I'm in total agreement with you. I wouldn't let a dog lick a bleeding wound, but the web is filled with "miracle" stories that doing so not only cures cancer, it raises your IQ by 27 points.

Yep, thoroughly flushing the wound and leaving it open are the way to go. And I always carry antibiotics, but people self-medicating themselves is not always a good idea.

A real problem comes from people self-suturing wounds that haven't been properly cleaned, which isn't even always possible for deep punctures. That's a guaranteed recipe for something bad.