Help Please! BAD wound on by barred tiger

[Squatch Hunter]

A friend of mine is taking care of my salamander and he just sent me a picture of a really bad wound. We have absolutely no idea how it could have occurred. Any info and advice would be greatly appreciated because I am kind of freaking right now. Thanks!

edit: I meant "my" not "by"

 

[Bellabelloo]

It could be a bite from something or a nasty infection. I would personally want to rule out an infection promptly, so it is crucial to have this seen by a vet.
Out of interest, do vets in the states treat wild (caught) animals free of charge? In the UK they do, it may be worth asking.

 

[Otterwoman]

Some do but I don't know if it is a general rule.

 

[Squatch Hunter]

Julia,
Thanks, is there anything I should do in the meantime before taking to the vet?

 

[michael]

I'd treat with triple antibiotic or silvidine.
It could be an infection from being kept to wet or in rotting medium.

 

[RG]

Wow that does not look nice.
I'm not a vet but I would try next.
It looks like the tail is broken.
The tail tip is somewhat angular to the rest of the tail.
A mild disinfection of the wound might be sufficient.
Furthermore, I would keep the animal less wet than shown in the picture.
For example, you might have a thicker layer of tissues so that the air humidity remains high but there is no direct skin (wound) contact with the water.
Observe the condition several times a day. Improvement should go fairly quickly.
Now I'm not going to make friends. If the tail tip changes color, it dies or becomes infected because there is insufficient blood flow, then cut it off. In nature, salamanders sometimes lose a bit of tail and do not bother.
I do not know much so ask others too.