The effect of short- and long-term treatment with manuka honey on second intention healing of contaminated and noncontaminated wounds on the distal aspect of the forelimbs in horses.
Authors: Bischofberger Andrea S, Dart Christina M, Perkins Nigel R, Kelly Ashley, Jeffcott Leo, Dart Andrew J
Journal: Veterinary surgery : VS
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Manuka Honey in Equine Distal Limb Wound Healing Researchers investigating second intention healing in equine distal limb wounds compared manuka honey and manuka honey gel against untreated controls, deliberately contaminating half the wounds with faecal material to simulate realistic field conditions. Ten Standardbred horses each received five 2×2 cm full-thickness wounds on both metacarpi, assigned to one of five treatment protocols: pure manuka honey, manuka honey gel for 12 days, manuka honey gel throughout the entire healing period, gel vehicle control, or no treatment. Wounds treated with manuka honey gel continuously throughout healing demonstrated the fastest closure rates and remained significantly smaller than controls through day 35, whilst even the 12-day treatment protocols outperformed both gel and untreated controls; notably, faecally contaminated wounds showed greater initial retraction in the first week yet paradoxically healed faster overall than uncontaminated wounds. These findings suggest that extended manuka honey gel application substantially reduces the inflammatory phase of wound healing and accelerates re-epithelialisation in distal limb wounds, offering farriers and veterinarians a practical evidence-based option for managing lower leg injuries where minimising healing time and retraction (which can compromise subsequent scar tissue quality) carries clinical significance. The apparent acceleration in contaminated wound healing warrants further investigation, as it may inform management strategies for inevitably soiled or infected wounds in field settings.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Manuka honey gel applied continuously throughout the healing process is more effective than short-term application or no treatment for accelerating distal limb wound healing in horses
- •Even contaminated wounds (exposed to feces) can heal faster than clean wounds with appropriate treatment, suggesting active infection management is critical
- •Consider manuka honey products as a practical wound treatment option for equine distal limb wounds, particularly when continuous application is feasible
Key Findings
- •Manuka honey gel applied throughout healing reduced time to complete healing compared to all other treatments (P < 0.05)
- •Both manuka honey and manuka honey gel applied for 12 days produced faster healing than gel control and untreated control wounds (P < 0.05)
- •Fecal-contaminated wounds showed greater initial retraction for 7 days but ultimately healed faster than noncontaminated wounds (P < 0.05)
- •Manuka honey treatments reduced wound retraction and overall healing time compared to control wounds