge of diseases of these species for their conservation, the aim of this study was to describe pathological changes in 99 captive and free-ranging anteaters from the Brazilian states of São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Bahia, Mato Grosso do Sul and Amazonas. Forty-two animals were killed on roads and 10 died from burns injuries. Other significant conditions included the metabolic diseases of iron storage disease, tissue mineralization and taurine deficiency, protozoan and metazoan infections, candidiasis, sporotrichosis, clostridiosis and prolifera-tive disorders including squamous cell carcinoma.
... 2 Injuries caused by quills range from minor peripheral penetrating injuries (eg, limbs) to internal organ penetration subsequently leading to death from peritonitis. 4,5 Injuries related to porcupine quills are common among several species of animals, 6 and reported quill-related injuries to humans are most typically from relatively small quill-bearing porcupines (Table 1). However, the mechanism of injury, sequelae, and management of H indica quill-related injuries in humans are rarely described. ...
The Indian crested porcupine, Hystrix indica, is a large rodent with the unique feature of long quills. These quills are an integral part of its defense mechanism against predators. Injuries resulting from human contact with quills may cause pain, bleeding, and swelling. Quill-related injuries are common among animals such as dogs, cats, and some wild animals. The mechanism of injury, consequences, and management of injuries to humans from H indica quills are rarely described. In this report, we describe the injuries and management of a man who sustained injury from H indica quills.
... Quill injuries caused by the African porcupine, Hystrix africaeaustralis, are not unusual in southern Africa. Quill migrations are common, but migration into the central nervous system is rare (Daoust 1991;Johnson et al. 2006;Schneider, Chen & Tucker 2010). Both septic and sterile foreign body reactions can result from penetrating porcupine quills, due primarily to their being sharp, barbed (North American or Erethizon spp.) or ridged or scaled (African or Hystrix spp.), which aids migration as well as being an irritant, and their often contaminated nature (Grahn et al. 1995;Sauvé, Sereda & Sereda 2012;Vincent & Owers 1986). ...
... Both septic and sterile foreign body reactions can result from penetrating porcupine quills, due primarily to their being sharp, barbed (North American or Erethizon spp.) or ridged or scaled (African or Hystrix spp.), which aids migration as well as being an irritant, and their often contaminated nature (Grahn et al. 1995;Sauvé, Sereda & Sereda 2012;Vincent & Owers 1986). An increased time between quill injury and presentation to the veterinarian is associated with an increased risk of complications; dogs that were presented for quill injuries more than 24 h after injury were 5.2 times more likely to experience complications, compared to dogs presented within less than 12 h (Johnson et al. 2006). Quills frequently break off, thus hampering their identification at the time of patient presentation for veterinary care (Guevara et al. 2015). ...
... Quills frequently break off, thus hampering their identification at the time of patient presentation for veterinary care (Guevara et al. 2015). Therefore, early diagnosis and subsequent complete removal improve the patient's prognosis (Johnson et al. 2006). Determining the best diagnostic imaging modality to locate the quill is thus essential. ...
Although porcupine quill injuries are common in dogs, the detailed appearance of the quill on diagnostic ultrasound, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging has not been sufficiently described. A 4-year-old, intact, female Jack Russel terrier presented with severe neck pain and ataxia after an altercation with a porcupine 2 weeks earlier. Radiology, diagnostic ultrasound, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging were all utilised to identify a quill imbedded in the cervical vertebral canal and cervical musculature and were compared to each other. Surgical removal of the quill, guided by imaging findings, led to the resolution of the clinical signs in the patient. Previous ultrasound imaging reports have just stated that the quill consists of paralell hyperechoic lines, and do not mention the finer hyperechoic lines inbetween and do not try to provide a reason for the appearance. Previous computed tomography (CT) reports just mention identifying the quill on CT images (whether or not CT could identify the fragments), but do not go into detail about the attenuating appearance of the quill nor try to relate this to the composition of the quill. This is to the authors' knowledge the first report with detailed imaging descriptions of a case of cranial cervical vertebral canal porcupine quill foreign body in a dog. This is also the first report to allude to a possible difference in imaging findings related to quill structure because of keratin orientation and melanin content. The ideal imaging modality to use remains elusive, but ultrasound, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging could all identify the quill.
... Quills have a tapering point covered with microscopic barbs, allowing for simple penetration but difficult removal from tissue [2]. Despite the work done on the mechanical properties of porcupine quills [1,3] and literature on quill-related injuries [4], it remains unclear how many quills a typical porcupine possesses. Hall [1] claims the number exceeds 30,000, but this figure may not reflect individual variation present in E. dorsatum. ...
... Quills have a tapering point covered with microscopic barbs, allowing for simple penetration but difficult removal from tissue [2]. Despite the work done on the mechanical properties of porcupine quills [2,3] and literature on quill-related injuries [4], it remains unclear how many quills a typical porcupine possesses. Hall [1] claims the number exceeds 30,000, but this figure may not reflect individual variation present in E. dorsatum. ...
... Porcupine quill injuries in dogs are common in regions of North America (1) especially during the spring and fall when porcupine activity is increased (2). Since many quill injuries begin with dogs engaging a porcupine, wound locations like those seen in this case include the external head, oral cavity, gingiva, mouth, nose, neck region, and less frequently, the limbs and truncal region (2,3). ...
... Porcupine quill injuries in dogs are common in regions of North America (1) especially during the spring and fall when porcupine activity is increased (2). Since many quill injuries begin with dogs engaging a porcupine, wound locations like those seen in this case include the external head, oral cavity, gingiva, mouth, nose, neck region, and less frequently, the limbs and truncal region (2,3). Quills may break off at the surface of the skin and remain lodged there or migrate deeper into the tissues where they increase risk of infection and damage to vital structures and organs (4,5). ...
... Quills may break off at the surface of the skin and remain lodged there or migrate deeper into the tissues where they increase risk of infection and damage to vital structures and organs (4,5). Quills become increasingly rigid and brittle the longer the quills remain in tissue, thus treatment is likely more successful if they are removed soon after injury (2). In a comprehensive study of generalized quill injuries from 1998 to 2002, it was reported that time from injury to treatment was negatively correlated with morbidity and survival (2). ...
A 5-year-old spayed female Boston terrier mixed breed dog was presented with porcupine quill migration. The quills were difficult to detect directly using computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. This case highlights difficulties faced in detecting porcupine quills with current diagnostic imaging modalities and describes surgical and medical management of a patient with massive quill migration.
