Honey As An Antibiotic For Dogs

What Is 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.

What Do Antibiotics Do For Dogs

Antibiotics are used to treat bacterial infections in dogs.

A dogs immune systems can usually kill bad bacteria before symptoms start, but sometimes the bacteria grow too fast or the immune system is compromised and needs help. Antibiotics either kill the bacteria or prevent them from multiplying, so the dogs immune system can fight them off. They can be used internally or externally for skin and ear infections.

Antibiotics cannot treat viral infections but may be used if there is a secondary bacterial infection. Natural antibiotics like colloidal silver can also have antiviral and antifungal properties.

Blinded Exploratory Data Analysis

Dogs completing the trial ranged from 8 months to 12 years of age, most were neutered and 19/29 were males. Most dogs were Pugs or English Bulldogs , the remainder being French Bulldogs. The microorganisms most frequently isolated from intertrigo lesions were methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus pseudintermedius , Streptococcus canis , Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa . The Day-1 culture of case #1 yielded a MRSP isolate additionally resistant to the potentiated sulfonamides, macrolides, fluoroquinolones, tetracyclines, and gentamicin, but sensitive to amikacin.

None of the tested variables significantly differed among treatment groups at Day-1 .

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Animals And Inclusion/exclusion Criteria

If Your Dog Is Allergic To Bees:

Dogs who are allergic to bees should also avoid eating honey as it can also cause an allergic reaction.

If you have any questions or concerns about feeding your dog raw honey, check with your veterinarian for recommendations for your specific pet. He or she will have an understanding of your pet’s health history and be better able to help you decide if it is right for your dog.

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Honey For Seasonal Allergies

Honey has been used for thousands of years for health due to its various medicinal properties. Raw local honey in particular can be great for environmental allergies. Using local honey is key because contains pollens local to your area that your dog is exposed to.

Heres how it works: raw local honey introduces tiny amounts of local pollens into your dogs system. Over time, your dogs immune system develops immunity to the allergen. Kind of like allergy shots.

This doesnt mean honey is an instant cure-all, however. According to VetInfo: Although most dogs do not achieve a complete cure by consuming raw honey alone, a weekly dose of honey should help reduce the clinical signs and help your pet feel a little better during allergy season.

Talk to your veterinarian about honey and how it might help your dogs allergies. Keep in mind you will have to start treatment before allergy season. You should not give your dog honey if they have had an allergic reaction to bees or bee stings.

Have You Tried Sugar And Honey As Treatment Options

Originally published in the February 2015 issue of Veterinary Practice News

Pictures courtesy of Dr. Karol Mathews

Medical grade honey can be poured directly into an open wound.

There is something satisfying about treating an open wound successfully. As with many veterinary endeavors, there are multiple ways to do so. Some are clearly better than others.

Most hospitals have their goo of choice: silver sulfadiazine, antibiotic ointment, sugar Betadine , steroid cream, zinc oxide, trypsin ointment.

Some of these products have some research behind them, while many others are supported by mere beliefsometimes surprisingly strongas sole scientific evidence.

Meanwhile, sugar and honey have been widely used in human medicine for centuries. Both are safe, effective, readily available and cost-effective.

Karol Mathews, DVM, a board-certified criticalist and professor emerita at the Ontario Veterinary College in Guelph, Ontario, Canada, has written extensively about their use in veterinary medicine.*It is interesting how we seem to rediscover ancient remedies that actually work, she says

Pictures courtesy of Dr. Karol Mathews:

Sugar is poured onto a lap sponge that will be wrapped around a wound on the distal limb.

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Natural Antibiotics For Dogs

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Natural antibiotics are an old remedy, used for centuries to treat infections in humans or animals. Regular antibiotics tend to destroy not only the bacteria that are causing infection, but also the bacteria that is useful in the organism leading to:

• stomach upset
• skin rash
• diarrhea

Also, long term use of antibiotics makes the harmful bacteria resistant to the active compounds, so the vet will have to prescribe stronger antibiotics. Herbs with antibiotic properties do not have the side-effects of regular antibiotics and are therefore safer.

New And Exciting Options For Your K9s Wound: Part 1

Working dogs get minor wounds frequently, and these usually heal up quickly. There are some wounds, though, that are large or become infected.

Burn wounds are particularly hard to treat, and working dogs are more susceptible to these types as they are working near dangerous chemicals, fires, or contaminated areas.

The next two posts will discuss newer options for treating wounds that are very promising, relatively easy to use, and, in some cases, treatments the handler can administer in part.

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Puppies And Senior Dogs

Puppies, seniors, and dogs with weakened immune systems should also avoid honey because it contains bacteria that can be beneficial for healthy canines, but negatively impact those with compromised or immature immune systems ill. Speak to your vet to determine the best time to start including honey in your dog’s diet.

Pro tip: The pet insurance cost you pay each month helps ensure you can find the right treatment for your dog’s condition without fear of affordability.

Administering Natural Antibiotics For Dogs

There are a number of herbal remedies with antibiotic effect.

Allergies to traditional antibiotics are common however the allergies to natural antibiotics are easy to avoid by administering the herbal remedy in small portions for a short while and then, if no allergic reaction appears, you can continue with the proper dose.

Some herbs are better for internal bacterial infections, while some others are best as topical solutions.

Herbal antibiotic remedies that can be administered orally to fight internal infections are:

• garlic
• licorice
• turmeric

For skin infections, there are herbal remedies that can be administered as topical antibiotics: aloe vera, chamomile, golden seal, colloidal silver and olive leaves.

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Manuka Honey And Wound Healing

Honey has ideal wound dressing properties, and there have been numerous studies looking at the efficacy of manuka as a wound dressing. Apart from its broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, honey is also non-toxic to mammalian cells, helps to maintain a moist wound environment , has anti-inflammatory activity, reduces healing time and scarring, has a natural debriding action and also reduces wound odour. These properties account for many of the reports showing the effectiveness of honey as a wound dressing.

Honey, and in particular manuka honey, has successfully been used to treat infected and non-infected wounds, burns, surgical incisions, leg ulcers, pressure sores, traumatic injuries, meningococcal lesions, side effects from radiotherapy and gingivitis.

Specific To Type Of Pyoderma

Surface infections are often best treated topically. They are not considered curable because the moisture and occlusive nature of folds predisposes toward recurrence. Surgical excision may be curative in some cases of vulvar fold pyoderma and tail fold pyoderma in English bulldogs.

Superficial pyodermas can often be treated exclusively with topical therapy , but frequent bathing is required . Bathing frequency can be reduced by the use of chlorhexidine leave-on conditioners, sprays, wipes, and mousses in between. The use of topical therapy seems to speed the rate of recovery, and we suspect topical therapy reduces the length of time a dog requires systemic antibiotics.

Deep pyodermas usually require prolonged courses of antibiotic therapy. While topical therapy alone is unlikely to resolve a deep pyoderma, it is an invaluable tool in the dogs recovery. Bathing helps to remove adherent crusts and sticky exudates, promoting drainage and drying.

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Manuka Honey For Dog Wounds

Veterinary Practice provides two great tips for using manuka honey on dog, cat and even horse wounds :

• Create a manuka honey solution therapeutic grade manuka honey squeezed into a syringe with up to 50% warm saline added and shaken to make a solution. This solution can be used to flush into pocketing wounds, beneath areas of the wound separation, or to moisten gauze intended for wet-to-dry application giving a level of antimicrobial and osmotic action.
• Manuka honey gel therapeutic grade manuka honey can be mixed up to 50:50 with a hydrogel to create an osmotic gel. . The gel you create may be particularly helpful for cases of burns or where tissue loss is extensive. This helps many animals, but in particular, it is great for horses, particularly for hoof infections.

Just like we use it on ourselves, manuka honey provides a great alternative to other synthetic products to protect wounds, burns and grazes or as a general first aid. In addition, the topical application of manuka to support quicker healing time, manuka honey has also been shown to be beneficial for conditions such as kennel cough, by alleviating many of your dogs symptoms. Of course, we are no veterinarians, so its always good to check with your pets vet. ABs Honey offers Australias best therapeutic grade 100% raw manuka honey. View the full range of manuka honey here.

Is Honey Safe For Dogs The Benefits And Risks Explained

Raw honey is an all-natural treat. Its harvested directly from beehives and not heated above 118 degrees Fahrenheit for any reason. It contains pollen and if its not strained, you may even see bits of beeswax remaining. Some vendors or local beekeepers may even sell their raw honey with pieces of honeycomb inside.

There are many uses for honey for humans including sweetening a cup of tea, soothing a sore throat or cough and helping to lessen the symptoms of seasonal allergies. But can you share it with your dog? Or more importantly, should you?

The short answer is that yes, in small quantities raw honey has many of the same health benefits for dogs as it does for humans.

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Natural Antibiotics For Dogs: A Hit Or Miss

Natural antibiotics are great for mild infections or infections that are caught early on. Conventional antibiotics can cause side effects like hives, rashes, yeast infections, and stomach upset.

Natural antibiotics can be used to prevent infection of wounds and used to clean the ears. Conventional antibiotics can kill the good bacteria in the body, which can lead to secondary infections.

Natural antibiotics can treat infections that have become bacteria-resistant or for dogs who are very sensitive to antibiotics. Viral infections cannot be treated with conventional antibiotics, and natural antibiotics for dogs often have antifungal properties in addition to the antibiotic properties.

Dog Staph Infection Home Remedy Vs Vet Care

Staph infections are common in young and older dogs, along with those with lower immune systems. It can be caused by bacterial or fungal infections, disease, and allergies according to PetMD.

Natural antibiotics can also be used as a last-hope for staph infections that do not respond to antibiotics like Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus . Topical natural remedies using bacteria fighting natural antibiotics like oregano oil or Manuka honey and antiseptic shampoo can help treat staph especially if it becomes resistant to conventional antibiotics.

Staph infections are typically secondary infections and may keep coming back if the specific cause isnt found.

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Apple Cider Vinegar Natural Antibiotics For Pets

Nowadays, Apple cider vinegar is the most used product as it is extracted from the apple and used to treat different diseases and infections. It has anti-inflammatory ad anti-bacterial properties that help fight inflammation caused by fungus and bacteria and keep the pets healthy and fresh. Due to apple cider vinegar properties, it is possible to keep the digestive system works properly.

Its properties are natural anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial. It is used to treat ear infections in dogs and cats. Bu diluting the apple cider vinegar, add a half tablespoon water in a half tablespoon vinegar and flush it into the dig air. This will remove all the debris from the dogs ear and make them clear from infections. It is also used to remove dandruff and dead skin from the skin of dogs and cats.

Methylglyoxal In Manuka Honey For Dogs

The compound actually stimulates the production of certain cells known to restore damaged or infected tissue.

For this reason, if youre considering Manuka honey for healing purposes, you will want to keep in mind its UMF rating, which has a significant effect on the healing components of Manuka honey

More specifically, the UMF rating rates Manuka honey on a scale from 5+ to 20+.

Certain brands are also rated on purity to ensure its quality and therefore, guarantee the presence of its therapeutic componentsmethylglyoxal and hydrogen peroxide.

Its important to remember that although the above findings on Manuka honey are exciting and promising, were still a long way from scientifically proving the medicinal benefits of Manuka honey.

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Antibiotics Versus Natural Products: What Are The Differences

Antibiotics are medicines prescribed by a vet to treat an infection. Pet owners can be quick to put their dog on regular antibiotics, however, studies show that antibiotic resistance is an issue in pets. The more we give them medical antibiotics, the more likely they are to develop resistance.

Alongside this threat of resistance, antibiotics can also mess with your dogs intestinal flora affecting their gut health .

But, some natural products have antibiotic properties. Using these natural remedies means that your dog is at a lower risk of resistance and gut damage.

Of course, if your pet is suffering from a serious infection, then medical antibiotics should be used and you should always follow your vets advice. However, natural antibiotics are a good first step to see how your pet gets on with them before escalating to medicine which could build antibiotic resistance. In general, antibiotic resistance is rare, but repeated use of antibiotics and not using a full course of prescribed antibiotics can be some of the factors that contribute to antimicrobial resistance.

Manuka Honey For Turtles

Manuka honey is frequently used in the process of rehabilitating and releasing wild turtles!

Sea turtles can easily get caught in fishing nets, hooks, wires, debris and pollution floating in the ocean. When rescuers untangle them, they are left with cuts, scrapes and other damage to their bodies.

A non-profit called Sea Turtle Inc. in South Padre, Texas utilizes Manuka honey alongside sophisticated rehabilitation techniques to heal turtles and release them back into the wild!

The incredible medicinal benefits of Manuka honey provide new opportunities for wildlife rehabilitation around the world. Were so excited to see treatments improve and benefit from the amazing healing powers of Manuka honey!

Theres no shortage of benefits when it comes to your pets consuming Manuka honey!

Whether you’re boosting their immunity with healthy probiotics, relieving itchiness with anti-inflammatories, or eradicating harmful infections with its antiviral capabilities, Manuka honey can help enhance your pets health with only a few teaspoons a day.

So lets spread the love! Take care of your pets like you take care of yourself, and keep an extra jar in the cupboard for your furry friends.

Want to get your pet some amazing Manuka honey? We have exactly what you need! Check out our shop to learn more.

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Help With Weight Management

How does honey help manage your pets weight when its high in sugar? Studies have demonstrated that honey can help slow down hunger pangs. While its a simple sugar, honey breaks down differently compared to table sugar. Digestion and metabolism of honey require less insulin, and its absorbed more slowly into the bloodstream.

Manuka Honey For Dogs Wounds

Perhaps the most common application of Manuka honey for dogs is for the treatment of wounds.

The benefits of honey to treat wounds and skin conditions are well documented. To the point where the use of honey has found a place in mainstream treatments.

But this doesnt mean you should reach for your jar of honey and slather your dogs wound with it. Like any medical treatment, care and professional guidance are required.

For instance, whereas Manuka honey is the preferred type of honey for wound care, it needs to be unpasteurized and medical grade.

The usual method of application involves soaking the wound dressing that will be contacting the skin in honey and then applying the bandage to the wound.

Then apply another bandage on top to keep everything in place. Dressings need to be changed daily or as directed by your dogs vet.

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A Note On Antibiotics

Medical antibiotics are extremely helpful at addressing some medical conditions in dogs. Natural antibiotics shouldnt be substituted for medical antibiotics.

Lab-made antibiotics are not inherently harmful, and we dont want to discourage dog owners from using them. Instead, were offering additional, natural options that dog owners might find helpful for less severe infections and injuries, or to use in combination with medical antibiotics.

Pet owners should always consult a vet before trying to treat their pet themselves. This article is meant to be an educational resource about natural foods and supplements do not attempt to treat your pet without a vets guidance.