Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Honey helps skin grafts heal better on dogs' legs
By Kodie, Dorcas Oyueley et al.·Published in BMC veterinary research·2022·Department of Veterinary Surgery and Radiology·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Nigeria bee honey-enhanced adherence, neovascularisation and epithelisation of full-thickness skin autografts on distal extremities of dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of adult male Nigerian dogs underwent surgery to receive full-thickness skin grafts on their legs, and researchers tested the effects of Nigerian bee honey on the healing process. The dogs were divided into three groups: one received honey, another received platelet-rich plasma, and the last group received normal saline. The results showed that the honey group had a higher success rate in graft adherence and less tissue death compared to the other groups. Overall, using Nigerian bee honey improved the healing of skin grafts, suggesting it could be a beneficial treatment for similar procedures in dogs.
People also search for: dog skin graft healing · Nigerian bee honey for dogs · skin graft surgery recovery in dogs
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Full thickness skin grafts (FTSGs), although ideal for resurfacing large defects of the distal extremities in veterinary patients, have a high failure rate due to issues of adherence, infection and inadequate revascularisation because of its thickness and high nutritional demand. This study investigated the effect of Nigeria bee honey on FTSG take at the distal extremities of dogs. The study was conducted on 6 adult male Nigerian indigenous dogs using 3 of the 4 limbs of each dog randomly divided into 3 treatment groups: Nigerian bee honey (HON group), platelet-rich plasma (PRP group) and normal saline (CON group). Full-thickness skin wounds (3 cm × 1.5 cm) were created on the lateral aspect of the radioulnar or metatarsal areas and dressed till adequate granulation tissues formed. Donor skins harvested from the lateral thorax of each dog were sutured to the recipient bed following application of the assigned treatment, and evaluated grossly and histologically on days 0, 4, 7, 10, 14, 17, and 21. RESULTS: A higher percentage (4/6 representing 66.7%) of complete graft take was observed in the HON and PRP groups as compared to 3/6 (50%) in the CON group. The HON group had a greater percentage (5/6 representing 83.3%) of adhered grafts as compared to the PRP (4/6 representing 66.7%) and CON (3/6 representing 50%) groups at day 4. There was a significant decrease (p = 0.022) in percentage necrosis between the CON and HON/PRP groups on day 10, 14 and 17. The percentage open mesh area for the HON group was significantly lesser at day 4, 7 and 10 when compared with CON (p < 0.001) and at day 4 when compared with PRP (p = 0.001). At histology, graft neovascularisation score was highest in the HON group on days 4, 14 and 21. CONCLUSION: Nigeria bee honey enhanced take of meshed full-thickness skin autografts by promoting adherence to the recipient bed, enhancing fibroblast proliferation and collagen laydown, and accelerating the rate of neovascularisation suggesting promising application as an alternative modality to enhance FTSG take.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35272682/