Dogs Are Healers
Sep. 23rd, 2022 12:00 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nimdreamsIn mythology as well as present day, dogs have been healers in their own way. Their saliva has been attributed actual healing properties, but their companionship has also been a great support to many people. I wanted to share some of what I've learned about dogs as healers with you.
In Mesopotamia there was a Goddess named Gula (first known as Bau), Goddess of dogs and of healing. In the temples they noticed how wounds would heal faster after a dog had licked it and so they came to be associated with healing. The dog became a symbol of medicine in the Mesopotamian pantheon.
More recent discoveries about dog saliva:
"Certain proteins in dog saliva called histatins can defend against infection, and research has shown that there are other beneficial chemicals in a dog’s saliva that can help protect cuts from infection.
There is evidence that suggests that wounds licked by dogs heal twice as fast as wounds that were not licked." - petMD.com
Of course dog saliva doesn't always work and wounds can still be infected, so surely still visit a doctor or a vet but I find it fascinating how long we've been aware of licked wounds healing differently.
Service dogs and guide dogs have many medical benefits. They can be taught to help people in many different ways and can even learn to warn for low blood sugar, seizures and panick attacks. Emotional support dogs have been great assets too, research has shown how they have benefited people.
Even just owning a dog has many medical benefits such as fighting off loneliness and reducing stress levels.
If you ask me, dogs are healers. It's their own special magic. I know I have had the honor of being on the receiving side of a dog's magical healing abilities.
As a dog therian I hope to have some of this magic within me too. In my dreams, healing is one of my main powers.
There are other myths on dogs such as their status as psychopomps or being able to see the supernatural, but that is a post for another time perhaps.
Source: https://hekint.org/2018/12/06/from-the-goddess-of-healing-to-hair-of-the-dog-the-role-of-canines-in-health-myth-and-fact/
In Mesopotamia there was a Goddess named Gula (first known as Bau), Goddess of dogs and of healing. In the temples they noticed how wounds would heal faster after a dog had licked it and so they came to be associated with healing. The dog became a symbol of medicine in the Mesopotamian pantheon.
More recent discoveries about dog saliva:
"Certain proteins in dog saliva called histatins can defend against infection, and research has shown that there are other beneficial chemicals in a dog’s saliva that can help protect cuts from infection.
There is evidence that suggests that wounds licked by dogs heal twice as fast as wounds that were not licked." - petMD.com
Of course dog saliva doesn't always work and wounds can still be infected, so surely still visit a doctor or a vet but I find it fascinating how long we've been aware of licked wounds healing differently.
Service dogs and guide dogs have many medical benefits. They can be taught to help people in many different ways and can even learn to warn for low blood sugar, seizures and panick attacks. Emotional support dogs have been great assets too, research has shown how they have benefited people.
Even just owning a dog has many medical benefits such as fighting off loneliness and reducing stress levels.
If you ask me, dogs are healers. It's their own special magic. I know I have had the honor of being on the receiving side of a dog's magical healing abilities.
As a dog therian I hope to have some of this magic within me too. In my dreams, healing is one of my main powers.
There are other myths on dogs such as their status as psychopomps or being able to see the supernatural, but that is a post for another time perhaps.
Source: https://hekint.org/2018/12/06/from-the-goddess-of-healing-to-hair-of-the-dog-the-role-of-canines-in-health-myth-and-fact/
