🍯 Vet Guide: Using Medical Grade Honey for Horse Wounds | 2025 Healing & Infection Prevention Tips 🐴

By Dr Duncan Houston, BVSc

Horse wounds are incredibly common due to their thin skin and active lifestyles. From pasture mishaps to trailer injuries, even small lacerations can become serious if they get infected. Fortunately, a natural remedy with centuries of use—**honey**—has found a safe, modern role in wound care: **medical grade honey**. 🐴🩹

This 2025 guide explains the science behind medical honey, why it must be sterilized, how it compares to grocery store honey, and when it’s most effective in horse wound management. 🍯📊

🧬 Why Horses Are Prone to Wounds

Despite their large size, horses have surprisingly **thin skin**—especially over joints and limbs. Combined with their flight instinct and tendency to panic, this makes them vulnerable to lacerations from fencing, gates, equipment, or other horses. ⚠️

Proper wound care must prioritize:

• 🧼 Infection control
• 🧬 Tissue regeneration
• 🛡️ Avoiding overuse of antibiotics

🍯 What Is Medical Grade Honey?

**Medical grade honey** is not the same as the honey in your kitchen. It’s specially processed for medical use by being:

• 🧪 **Sterilized via gamma radiation** to kill any bacteria or spores
• 🧼 Packaged in sterile containers for topical use
• ✅ Tested for consistency in antibacterial activity

Unprocessed, grocery store honey may **contain spores of Clostridium botulinum** or other bacteria harmful to horses—so it’s not safe for wound care. 🛑🍯

🧫 How Honey Heals: The Science

Medical honey is naturally **antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and hydrophilic**. It supports wound healing in several ways: 💡

• 🔬 **Inhibits bacterial growth** by drawing water out of microbes
• 🧂 **High sugar content** starves bacteria of moisture
• 🧪 Generates low-level hydrogen peroxide as it breaks down
• ⚖️ Helps maintain moist wound environment—ideal for cell regeneration

Importantly, bacteria **don’t develop resistance** to honey like they do to traditional antibiotics—making it a powerful tool against infection. 🧠🦠

📊 Study Results: Medical Honey in Equine Wounds

In a study involving **127 horses**, researchers compared outcomes in wounds treated with medical grade honey versus untreated wounds prior to suturing. 🩺📋

🧪 Study Highlights:

• 🐴 Wounds ranged from 1–15 inches in length, on various body parts
• 🍯 69 horses received medical grade honey before suturing
• 🧼 Treated wounds showed **less infection** and **better healing**
• 📈 **50%** of honey-treated wounds healed fully before suture removal
• 📉 Only **31%** of untreated wounds healed completely in the same timeframe

Wounds that failed to heal were typically those that developed **infection**—something honey helped prevent. 📊🔍

🩹 When to Use Medical Honey on Your Horse

Honey works best on **fresh lacerations**, abrasions, or surgical wounds that will be closed with sutures. It can also support healing in **non-healing or slow-healing wounds** where infection is a concern. 📆🧴

✅ Ideal Applications:

• ✂️ Before suturing fresh wounds
• 🧫 Managing superficial infections in open wounds
• 🛡️ Supportive care for skin loss or abrasions on legs

🚫 Avoid Using Honey If:

• 🔥 The wound is deep and requires debridement first
• 🦠 There’s significant dead tissue or anaerobic infection
• 📦 You’re unsure whether the honey is **medical grade**

Always consult your vet before applying anything topical to deep, puncture, or infected wounds. 🧠📞

🛠️ Choosing the Right Honey Product

Popular brands of medical grade honey include:

• 🍯 **Manuka honey dressings** (MediHoney®, Derma Sciences®)
• 📦 Medical honey ointments or impregnated gauze pads
• 🧴 Single-use tubes for clean application

Store in a cool, dark place and avoid cross-contamination between wounds. 🧼📦

📱 Use Ask A Vet for Wound Advice

Use the Ask A Vet app to get support with wound care and medical honey use. You can:

• 📸 Upload wound photos for real-time evaluation
• 🧪 Ask if your wound needs suturing, honey, or antibiotics
• 📋 Track healing progress with daily updates
• 🛒 Get product recommendations for your situation

It’s your virtual wound care assistant—on call 24/7. 🐴📲

✅ Honey Wound Care Takeaways

• 🍯 **Only use medical grade honey**—not kitchen honey
• 🧠 Sterilized honey prevents infection and promotes healing
• 🩺 Ideal for lacerations, surgical incisions, and abrasions
• 📈 Studies show improved healing and reduced infection risk
• 📱 Use Ask A Vet for tailored wound care and monitoring

📲 Final Thoughts from Dr Duncan Houston

Honey is more than just a sweet treat—it’s a science-backed wound care tool when used correctly. **Medical grade honey** gives horse owners a safe, antibiotic-free way to fight infection and accelerate healing. 🧠💙

Download the Ask A Vet app for real-time wound support and expert recommendations on how to use honey and other therapies in your horse’s recovery. 🐎📱