# Manuka Honey & Wounds



## lelabell (1 March 2014)

Hi all, my mare managed to put a hole in her hind leg 2 weeks ago. We have no idea how she has done it, but she had a skin flap (half of it was missing) and the wound was down to the bone. It's about 5" long and 3" wide. There is a flap of proud flesh, which the bottom of it is healthy but we are getting this taken off next week. 

I have been looking on the forum for pics of wounds that have healed with Manuka Honey but I can't find any. Just wandered if folks would mind sharing some pics of before, during and after? 

While I am on the subject, has anyone ever used Manuka Honey on sarcoids? Did it work? Again, pics if possible. 

Thanks loads in advance


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## fuzzle (1 March 2014)

We had a temp vet from Australia and she told me that manuka honey is what they use over there in hospitals and  vets!!  higher the factor the better +25 and above was used for bad mud fever in a horse i new  and yes it worked!!!  she did say it is used for cuts etc  but not had to use it for that yet xxxxx


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## Bestdogdash (1 March 2014)

There was an earlier thread with great before and after pictures, with a nasty leg injury, something like the one you describe. The poster used medical grade Manuka honey dressings and the recovery was staggeringly good. If you search all the forums for the term ' Manuka' I am sure you will find it - wasn't that long ago.


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## Britestar (1 March 2014)

Make sure you use medical grade Manuka, not just any stuff you can buy in the shops. Currently using Activon alternating with steroid cream to heal two wounds created after abcesses burst through skin on fetlock, after horse got cellulitis.
Steroid cream is very good at taking back the proud flesh without having to cut it off.


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## lelabell (1 March 2014)

Oh I'll have a look for that. I've bought 25+ honey so hopefully I can use it when I start to change the bandages.


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## nuttychestnut (1 March 2014)

My horse recently suffered a cut to his fetlock. The vet has left me with some honey to use when bandaging it. I am currently on day 4 and it is looking very good and nearly closed. I am very impressed with the results. I nearly laughed at the vet when he told me to use it! I am now eating my hat!


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## Puzzled (1 March 2014)

Had amazing results with manuka honey on an cut that we had been weeks trying to heal with various dressings.....4 days using manuka under the dressing and the results were unbelievable!


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## kez1001 (1 March 2014)

Please don't use manuka honey on proud flesh. It works by encouraging granulation and desloughing/cleaning wound bed up. Proud flesh is excessive granulation tissue. This would need to be dealt with by a vet or if it's not too bad pressure bandage and clean everyday may help. Or google equiaide


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## Tnavas (2 March 2014)

kez1001 said:



			Please don't use manuka honey on proud flesh. It works by encouraging granulation and desloughing/cleaning wound bed up. Proud flesh is excessive granulation tissue. This would need to be dealt with by a vet or if it's not too bad pressure bandage and clean everyday may help. Or google equiaide
		
Click to expand...

Agree with this, I found that within a week my horses wound had completely filled over with proud flesh. I used Activated Manuka Honey from day one. Wound went down to the tendons.

It was used directly onto the wound using a disposable nappy and vetwrap. Pressure bandages do not reduce or remove proud flesh.

Proud flesh can be removed by the vet but is equally easy for most people to do.

You need Copper Sulphate crystals and Vaseline.
Smear a good coating of Vaseline around the outside and below the wound. Dilute the Copper Sulphate in water until no more will dissolve. Paint the mix onto the proud flesh. Each day wash the wound with saline, removing the dissolved proud flesh. Re apply the Vaseline and Copper Sulphate solution.

Keep doing this until the proud flesh is level with the surrounding tissue. You may need to reapply in a few days time as proud flesh grows again.

The purpose of the proud flesh is to supply a vast amount of blood supply to cover the wound so that it heals underneath. You will notice the wound getting smaller each time.

Barite star you do not need to use medical grade Activated Manuka Honey. The sort you can buy from a health food store will be fine. We have used it on some massive wounds, eg horse crashed a gate post and ripped herself from between the front legs to almost the top of her shoulder. It healed really well.


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## Auslander (2 March 2014)

This is the manuka thread http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/foru...those-interested-AUSLANDER&highlight=Alex2601

This is the original thread - if you look at post 9, it explains why food grade manuka is not considered to be suitable for wound treatment by the majority of eminent veterinary and human wound care professionals.

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?650954-Nasty-wound-still-oooozing-any-ideas


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## Tnavas (2 March 2014)

Auslander said:



			This is the manuka thread http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/foru...those-interested-AUSLANDER&highlight=Alex2601

This is the original thread - if you look at post 9, it explains why food grade manuka is not considered to be suitable for wound treatment by the majority of eminent veterinary and human wound care professionals.

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?650954-Nasty-wound-still-oooozing-any-ideas

Click to expand...

That's because they like the mark up! Seriously I have used Food Grade on all the horses I jhave treated and the one with the split chest and shoulder went through several dozen jars with no ill effects. The majority of Manuka Honey comes from NZ where the flowers they feed on are pristine clean. The risk of any problems is minimal. 

For the OP some posts of wounds treated with Manuka Honey

My friends horse split its shoulder on the gate catch - conventional care for the first couple of days failed - then she took over the treatment using Manuka Honey - horse back in work within 5 weeks. I recently saw the horse and he has a small bald area.














My own youngster put his leg through the fence the white area on the original wound is tendon. He was never lame but was confined for 6 weeks on box rest while it healed to minimise scaring. First photo is initial wound, 2nd after 2 days with Manuka Honey, third 6 weeks later. Recently saw the wound (horse sold) and has healed to a small line. No infection ever developed and horse received no antibiotics. Wound washed only with saline sprayed on with a hand pump spray.


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## kez1001 (2 March 2014)

Tnavas said:



			Agree with this, I found that within a week my horses wound had completely filled over with proud flesh. I used Activated Manuka Honey from day one. Wound went down to the tendons.

It was used directly onto the wound using a disposable nappy and vetwrap. Pressure bandages do not reduce or remove proud flesh.

Proud flesh can be removed by the vet but is equally easy for most people to do.

You need Copper Sulphate crystals and Vaseline.
Smear a good coating of Vaseline around the outside and below the wound. Dilute the Copper Sulphate in water until no more will dissolve. Paint the mix onto the proud flesh. Each day wash the wound with saline, removing the dissolved proud flesh. Re apply the Vaseline and Copper Sulphate solution.

Keep doing this until the proud flesh is level with the surrounding tissue. You may need to reapply in a few days time as proud flesh grows again.

The purpose of the proud flesh is to supply a vast amount of blood supply to cover the wound so that it heals underneath. You will notice the wound getting smaller each time.

Barite star you do not need to use medical grade Activated Manuka Honey. The sort you can buy from a health food store will be fine. We have used it on some massive wounds, eg horse crashed a gate post and ripped herself from between the front legs to almost the top of her shoulder. It healed really well.
		
Click to expand...

I'm not sure I came across properly with what I advised with pressure bandaging. It does very little for the proud flesh ESP if it's excessive but it can help it stop continuing to develop in my experience. 

OP if your not experienced with wounds discuss this with vet. Steroid creams can be useful for mild proud flesh also.  Worth noting that horses are designed to heal as quick as possible and proud flesh plays a part here. Esp in wounds below level of knee or hock. If you look at horses anatomy there is no muscle or significant flesh in lower legs and this is why proud flesh is more common below the knee and hock. Honey is a fantastic product when used appropriately but it's not as "one suits all" as people think. For instance in people we are told to use with caution near any bone or tendon as it can work too well. Also people report pain sometimes when honey is used as a dressing so it's useful to have in first aid kit but not the only tool there.


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## Auslander (2 March 2014)

Tnavas said:



			That's because they like the mark up!
		
Click to expand...

There is no denying that it works just as well as the medical grade - they are the same thing, but there is much evidence that there is a risk, and no matter how minimal - people should be allowed to make an educated decision about which product to use. I wouldn't recommend it, on the basis that if that risk were to become reality - I couldn't live with myself for having recommended it against all the clinical evidence that is out there - most of it NOT financed by the makers of medical grade manuka.


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## lelabell (18 March 2014)

Wow, looking at those pictures makes Lils wound seem awful!! 
Lils wound has got bigger with the proud flesh etc and now I'm really struggling to get a bandage to stay up on the wound. I tried big bandages but they slip and I've tried smaller bandages but they fall down!! 

How do you guys bandage awkward areas?!


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## Tnavas (18 March 2014)

Lelabell HAve you any pictures of the wound.

It may now be time to start reducing the proud flesh. If you look  up the page you will see the instructions I gave for dealing with proud flesh.


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## lelabell (18 March 2014)

The vet is currently advising treatment and they mentioned maybe starting copper sulphate. My biggest issue is that the bandage keeps coming off so I'm changing the dressing more than id like really.


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## Crosshill Pacers (18 March 2014)

A colt we had on our yard was chased through a fence by another horse and ripped his near foreleg down to the cannon bone. The wound was huge and the vet advised PTS.

My boss dressed the wound with Manuka honey (washed out wound before with saline solution), changing the dressing daily, and the wound has healed completely. He also used icing sugar on two superficial cuts at the top of both forelegs. It was a slow process but all that's left is a thin white scar - he managed the whole thing without any proud flesh as well.


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## leanneq (18 March 2014)

I have had excellent results using Manuka honey on a pony  - if you want to send me your email address I can send you some photos through.  Sorry I can't work how to do it on here.


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## fuzzle (18 March 2014)

A good tip when using manuka honey!!!  i found the bandages absorbed the manuka honey so when i put the manuka on his legs i wrapped his leg in greeseproof paper then bandaged over the paper, works fab!!!xxxx


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