Manuka honey on a healing wound

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horseykitty

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Our boy got caught up in some barbed wire last weekend, resulting in a nasty cut to the front of his back leg. The vet was called and he has received antibiotics. I asked whether it should have been bandaged and the vet said to leave it but if he went out to put something like Sudocreme on it. We've kept him in (and moved yards -but that's another story) and it has scabbed over and the swelling gone down.
When I told a friend about his accident she said about Manuka honey to aid healing. From what I've googled, it seems that you have to keep the wound moist with the honey by covering with dressings for it to help avoid scarring.
What I want to know is it too late to start using it and is the fact that the vet said it didn't need bandaging a good indication that it won't scar?
 
If there is still scabs I would use the honey - you have to get one that is 10+ for maximum healing activity. I don't think anyone knows how it really works but it does contain enzymes etc which promote healing and does appear to reduce scarring - as does using aloe vera juice.

I wouldn't think not bandaging it bears any relation to it not scarring - anytime the skin is broken there is always the possiblility of scarring and no way of knowing how extensive the scarring will be. The reason for no bandaging is more likely to let air get to the wound which in turn helps the healing process - a wound needs oxygen to help the blood clot and scab in order for it to heal as quickly as possible.
 
There is science behind Manuka honey (my friend did a dissertation on it but I cant remember the gritty details). At a farm where I worked a rare breed ram was about to be PTS due to ripping its horn from its head and someone suggested trying manuka honey wilst painkillering it up to the eyeballs as a last resort. They wrapped it up for a few days without much hope and unbelievably the wound started to heal and the sheep survived! I am currently trying Camrosa ointment if a wound which my horse has that wont heal, on their web page they seem to have some success with wounds too- I will let you know how it goes if you want.
 
Manuka honey is nature's version of hydrogel - moist wound healing is "in" at the moment as hydrogels (Intrasite, Robinson Vetalintex, Equine America Derma Gel etc) promote healing in a way that minimises scarring.
I have a teaspoon of Manuka honey if ever I have an upset stomach and it works wonders with my insides! I'm sure it does everything it is reputed to do - I have been very impressed with it.
 
From my own experience of manuka honey I wouldn't use it if the wound has scabbed over.
I ended up using manuka honey on a nasty burn on my finger that got infected. The nurses at my GP practice used the honey when the wound was manky and really sloughy. It is amazing stuff, it draws out slough and infection from a wound.
However, we continued to use it after the wound was clean, and the honey dried out, stuck to the scab and caused more problems than it solved (despite being covered with dressings)!

Manuka honey is a cleaner not a healer.
 
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