# Manuka Honey - leg wound



## olderthanshelooks (19 July 2012)

My mare took a huge chunk of flesh of her pastern on Friday and cut an artery aswell. There is no flap of skin (she did a proper job of it!!) 

When we traced the blood trail back she had put her hoof trough some stock fencing about 2 1/2 ft of the floor. (What she was doing with her leg up that high I will never know)

Anyway vet came out Fri night and again on Sunday. She has had a course of antibiotics, no longer on any pain killer she puts weight on it. It's bandaged up which I'm having to re do every 3 days. Vet coming again next Fri. Currently on box rest.  He thinks she will be ridden again but looking atleast 6 months down the line before we think about that. There will be scarring which doesn't matter as she is only used for hunting. 

Anyway I have had several people tell me to use Manuka Honey and how fantastic it is. I have read about it also. Rang my vet this morning to see what he thinks and he recons as there is no infection there it won't be of any benefit, I just wondered what peoples thoughts on here were. 

I would post a pic but I don't know how to

Many Thanks


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## jools123 (19 July 2012)

i would agree with your vet-its about £8 plus a jar so is not a cheap option either


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## Patterdale (19 July 2012)

I used it on a very very severe wound whilst waiting for granulation to form and would definitely use it again. 
IMO it kept the infection at bay


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## MerrySherryRider (19 July 2012)

I've found it works really well for healthy granulation as well as bacterial infections. I recall, in nursing, the first honey based dressings for wounds came out in the late 1970's or early 80's. Prior to that we'd been using honey  directly on patients bad gangrenous pressure sores with good effect.

I've been using honey active +30 on my horse. It has cleared up quite rapidly some really nasty thrush and also gave immediate relief from his discomfort. Also put some on a blocked follicle near my eye that had been inflamed and hurt like mad and to my surprise, it soothed it straight away and eye was almost back to normal by the next morning.

You get different grades of honey, highest I've seen in the shops is +40. it gets more expensive the stronger it is. I paid £25 a jar for +30 but it has saved me money in reducing time horse spent on boxrest.


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## Pipkin (19 July 2012)

My mare done exactly the same, hind leg through stock fencing and totally buggered the leg up.
Vet done a botch job and cut away flesh that didn't need to be cut.
I used manuka honey for the first week and then colloidal silver for turn out. 
Leg healed lovely though took a while and the scar is neat and no proud flesh.
Did have a bit of job tending to the wound because mare is a kicker, hates people so the spray bottles worked wonders


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## Cobs Can (19 July 2012)

I have been using Manuka honey on a chronic wound to my Clydesdales elbow. It's seems to clearing up nicely and not granulating( but have used white lotion together) looked into Manuka honey and I used active 10 plus honey. Was told not too use some of the higher homies available as generally stuff above 15 has not many more benefits but as I've not used above that I don't know how true


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## kaiserchief (19 July 2012)

Manuka honey is great stuff! I bought a tin in ALDI for £3 and it did a beautiful job on my pony's leg when he sustained a deep puncture wound and ripped the staples the vets put in.


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## MerrySherryRider (19 July 2012)

Cobs Can said:



			Was told not too use some of the higher homies available as generally stuff above 15 has not many more benefits but as I've not used above that I don't know how true
		
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I'd be glad to know if that is true. The stronger stuff is much more expensive.


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## paulineh (19 July 2012)

I would disagree with your vet. Some vets wants you to buy things from them at a much higher price. Manuka Honey is wonderful for any kind of wound.

Honey base dressings have been used in medicine for years.

Any chance of any pictures to show what it is like now.

I would say that 6 months before you can ride again seems a long time.


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## Auslander (20 July 2012)

Manuka (and please use medical-grade, not food grade!!) is indicated for use in dirty infected wounds, so your vet is right. If the wound is clean, there isn't any point in using Manuka. 
I've written a few articles about it for vet press, which I could send you if you want to know more about the science behind Manuka.

Re medical v food grade comment. Food grade is pasteurised, and there is a risk of dormant chlostridium botulinum spores becoming viable as it dilutes in a wound. Medical grade is gamma sterilised, so totally safe to use, even on really deeply infected tissue.

UMF  is important. The higher the UMF, the more potent the antimicrobial/anti-oxidant effect. It's like the difference between using over the counter painkillers or prescription only ones. You will get an effect formt he first, but it will not be as effective as the second.


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## olderthanshelooks (20 July 2012)

paulineh said:



			I would disagree with your vet. Some vets wants you to buy things from them at a much higher price. Manuka Honey is wonderful for any kind of wound.

Honey base dressings have been used in medicine for years.

Any chance of any pictures to show what it is like now.

I would say that 6 months before you can ride again seems a long time.
		
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Fortunately vet hasn't tried to sell me anything. We are literally putting non adhesive dressing, gamgee, bandage to apply the pressure and vet wrap on it. 

How do I put pictures up? 

Thanks for all your comments, skin appears to be granulating well, very minimal puffiness in the rest of her leg so all looking good a week into the injury. Dressing day tomorrow so we will see what change there is since Wednesday.


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## Nicnac (20 July 2012)

Activon Tulle is brilliant - it's a gauze like square impregnated with medical grade Manuka honey.  Not cheap but worked miracles on terrible injuries that my TB incurred by tangling with an electric fence. It can be left on a few days kept in place with vetwrap


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