Medical-grade honey is used by some veterinary surgeons as a dressing for selected wounds, burns and damaged skin. It may help maintain a moist wound environment and has antibacterial properties.
This does not mean that ordinary honey should be applied to an untreated wound at home. Deep, infected, surgical or badly damaged wounds require veterinary examination. Some need cleaning, dead-tissue removal, antibiotics, pain relief, surgery or carefully selected dressings.
What is medical-grade honey?
Medical-grade honey is specially produced, filtered and sterilised for clinical wound care. Manuka honey is commonly used in these products because of its antibacterial properties.
Products intended for wound care include sterile honey dressings and sterile tubes of medical-grade honey. Activon is one example that has been used by veterinary practices.
Medical-grade honey is not the same as supermarket or home-produced honey.
Food honey is not manufactured as a sterile wound dressing and may contain contaminants or bacterial spores. Pasteurisation is not the main distinction: a product intended for wound care should be clearly identified as sterile and medical grade.
How may it help a wound?
Research and veterinary experience suggest that medical-grade honey may:
- Help inhibit the growth of some bacteria within a wound.
- Maintain a moist environment that supports wound healing.
- Draw fluid into the dressing and help loosen damaged tissue.
- Help reduce odour from some wounds.
- Support the formation of healthy granulation tissue.
It is usually used as part of a complete wound-management plan rather than as a replacement for veterinary treatment.
Published veterinary studies have reported useful results from medical-grade honey in some contaminated wounds and other skin conditions. However, results vary according to the type of wound and the product used.
One study of medical-grade honey for canine wounds reported rapid clinical improvement in many treated dogs. Other research involving small, uncomplicated wounds has not always found an advantage. Medical-grade honey should therefore be selected for an appropriate wound rather than being regarded as a cure for every injury.
When veterinary attention is essential
Contact a veterinary surgeon promptly if a dog has:
- A deep, gaping, puncture or bite wound.
- A wound involving a joint, paw, tendon, chest or abdomen.
- A surgical wound that has opened.
- Heavy bleeding, severe pain or an inability to use the limb.
- Black, grey or dying skin.
- Swelling, heat, pus, an unpleasant smell or spreading redness.
- Fever, lethargy, loss of appetite or other signs of illness.
- A burn or scald.
- A wound that is not beginning to improve.
Do not delay treatment while trying honey at home. A wound that looks small on the surface may conceal extensive damage or infection underneath.
A dog must also be prevented from licking or removing the dressing. A veterinary surgeon may recommend a protective collar, body suit or other method appropriate for the position of the wound.
Personal experience: Gabby’s severely injured foot
The following photographs show the experience of Gabby, a Belgian Laekenois whose foot became trapped in her kennel, causing extremely serious damage.
Her veterinary surgeon initially discussed amputation and warned that Gabby might never use the foot normally again. Her owners wished to give the limb an opportunity to heal.
The wound was managed by the veterinary practice and initially required daily dressing changes under sedation. Medical-grade Manuka honey was introduced several weeks into the treatment.
This is one dog’s experience. The photographs do not demonstrate that medical-grade honey alone saved the limb: veterinary assessment, cleaning, dressings, protection and continued monitoring were all important parts of Gabby’s treatment.
Early stages of treatment
Recovery
Approximately four weeks after the original injury, Gabby was walking normally. Six months later the foot had healed, with surprisingly little visible scar tissue.
Personal experience: Lou’s dewclaw wound
My own Rough Collie, Lou, tore a dewclaw badly at its base. She was already rather accident-prone and had cut a paw pad the previous month, so I asked the veterinary surgeon to remove the damaged dewclaw to reduce the risk of further injury.
The procedure initially went well. Approximately one week later, after the dressing had been removed and she was allowed to exercise, Lou ran at full speed and the wound opened between the stitches.
The wound opened
The skin had begun to break down and the area appeared slightly infected. Because of the condition of the tissue, the veterinary surgeon was unable to stitch the wound again.
Veterinary treatment with Activon
The veterinary practice shaved the leg to help keep the area clean. For the following week, Lou returned to the practice every other day.
The wound was packed with Activon medical-grade Manuka honey and covered with a Biatain dressing and veterinary wrap.
After approximately one week, healthy tissue had filled much of the open area. Following the veterinary surgeon’s instructions, I then cleaned the wound using the specifically recommended dilution of Hibiscrub and applied Activon as directed.
Do not copy a wound-cleaning routine without veterinary instructions. Chlorhexidine products such as Hibiscrub must be diluted appropriately and may damage healing tissue if used incorrectly or too strongly.
The correct dressing and frequency of changes will depend upon the wound. A dressing that is too tight, wet, dirty or left in place too long can cause further injury.
One week later
Lou’s experience showed me how useful medical-grade honey can be when it is selected and used as part of a veterinary wound-management plan.
The treatment was not simply a matter of putting honey on the wound. The leg was examined, shaved, cleaned, packed and dressed by the veterinary practice, with frequent checks to ensure that it was healing correctly.
Can dogs eat Manuka honey?
Food-grade honey is sometimes promoted for allergies, kennel cough, digestive problems, stomach ulcers and immune support. At present, there is insufficient reliable veterinary evidence to recommend feeding Manuka honey as a treatment for these conditions.
For that reason, this page does not provide internal dosing instructions. Giving a teaspoon according only to whether a dog is described as small, medium or large does not take account of its exact weight, health, diet or reason for treatment.
Feeding Manuka honey should not replace diagnosis or veterinary treatment.
- A cough may be caused by infection, heart disease, airway disease or another condition requiring examination.
- Itching and allergies have many possible causes and may require parasite control, dietary investigation or medication.
- Vomiting, abdominal pain, blood in the stool or suspected stomach ulcers require veterinary advice.
- Honey will not treat a bacterial infection elsewhere in the body in the same way as an appropriately prescribed antibiotic.
Sugar and calories
Honey contains a high concentration of sugar and calories. It is generally unsuitable for a diabetic dog unless a veterinary surgeon has specifically advised its use.
It may also be inappropriate for an overweight dog, a dog with dental disease or one receiving a carefully controlled diet.
Puppies and dogs with reduced immunity
Ordinary raw or unpasteurised honey is not sterile. It should not be fed to young puppies or dogs with a weakened immune system without veterinary advice.
Medical-grade wound honey is produced for topical clinical use. It should not be fed unless its manufacturer identifies it as suitable for oral use and a veterinary surgeon has advised doing so.
Medical-grade honey or supermarket honey?
- Medical-grade wound honey: specially processed, sterilised and manufactured for clinical wound care.
- Food-grade Manuka honey: intended to be eaten and not necessarily sterile or suitable for an open wound.
- Ordinary supermarket honey: a food product and not an appropriate substitute for a sterile veterinary dressing.
- Homemade or raw honey: may contain environmental contaminants and should not be applied to an open wound.
Important points to remember
- Have serious, deep, infected or surgical wounds examined by a veterinary surgeon.
- Use only a sterile medical-grade product intended for wound care.
- Follow veterinary instructions about cleaning, application and dressings.
- Prevent the dog from licking the wound or eating the dressing.
- Check bandaged toes regularly for swelling, coldness, heat or discolouration.
- Return to the veterinary practice if the wound smells, discharges, becomes painful or stops improving.
- Do not use honey as a substitute for antibiotics, surgery or other treatment when these are required.
Further information and evidence
VCA Animal Hospitals – topical medical-grade honey
Research comparing the antibacterial activity of medical-grade and other honeys
Study of medical-grade honey in the management of canine wounds
Evidence review: Manuka honey and wound healing in dogs
Study of a Manuka honey wound product in small acute wounds
Veterinary disclaimer: This article provides general information and includes two personal experiences. It is not intended to diagnose an injury or replace veterinary care.
Always obtain veterinary advice before treating an open, infected, surgical or slow-healing wound. Only use wound products and cleaning solutions according to the instructions provided by your veterinary surgeon.