First of all – if you are in any doubt at all as to the need to call a vet, then it’s a good idea to call one…

If you choose to look after the wound yourself, or it is not possible to get help, then the following points are worth considering:

The wound needs to be thoroughly cleaned, often if it is bleeding freely then the blood itself will be sufficient to clean the wound.  If there is dirt or other foreign objects in the wound, these will need to be cleaned out to give the best chance for healing to take place.

Wounds can be cleaned with a warm saline solution (about one teaspoon of salt in half a litre of water).  Use a clean (preferably sterile) swab to clean the wound from top to bottom or inside to outside.  If possible change or at the very least, clean the swab each time you swab the wound.

Allow the wound to dry off before applying a wound powder.  If it is possible to bandage the wound, next place some anti-cohesive wound dressing over the wound and then wrap  the wound with gamgee.  Follow by bandaging with cohesive bandage.  When using the cohesive bandage, start from the top (with a small amount of the gamgee exposed) and wind the bandage from top to bottom in the same direction as the gamgee.  Again leave a small amount of the gamgee exposed at the bottom.  The bandage needs to be tight enough that it will not slip off, but not so tight that it cuts off circulation.