**warning, graphic content**
I don’t think I’ve posted this before…
10 years ago, right around Halloween, I got a call from my barn owner/trainer that Subi was FINE, but had gotten kicked in the shoulder and had a nasty open wound that couldn’t be stitched… Darn hind shoes…
Instead, he was getting SMZs and they were packing it with granulated sugar at the vet’s direction…
Being a new library graduate student, I had to research the crap out of what my trainer was telling me, but yes, it was a thing. Sugar packing, who knew?
He was also on stall rest and hating life. But, no swelling because a certain IDIOT walking circles and kept the swelling down. Lol.
Sugar packing was fine. My trainer attempted to clip is leg and everyone nearly died…. They decided they’d skip that step. I scrubbed and curried sugar and blood off that leg FOREVER.
And yet, after a couple of weeks, it healed nicely (despite the face that at one point, you could stick your entire hand inside the wound). It ultimately healed without a scar. Then my idiot horse somehow scratched himself the SAME PLACE (no blood) and THAT scarred…
2 weeks post kick
If you are interested in reading more about sugar…
Scholarly Articles
Dunford, Cheryl, Rose Cooker, Peter Molan, and Richard White. “The use of honey in wound management” Nursing Standard 15, no. 11 (29 November 2000): 63-68.
This article discusses the history, background, and use of honey in the wound healing process. A more well known treatment (dating back more than 2000 plus years), this article also discusses the advantages and disadvantages of using honey in wound treatment. Furthermore, multiple images are included.
Gordon, H., Middleton, K.; Seal, D.; Sullens, K. “Sugar and wound healing” The Lancet 2, no. 8456 (21 September 1985): 663-665.
This article chronicles the treatment of foot abscesses using a sucrose sugar paste and includes both scientific text as well as images. Furthermore, the article also address the use of sugar in wound treatment throughout history, referring to Egyptian use of honey as well as explaining how sugar works in the healing process.
Mathews, Karol A. and Allen G. Binnington. “Wound management using sugar” Copendium 24, no. 1 (January 2002): 41-50.
This article discusses wound management in dogs and other small animals using sugar. Written by a pair of veterinarians, the article chronicles a research study on sugar impact in the healing process of large wounds in dogs, includes multiple images, and address the healing properties unique to sugar.
Seal, David V., Roderick J. Hay, and Keith R. Middleton. Skin and wound infection: investigation and treatment in practice. London: Informa Health Care, 2000.
This book addresses infection and wounds and discusses different treatments and practices related to wound care. Though not entirely devoted to the use of sugar, this book does devote an entire chapter to sugar paste and wound healing.
Three Chestnuts 
Fascinating! I’ve never heard of sugar being used in this way.
Getting a call to pick up a 5lbs bag of granulated sugar for your horse’s shoulder injury was the most bizarre phone calls I’ve ever received… Wait white, granulated sugar? I think I asked if generic was ok. Lol.
Thank you! A horse blog, happy ending AND research articles? I’m in heaven!
I’ll be honest, I haven’t read the research articles in 10 years nor did I check to see if anything had been retracted since then. Bad medical librarian…
oy that’s one ooooogly wound! crazy how they can heal from stuff like that tho! and the sugar stuff is fascinating — i’ve heard of using sugar/iodine to pack abscesses and hoof stuff, but never thought of other alternative uses. thanks for sharing!
Yeah I know. The sugar/iodine combo is common, plain sugar? not so much. But my vet at that time was sort of acrazy voodoo vet, but hey, it work!
hahaha only you would list your research and base of evidence 🙂 HA one a librarian ALWAYS a librarian 🙂 HA and that was one nasty wound. EWWWWWW I had heard of sugar bfeore but never seen it applied….but whatever worked 😉
You know me too well!
Yucky wound lol Happy Halloween!
Love all the research thanks for putting in the time to get all that.
So cool and interesting! Thanks for the reading links, too.
That’s some impressive healing. My vet had me do Sugardine for Nilla’s wounds and I was really impressed with how well it worked. Those were much smaller though. I’m really surprised his would healed up that well.