How To Use Manuka Honey To Heal Your Dog
As much as you try to keep your dog out of trouble, he’ll still find ways to get bumps and cuts. The good news is, Manuka honey can help with minor wounds at home.
Check out Dr Jane Laura Doyle’s recommendations for wound-cleaning. If you’re unsure how bad the wound really is or if it’s a deep cut, check with your holistic vet first.
Once the wound is clean … you can apply pure Manuka honey directly on top of the wound and cover it with a clean bandage. If the cut is small and not very deep you may not need to use a bandage.
But if you don’t use a bandage, you’ll need to distract your dog for while … as the honey won’t have time to work its magic if he licks it off.
To take the healing powers up a notch … you can mix equal parts Manuka honey with colostrum to make a wound paste. This mixture will be less sticky and colostrum contains growth factors that stimulate wound healing, giving you two powerful natural healers in one DIY paste.
Skin disease is a common problem in many dogs … whether from allergies or immune-mediated issues. And many conventional treatments come with a long list of negative side effects, without fixing the root issue.
Manuka honey can provide itch relief while you sort out the cause of your dog’s allergies. Manuka honey is great at controlling inflammation and this can help soothe the itching. Skin disease is often a battle of bacteria or yeast overgrowth that leads to red, inflamed skin.
You can use Manuka honey topically as a spot treatment with a ready-made cream or even the Manuka honey and colostrum combination described earlier.
Spread a small amount on the area of irritated skin a few times a day. It can help with hot spots as well.
And you can also give it orally (see below for dosing). Manuka honey supports the body’s natural ability to restore healthy skin cells.
Prebiotic Support For Gut Health
Gut health is essential to overall health. About 90% of your dog’s immune system starts in the gut. So you want to do everything you can to make sure your dog’s digestive system has a good balance of bacteria.
Probiotics are the good bacteria your dog needs. And prebiotics fuel the probiotics and help them thrive. Manuka honey is a natural prebiotic that can help maintain the right bacterial balance.
This helps support your dog’s natural immune response to help him heal faster. So if you’re treating your dog with Manuka honey for a wound or skin issue … don’t forget to sneak some into his meals too.
By boosting the good bacteria in your dog’s gut with Manuka honey you can strengthen his immune system. Manuka honey also has anti-viral properties.
If your dog is happy and healthy he’s at less risk of getting sick from a virus. But there are things in life that can lower his natural protection … and a big one is stress. Stress weakens the immune system … putting him at higher risk of getting a viral or bacterial infection.
Two common illnesses found in stressed dogs are dog flu and kennel cough. Boarding is stressful for dogs. That’s how kennel cough got its name … as it’s common in dogs in kennel environments. But sometimes stress can’t be avoided.
If your dog travels for competitions … or is lucky enough to be your number one travel companion, he could also be at higher risk.
The good news is you can use Manuka honey orally to boost his immune health. Try offering it orally as a preventive step before dogs shows, traveling or if he’ll be meeting new dogs.
Your dog needs antioxidants to keep disease and cancer at bay. Antioxidants slow the aging process and boost your dog’s immune system.
They repair and restore the body’s cells to fight free radical damage … as well as to counter the effects of environmental toxins like …
… but you can feed antioxidants to combat this damage.
One study in Saudi Arabia found that the flavonoids and phenolic acids found in Manuka honey had significant antioxidant effects
Vitamin C is one of the top antioxidants at fighting cell damage and preventing cancer … and this honey offers you a sweet way to give your dog vitamin C. And it also has a good supply of B vitamins … and these good guys also help the body fight off infections and support good gut health.
Who doesn’t love doggy kisses? Well … you may not if your dog has stinky breath!
Your dog’s smelly breath can be due to many things … but they’re all connected.
If your dog has a gut health imbalance you can see many health changes like …
and Manuka honey can prevent gum disease.
Bacteria below the gum line leads to inflammation (gingivitis), the first stage of dental disease.
Researchers at the University of Zurich found that Manuka honey was effective at controlling several types of oral bacteria but the grade of Manuka honey was important. Honey with a grade of UMF16+ was needed to control oral bacteria. Keep reading to learn about the grades of Manuka honey.
Is Manuka Honey Safe for Pets?
In the majority of cases, Manuka honey is safe and incredibly beneficial for pets!
There are instances where you should avoid giving Manuka to your pets though. If your pet is under a year old, obese or diabetic, avoid giving them Manuka honey.
These caveats, regarding Manuka honey, apply to humans as well. Pediatricians recommend that you should not introduce any type of honey to a child less than 12 months old.
Puppies, or younger pets should not eat any honey for the same reason it should not be fed to babies. The underdeveloped digestive systems can’t process botulism spores in the very unlikely event that they are present in honey. This is one of those situations where the occurrence of the problem is very low, but the consequences can be very severe. But once your pet reaches the 12 month mark, they can benefit greatly from all that Manuka honey has to offer!
Honey contains a large concentration of sugar. For obese or diabetic pets, consuming high quantities of sugar may increase potential health risks.
As with any new supplement or treatment, be sure to consult your vet to make sure Manuka honey is a good choice for your pet.
By and large, Manuka honey is a safe, natural and effective option for improving the overall health and wellness for your pets!
6 Reasons To Use Manuka Honey for Dogs
Honey has been recognized throughout history for its ability to heal wounds. There are records of it being used as far back as 2000 BC.
How much merit is there to these claims? Is Manuka honey good for dogs? Can you use Manuka honey on dog wounds? Can dogs eat Manuka honey?
Honey can be classified according to how and where the bees obtain the ingredients to make the honey.
Manuka honey is known as a ‘monofloral honey’, which means the honey comes from just one type of plant.
In the case of Manuka honey, it is derived from the nectar of Leptospermum scoparium, a tea tree found in New Zealand and the eastern part of Australia.
As well as properties that could even aid in the treatment of cancer, among other things.
Studies have suggested that types of honey that are darker in color, such as Manuka honey, have more antioxidant properties.
Honey is also thought to act as a vehicle to impart the healing properties of the plant it is derived from.
Extracts from the Manuka tree have long been used for their antioxidant and wound healing properties.
Due to its unique healing properties, Manuka honey has gained attention within the medical and scientific community.
Honey can be taken internally or applied topically, depending on the condition it’s being used to treat.
More research still needs to be done to determine the best ways to use honey and just how effective it is in treating illness and injury.
But there does appear to be some merit to the claims that honey—in particular, Manuka honey—can be used effectively to treat a variety of conditions.
Let’s have a look at how we can use Manuka honey for dogs and address the question: Is manuka honey safe for dogs?