Canine & Cactus DEALING WITH A PRICKLY ENCOUNTER

By Cherese Cobb

From prickly pears that have cartoonish-like pads, to barrel cactuses that always lean southwest, Arizona has 53 species of cactus. And some are more dangerous than others.

Janet Galante, owner of Sit! Stay! Play! Dog Daycare in Tucson, Arizona, says the spines, modified needle-like leaves commonly referred to as needles, from a jumping cholla cactus got lodged in the leg of Turk, her Vizsla. Before she could remove the needles, Turk tried to pull them out himself resulting in a $300 vet bill for removal from his gums, tongue, and throat. While walking with his former owners in north Scottsdale, a six-month-old Wheaten Terrier named Tigger stepped on a cactus spine and had to have his leg amputated.

Whether your dog brushed against a saguaro in the desert or your cat pushed a potted cactus off the table, here’s how to remove the needles and care for the injury.

Step 1: Examination

Examine your pet’s whole body for cactus needles. If there are just a few in a non-sensitive, easy-to-reach area, remove them at home. If your pet has spines in his eyes or mouth, immediately head to a veterinary hospital.

If your dog has eaten cactus, he may have nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. “Dogs and cats are carnivores, and their digestive system can’t break down thick plant tissue,” says Shadi Ireifej, DVM, DACVS, the chief of medicine at VetTriage, an ondemand telehealth veterinary service. Cactus needles, like foxtails and porcupine quills, can also travel. They can become lodged in your pet’s joints or move from inside his nose to his brain.

Step 2: Preparation

While cactus needles aren’t poisonous, they’re extremely painful. Before you extract the spines, bathe the area with regular salt or Epsom salt water to soften the needles and make them easier to pull out. “Benadryl is also good for cutting down on anxiety. Dogs have a higher resistance to Benadryl than people do, so give your dog one milligram per pound of body weight every six hours as needed,” Ireifej says.

To reduce pain, you can use over-the-counter lidocaine gels like IcyHot or Aspercreme, which, when used sparingly, are safe for dogs. Ingesting large amounts, however, can be toxic so best to put a cone on your dog to prevent licking. “Don’t use lidocaine on cats. They’re very sensitive to systemic absorption of lidocaine and have very low tolerance,” says Ireifej.

Step 3: Removal

Use tweezers, needle-nosed pliers or hemostats to extract the needles. “When you pull the needle out, you’ll want to do it quickly, like you’re ripping off a Band-Aid. More importantly, pull it in the same direction that the spine is penetrating,” Ireifej says. “Otherwise, you risk breaking the spine itself or leaving small barbs under your pet’s skin.”

To remove finer, tiny, hair-like needles called glochids, put on protective gardening gloves, and then rub a pair of nylon pantyhose or a piece of duct tape against the affected area. You can also use craft glue or rubber cement to remove the stubborn needles. Just apply to the affected area, let it dry, then slowly peel it off. The glochids will have adhered to the dry glue.

Step 4: Wound Care

As you remove the spines, clean each wound with warm water and soap. Then dry it with a clean towel. Apply an ice pack to reduce bleeding, redness, swelling, and irritation. It helps numb the area and constricts the blood vessels to prevent bleeding. Don’t leave the ice pack on your pet’s skin for more than 15 minutes. Depending on how bad the bruising is, you can reapply every few hours.

When cactus needles puncture the skin, they also bring bacteria. Apply antibiotic ointment to the wound three times a day and don’t cover the area because it can cause moisture buildup and bacterial infection. To prevent your pet from licking the traumatized area, use a traditional dog cone or soft e-collar.

Step 5: Meds and Follow-Up

Your pet may need antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, or pain medications. “While your dog’s skin may also look fairly normal or mildly inflamed...in my experience, up to 72 hours later, he may end up with patches of dark purple to black skin that feels like leather,” Ireifej says. “That’s dead skin. You will need to visit your vet, so they can surgically remove and reconstruct it.”

Step 6: Prevention

While you can’t protect your dog from all cactus-related injuries, you can keep him on a leash, so he doesn’t run off and step on cactus spines. When you walk your dog, stay on well-marked trails and sidewalks. Consider teaching him the “leave it” command so you can stop him before he decides to stick his nose into a cactus. Fortunately, there’s also a vast assortment of canine boots or shoes available to help protect those precious paws from prickly desert plants, foreign objects and hot pavement.

Cherese Cobb is a professional writer and photographer from Tennessee. When she’s not penning copy for magazines and blogs, she splits her time between family, nature, and cat-worship— chugging coffee to survive all three.