201 Short Communication MANAGEMENT OF A CHRONIC NECROTIZING WOUND IN A DOG USING NATURAL HONEY THERAPY Adeyemi A.B. 1 , Jegede H.O. 2* , Amid A.S. 3 , Daodu O.B. 3 , Ajiboye B. 2 , Hamzat M.O. 2 , Durotoye T 2 , Amire E.S. 2 , Bashir M.D. 2 , Adeyanju J.B. 3 Received 04 September 2017, revised 07 November 2017 ABSTRACT: Infected skin wounds are common in pet animals. Following an infected severe bite wound in a dog with marked necrotic aftermath, natural honey was successfully used alongside systemic antibiotic therapy to hasten healing. The condition improved with speed and regeneration of skin tissue, avoiding sloughing. The wound took 168 days to heal and to form a scar. Natural honey can be considered as a wound management tool, as it is both highly effective, can render a low cost therapy and less managemental expenditure compared to other specialized therapies and techniques. Key words: Honey, Dressing agents, Necrotic wound, Dog. 1 Department of Veterinary Theriogenology and Production, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Ilorin, Nigeria. 2 Veterinary Teaching Hospital, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria. 3 Department of Veterinary Surgery and Radiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Ilorin, Nigeria. *Corresponding author. e- mail: drlanrejeg@gmail.com Wound healing results from a complex tissue repairing process to replace devitalized and missing cellular structures and tissue layers. This process is divided into four precisely and highly programmed phases including blood clotting, inflammation, the growth of new tissue (proliferation), and the remodeling of tissue (maturation) (Stavrou 2008). Several factors such as age, sex, nutrition, stress, infection, and medication can interfere with one or more phases of this process, thus causing improper or impaired wound healing (Stavrou 2008). Although several wound healing agents are used in veterinary practice, new agents are usually discovered (Stavrou 2008). The aim of wound care is to promote wound healing in the shortest time possible, with minimal pain, discomfort, and scarring to the patient and must occur in a physiologic environment conducive to tissue repair and regeneration (Bowler et al. 2001). Apart from the conventional therapy with only microbial agents, many other agents and techniques have developed and therapies have been used successfully in management of infected wounds. These include Electrical stimulation (Sumano et al. 2002), Laser therapy (Grognet and Janes 2013), Aloe vera extract (Sumano 1989), electromagnetic pulses (Houghton and Campbell 1999), fibroblast growth factor (Zheng et al.1994) and propolis (Abu-Seida 2015). Accounts of the use of honey as a wound dressing are not confined to ancient records. In recent years there have been a number of reports in the medical literature regarding the “rediscovery” of honey as a therapeutic agent, although many of these are clinical observations rather than randomized studies (Greenwood 1993, Quadri et al.1999, Dunford et al. 2000). Case history A one year old Nigerian indigenous breed of dog weighing 13kg was presented to the Small Animal Clinic of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, University of Ilorin, Nigeria with a complaint of the animal being bitten by a baboon. The wound was reported to be pinpoint bite wounds at the time it was first noticed by the client. The client reported to have attempted management using Ciprofloxacin orally for one week and Oxytetracycline spray (with Giemsa-violet) topically at unknown doses for about 3 weeks before presentation. The patient was a farm dog usually leashed during the day and allowed to roam at night. Contact with other dogs and Wildlife was abundant. The clinical chronology of this case was reported with day 0 being the first day of Honey therapy and reported on an interval of 7 days with wound circumference measured on every report. Percentage Wound contraction was calculated by (Wound circumference on day (x)/Wound circumference on Day 0) × 100. Explor Anim Med Res, Vol.7, Issue - 2, 2017, p. 201-205