Pet Wounds, Burns, Skin Infections and Honey

Whenever our pets have a skin wound, burn, skin infection, we want to help. While antibiotic ointments are used to control infection, honey can also be used to treat wounds. Honey has been shown to

heal wounds more rapidly than antibiotics do,
heal wounds that are infected with resistant bacteria,
reject dead tissue efficiently,
reduce the odor associated with wounds, and
reduce the pain associated with removing bandages.

Using honey to treat wounds helps illustrate the importance of honoring both folk-remedies and new research. Folk-remedies are time-tested medicine. The best of the folk remedies can be supported by scientific research—once we have the wisdom to know how to design the right scientific test.

The latest scientific tests for honey have been with German medical researchers, including those working with children with cancer or immune-suppressed patients. This research was conducted at Bonn University Children's Clinic, the University of Bonn, and with researchers from Düsseldorf, Homburg, and Berlin. These scientists helped clarify why honey heals wounds: it releases peroxides in amounts small enough to kill bacteria yet not damage healing tissue. Thus, honey works rather like the white blood cells (WBCs), which release enzymes that create peroxides to destroy bacteria. It’s the bees who add an enzyme, glucose oxidase, that stimulates the honey to release peroxides. One of the keys to honey’s benefit is that the enzyme consistently releases small amounts of peroxide rather than large amounts. Large amounts of peroxide, such as used to clean wounds, kills healthy cells as well as unhealthy cells.

Australian researchers also contributed to research on honey’s usefulness as a wound dressing. They found that honey from Leptospermum trees of New Zealand and Australia has an exceptionally strong antibacterial benefit, probably caused by the phenolic materials in the trees. Even a 10% dilution of this honey destroyed bacteria resistant to many modern medications.

In addition to honey’s effectiveness in healing, there are several other reasons to use it. Honey is far cheaper than antibiotics such as mupirocin used for methicillin-resistant staphylococcal infections, and honey is cheaper than cationic silver dressings used to treat burns. In addition, there no bacteria are resistance to honey. Honey is easily found almost everywhere, doesn’t require complicated packaging, testing, or shipping.

Which pets might benefit from honey? Any pet with

a wound located where the honey will not be licked off or where a bandage can be applied,
immune suppression, such as those with cancer, including leukemia, lymphosarcoma and osteosarcoma,
Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV),
Feline Leukemia Virus (FIV)
mange,
hypothyroid,
diabetes,
hyperactive adrenal glands (Cushing's disease) or
on steroid medications.