Pain Relief for Catfish Stings

Catfish are large, bottom-dwelling fish that can be found all over the world in freshwater or marine habitats. Catfish are known for their trademark large mouths and whiskers. In addition to these features, catfish also have dorsal and pectoral spines on either side of their bodies which pack nasty, venomous stings if the catfish is picked up or handled improperly. Although catfish stings are not life-threatening, they must be treated right away because of the potential for infection and increased pain.

Catfish Sting Symptoms

• Most catfish stings happen during fishing trips. A catfish is caught and then picked up incorrectly or with a weak grip, resulting in a sting. To properly handle a catfish, pick up the catfish with the palm of your hand on the catfish's ventral side, making sure your fingers are on each side of the pectoral spines and far away from the dorsal spine.

  Other injuries might occur when the family dog tries to pick the catfish up in its mouths and is rewarded with a painful sting.

  Catfish sting symptoms include irritation and pain around the stung area. There is also the potential for the spines to break off and become buried in the skin. If not treated right away, the pain might last for days while the wound becomes infected. In more advanced stages, the patient might experience severe tissue necrosis or even gangrene. In the most extreme cases, finger amputations have occurred because of infections from a catfish sting.

Catfish Sting Treatments

• If stung by a catfish, remove any spines that are stuck in the skin with a pair of sterile tweezers. Once the spines are removed, irrigate the area with warm water (as hot as you can tolerate) to disperse the venom and ease the pain. Wash the sting area thoroughly three to five times per day, and do not put a Band-Aid or patch over the sting area to keep it protected, as this might provoke an infection.

  General pain relief medication for catfish sting treatments---such as Tylenol or Advil---is effective in relieving most of the pain, although your skin will continue to be sore to the touch around the sting area.

  See a doctor if the pain continues or increases around the sting area for more than four or five days, if you see ascending red marks from the spot of the sting or if you experience soreness in the joint areas around the sting. Infections might come from staphylococcus and streptococcus on your skin, as well as bacteria from the waterway where the fish was caught.