Vitamin-supplemented medical-grade honey for burn wound management in cats and dogs: a retrospective case series.

BACKGROUND

Burn wounds in companion animals are uncommon but can lead to serious complications and be life-threatening, requiring prompt and effective wound care. Conventional treatment methods often involve silver- or antibiotic-based products, which carry disadvantages such as cytotoxicity and risk of antimicrobial resistance. Medical-grade honey (MGH), especially when supplemented with vitamins C and E, offers a potential alternative due to its antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and wound-healing properties.

AIM: This study aims to evaluate the clinical outcomes of vitamin-supplemented MGH in the management of burn wounds in cats and dogs.

METHODS

A retrospective, multi-center case series was conducted across three veterinary clinics in Romania, Greece, and the Netherlands. Nine cases involving cats (n = 4) and dogs (n = 5) with thermal, chemical, or iatrogenic burn wounds were included. All wounds were treated with MGH-based products (L-Mesitran range), and wound progression was documented photographically. Descriptive statistics (mean ± SD) were calculated for key parameters, including time to visible inflammation reduction, debridement, granulation tissue formation, re-epithelialization, and complete healing.

RESULTS

All patients achieved complete wound healing without complications. On average, signs of inflammation reduced within 5.2 ± 2.0 days (mean ± SD), debridement occurred in 6.7 ± 2.2 days, granulation tissue appeared after 11.7 ± 4.1 days, re-epithelialization was shown in 23.6 ± 5.9 days, and full wound closure was achieved in 64.7 ± 20.7 days. These clinical outcomes varied between individual cases, depending on wound age, size, severity, location, and patient characteristics.

CONCLUSION

Vitamin-supplemented MGH showed promising outcomes in promoting wound healing in feline and canine burn patients. However, the small sample size, retrospective design, and lack of a control group limit the generalizability of these findings.