Wan-Wan dons her nursing cap

Slowly I come awake, in time to see my poodle Wan-Wan pull the bandage off my finger and begin licking the wound.

Wan constantly assigns herself duties, some extremely helpful, other times, not so helpful. If she finds a scratch, abrasion or such on my body, she begins licking the wound, cleaning it the way she would if she herself were injured.

The tiny dog is extremely diligent, but it’s not a good idea for me to let her lick an open wound, which could get infected simply from her saliva.

Now, as she licks my finger, I slowly realise she’s put me in more danger. As I’ve already written, this finger was bitten by a stray cat I was trying to rescue.

Cat bites - and, would you believe, human bites - can cause some nasty infections, and although I’ve had the tiny puncture wounds cleaned at the hospital every day, they’ve become infected and swollen.

The nurses have already cut the wounds open twice to let out the pus and to clean the infections, and now Wan, with the best of intentions, has destroyed all their work.

The wound, I know, must be cleaned immediately. Luckily, I have a first-aid kit that works for dogs, cats, turtles - and me.

My kit is not extensive: bandages, gauze, wound-cleaning solutions, pills for pain and inflammation, and scissors, as well as some bandaids for me. If you follow vets’ advice, though, you’d need more: a nylon leash, a self-cling bandage that sticks to itself but not to fur, absorbent gauze pads, antiseptics, a blanket, cotton balls, swabs, gauze rolls, hydrogen peroxide, an ice pack, non-latex disposable gloves, a rectal thermometer, scissors (with blunt ends), and tweezers.

In addition, I keep Dettol in a bathroom cabinet. Some friends with pets use a drop or two in the water they use for cleaning floors, but the stuff is so poisonous, I’m reluctant to put it anywhere near my animals, no matter how diluted it is, but I do use it on my own wounds after diluting it.

At one time, I used Betadine or iodine on my pets’ wounds, but since a dog or cat is likely to lick the wounded area - and the medication - there are antiseptic solutions safer for pets now available from a vet.

I return to bed with my finger newly cleaned and bandaged. Wan looks a bit depressed and frustrated as I gently push her away from that hand, but within two more days, I’m happy to say, the finger has healed, and I don’t need the help of the hospital - or of the dog - anymore.