mojo_norte
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Cactus stickers in doggie - work out on their own?
Doggie had too much fun chasing Jack Rabbits and got into some Cholla cactus. we were able to get most of the ones out of her face until she got
totally fed up. We were unable to get the ones out of her ear. After a month the ones in her ear have grown over and don't seem to bother her. My
question is will they eventually come out on their own or is a trip to the vet warranted ?
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Mulegena
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Call your veterinarian.
If you have a good relationship with them you should be able to call the office and speak with the assistant who will consult briefly with the vet on
your behalf and get back with you with instructions which might include recommending an office visit.
If you're here in Baja there's a bit more to consider such as the chances of continuing doggie romps and tip-toes through the cholla.
"Raise your words, not your voice. It's rain that grows flowers, not thunder." ~Rumi
"It's the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." ~ Aristotle
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Paulina
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Our Boxer Cora ran into Cholla, chasing cuervos. It was as if those birds knew what they were doing, taunting her at camp, swooping at her till she
took off running after them. Looking up and mouth wide open, she smacked the cactus head on. It took four of us almost an hour to pull them out of her
with Gerber tools. I won't go into the gory details, but it was bad. They were even down her throat. We got 90% of them out. Luckily none of them got
her directly in the eyeball.
We kept a close eye on her, she ate and drank just fine. If her behavior would have changed we would have taken her in to the vet. She was a healthy
dog and up to date on her vaccines.
Like what has happened with your dog, the spines that broke off eventually were grown over. After some time a few here and there festered and came
back out again like pimples. Dern would open the sore and clean out what was left of the spine.
She healed completely.
After that incident she stuck to stalking lizards.
P>*)))>{
\"Well behaved women rarely make history.\" Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
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Mulegena
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Good to know firsthand, Paulina, the long-term prognosis for recovery. Dogs are so wonderful and resilient, much stronger than we humans.
I've assisted a vet in surgery to remove cholla spines from the throat of a German Shepherd, not a good experience for anyone involved and required
general anesthesia.
Chollas and many other thorned plants including roses contain a neuro-toxin, I believe, which can cause chronic pain and localized arthritic symptoms
that can last for many months.
mojo_norte has reason to be concerned for his beloved pet, and I still urge putting in a call to your vet. Good luck!
Edited to clarify: the dog had to be strongly sedated for the surgery; we could not intubate and deliver general anesthesia by mask as the spines were
in the dog's throat, a very serious situation. After the surgery the doctor and operating crew enjoyed our own type of general anesthesia down at the
local watering hole. Glad we could help. 
[Edited on 4-3-2014 by Mulegena]
"Raise your words, not your voice. It's rain that grows flowers, not thunder." ~Rumi
"It's the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." ~ Aristotle
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Paulina
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I agree with you, a call to the vet wouldn't hurt. Better safe then sorry.
We didn't have access to a vet when Cora pulled her stunt. She may have been in shock as she didn't fuss as we worked on her. Either that, or she knew
we were helping her. She was a good dog.
P>*)))>{
\"Well behaved women rarely make history.\" Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
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chuckie
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Barbara and I walked our dogs from my place to Punta Prieta evry day. My dog Flash was racing everywhere, hunting quail as is in his job description.
There is cholla everywhere, but only one instance do I remember did he ever come back with any. One big chunk, stuck on his back. Popped it off and no
further problems.....He must have taken a cholla avoidance class...
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Osprey
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A pocket comb is the best instrument to remove most cactus spines from humans but I don't know how it works on pets. It's the only way to go on people
who stumble into Teddy Bear Cholla (like me) when they're out hunting.
Teddy Bear is a fish hook type and has the added bad poison on the tip -- makes you shake like a palsy victim.
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baconjr
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While living in Arizona I had a close encounter with a cholla. They have barbed needles that really stick. Let them stay stuck if you can and the
barbs will dissolve and make them a little easier to extract.
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Udo
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I have seen it in Arizona where they have billions of chollas. Use a pair of very small wire cutters (assuming you can't get to a vet) cut them off at
the skin. Put Neosporin on the impacted spines, and in three to four weeks they'll fester out. Peanut butter works also, which help with the
extraction process, but most dogs have a tendency to lick it off.
Udo
Youth is wasted on the young!
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mojo_norte
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Udo
I have seen it in Arizona where they have billions of chollas. Use a pair of very small wire cutters (assuming you can't get to a vet) cut them off at
the skin. Put Neosporin on the impacted spines, and in three to four weeks they'll fester out. Peanut butter works also, which help with the
extraction process, but most dogs have a tendency to lick it off. |
Thanks for that. They've been in about 6 weeks and are hard scab pimples - maybe ready to come out? I'll give it a couple more weeks and off to the
Vet. We tried with 3 of us to get them with tweezers to no avail. The Vet will have to put her under no doubt- Sorry Puppy !
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