We love our furry friends, and we always want the best for them! We buy them the best food, keep them groomed, and take them out to socialize. No wonder we call them fur babies! We do this so that they experience the happiness and love they bring us everyday.
If you’re like us, you’ll do anything to ensure a long, loving and healthy life for your pets. So, did you know that pets can experience all of the amazing natural benefits that Manuka honey has to offer?
The buzz around Manuka honey is no joke! We’ve covered many of Manuka’s incredible benefits, from improving skin conditions, bolstering gut health, and boosting the immune system. Likewise, Manuka contains tons of “anti” properties - with major potency in antiviral, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antimicrobial functions.
These awesome benefits can all be extended to the pets and animals we love, helping to improve their overall health with incredible results! So let's take a look at everything Manuka honey has to offer animals - and why you should consider keeping an extra jar in the cupboard for your furry friends!
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!
Which Pets can Benefit from Manuka Honey?
Pretty much any pet you can think of:
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Dogs
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Cats
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Rodents such as mice, rats and ferrets
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Birds
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Horses
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Reptiles such as turtles and lizards
All these different species can experience incredible improvements to many different health aspects thanks to Manuka honey. In fact, some of the most breakthrough research for Manuka honey has been conducted on these species.
How Much Manuka Honey Should I Give My Pet?
It’s important to properly measure and space out the amount of Manuka honey you feed your pets. For most of the benefits we list below, you should aim to feed your pets a mid to high-range Manuka honey. This would be around 350+ MG or 10+ UMF.
Start slowly and with small amounts so that your pet can build up their tolerance. For the first two weeks, give them half of the amount listed below and gradually increase. Suggested Daily Consumption, up to:
20 pounds or less - ½ tsp a day
20 - 60 pounds - 1 tsp a day
60+ pounds - 2 tsp a day
Benefits of Manuka Honey for Pets and Animals
There’s no shortage of benefits that your pets can receive with Manuka honey! Let’s dive into some of the incredible ways Manuka honey can benefit your pets.
Kennel Cough
Bordetella is the major bacteria behind kennel cough for dogs and cats. Cats are more resilient to bordetella than dogs, making it significantly less common for our feline friends. Kennel cough for dogs is much more common, and bordetella vaccinations are often required to bring your dog to a groomer or boarding facility. If left untreated, kennel cough can develop into more serious cases of respiratory infection.
Manuka honey’s potent antibacterial efficacy offers an incredible potential treatment for dogs with kennel cough. Manuka’s key healing component, methylglyoxal, has been proven to be extremely effective in eradicating many different strains of harmful bacteria. This antibacterial property makes Manuka honey effective in helping your dog’s immune system combat kennel cough.
Likewise, Manuka honey has been shown to reduce inflammation and swelling. This anti-inflammatory power helps to soothe the throat and to reduce the pain and frequency of coughing.
Wound Care and Burns
If your pets are like ours, then you know they can get up to no good.
Whether they’re running through trees and bushes, playing with other pets, or just being the naturally curious creatures they are, they often come home with familiar cuts, scrapes and bumps.
Thankfully, we can patch them right up with the incredible wound care benefits of Manuka honey! Research indicates that Manuka honey is effective at enhancing wound healing by inhibiting bacterial growth and boosting tissue regeneration.
This effective skin healing property goes beyond simple wounds. It can be helpful for burn treatment as well! Manuka honey’s anti-inflammatory capabilities also help to reduce swelling and pains caused by burns.
Likewise, applying Manuka honey to wounds and burns can help prevent future growth of bacterial infection thanks to its strong antibacterial capabilities.
Be sure to use discretion when dressing your pet’s wounds. Minor cuts and scrapes may be fine to treat at home, but if it’s something that seems deep or you aren’t sure, contact your vet ASAP.
How to Apply Manuka Honey to Burns for Pets
(Important note: To get the best results for this treatment, it’s recommended that you use a Manuka honey with an MGO rating of 500+, or a UMF of 15+)
- First dry the wound area so there is no moisture around it
- Coat the wound and surrounding area with an even layer of Manuka honey
- Dress the wound with a water resistant and airtight bandage or gauze
- Let the wound rest and heal - be sure to replace the dressing at least once a day so it doesn’t become overly saturated
Then just sit back and let the Manuka honey work it’s magic!
Immune System and Allergies
Just like humans, most pets deal with some form of seasonal or year round allergies.These can manifest in a number of ways, including irritated skin, sneezing, watery eyes, and itchiness to name a few.
Immune systems are constantly battling a slew of different viruses, bacteria and seasonal allergens. Thankfully, Manuka honey’s strong antimicrobial properties help protect our pets by boosting their defenses to fight off these invaders.
Manuka honey has been proven in many studies to alleviate illnesses ranging from mild to severe, and is highly recognized as an effective treatment for BOTH viral and bacterial diseases. You can help prevent viruses and bacteria from gaining a foothold in your pets by feeding them Manuka honey daily.
Skin Care and Hot Spots
Hot spots are incredibly common in dogs and cats. They’re little areas of irritated skin that our pets constantly lick, chew or scratch at. These can be caused by allergies, or in more serious cases, skin infections.
While it’s important that you figure out the root cause of the skin irritation by talking to your vet, you may help reduce your pet’s itchiness by applying Manuka honey.
Spreading Manuka honey on the irritated skin daily can help to reduce your pet’s itchiness thanks to its incredible anti-inflammatory capabilities. Likewise, letting your pet consume Manuka honey can help the body regenerate healthy skin cells.
You can actually find many different Manuka honey pet shampoos that help to soothe itchiness and promote healthy skin! You can also mix a tablespoon, or so, of Manuka honey into your pet’s shampoo the next time they take a bath.
Manuka honey has tons of incredible skin care benefits for humans too - check out our article here for more info!
Manuka Honey for Dogs
Manuka honey is okay for dogs. It is a great way to promote gut health, especially for dogs. Manuka honey may contain a natural prebiotic function, which helps balance the bacteria in the gut. Improving your dog’s gut can result in better immunity and overall health for your furry friend.
Speaking of better immunity, Manuka honey is packed with antiviral, antibacterial, antioxidant, and antifungal properties, which can help strengthen the immune system. Feeding your dog Manuka honey before traveling, meeting new dogs, or dog shows can be an excellent way to keep diseases at bay.
Manuka Honey for Cats
Cats can have Manuka honey and enjoy its benefits. Manuka honey contains amazing antibacterial properties which kill and prevent the growth of bacteria. This can be beneficial in healing wounds and even some orthopedic surgeries. According to study, Manuka honey is useful in preserving bone allografts. Additionally, wounds treated with a wound gel containing honey have exceptional outcomes.
Manuka Honey for Horses
Breakthrough studies demonstrating Manuka honey’s incredible ability to facilitate the wound healing process were conducted on horses.
When horses receive deep wounds on their legs, the aftermath can often be fatal. These wounds take much longer to heal than other parts of the horse’s body. They’re also extremely prone to bacterial infections. These factors can sadly lead to a horse being put down. Research conducted by The University of Sydney reveals that Manuka honey may provide an effective treatment for horse wounds. The University conducted three different studies to understand the efficacy of Manuka honey on horse wounds.
In the first study, researchers created a standardized wound on the front cannon bone of each horse. They used liquid Manuka honey and wrapped the wound in bandages. After 42 days, they discovered that the wounds retracted less and were smaller than the untreated wounds. The second study sought to discover the effectiveness of diluted honey. Findings from Ancient Egyptian literature suggested that diluting honey had no effect on its efficacy. The researchers created a Manuka honey gel that was 66% honey/34% water and compared healing results to pure honey and a control group. Interestingly, the honey and honey gel were found to be equally effective.
The third study sought to understand how exactly Manuka honey speeds up the healing process. Researchers unfortunately weren’t able to discover the direct mechanisms which promote quicker healing. But they were able to demonstrate that Manuka honey led to healthier tissue regrowth, as well as a notable antibacterial effect.
These advancements with Manuka honey can be potentially lifesaving for horses around the world! With new opportunities for faster treatment, we can see the incredible benefits Manuka honey has for the world of horses.
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. We’re so excited to see treatments improve and benefit from the amazing healing powers of Manuka honey!
Conclusion
There’s 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 let’s 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.
FAQs
1. Can dogs have Manuka honey?
Yes, dogs can safely consume Manuka honey in moderate amounts. Manuka honey is known for its potential health benefits, including antibacterial properties and wound-healing capabilities. When given in small quantities, it can be a natural and nutritious treat for dogs. However, always consult with your veterinarian before introducing any new food or supplement into your dog's diet, as individual sensitivities or allergies may vary.
2. Is Manuka honey good for dogs?
Manuka honey may offer several potential health benefits for dogs. It contains natural antibacterial properties and can be used topically to help with minor wounds, cuts, and skin irritations. Additionally, some people believe that Manuka honey can support digestive health and provide immune system support.
3. Can you use Manuka honey for dog cough?
Manuka honey is sometimes used as a natural remedy to soothe a dog's cough. Its thick, viscous texture can help coat the throat and provide relief from irritation. Read more about how to use Manuka honey for Kennel Cough.
