Humans have been proven to have interaction with dogs since 14,000 years ago. A finding shows, during the Paleolithic era, humans took care of sick dogs for weeks before finally dying.
The findings are based on analyzes of dog bones and teeth from that time that died at 28 weeks of age.
Luc Janssens, veterinarian and archaeological doctoral student from the University of Leiden, the Netherlands, who conducted the study revealed, the puppy was infected by distemper at 3-4 months of age.
Distemper is a serious disease in dogs. The disease has three phases. During the first week, an infected dog may show signs of high fever, lack of appetite, dehydration, fatigue, diarrhea, and vomiting.
As many as 90 percent of dogs die during the second phase, where they will experience inflammation of the throat and pneumonia. In the third phase, the dog will experience neurological problems, including seizures.
At the time of Paleolithic, dogs may only survive temporarily if received intensive care from humans. "It's like keeping the dog warm and clean from the condition of vomiting and diarrhea," Janssens said.
Janssens concluded that sick dogs were treated by humans because they were found buried with other human remains.
The cemetery itself was discovered in 1914 in Oberkassel, a suburb of Bonn, western Germany. The latest study found that the cemetery contains two humans and two dogs.
Humans buried with dogs also have their own health problems. A man aged about 40 years is known to have toothache and bone problems that have healed. While a woman aged about 25 years old only experience toothache.
The tomb also contains several artifacts, such as deer statues made of deer horns, bear penis bones, and red deer teeth.
In addition to findings about human and dog relations, this grave is also the oldest recorded domestic dog grave ever and the first oldest grave containing human and dog skeletons.
Other dog graves have been found in the Near Eastern region of 11,600 years, in Scandinavia (8,500-6,500 years ago), and at the Koster site in Illinois (8,000 years ago).
The research is published online in the Journal of Archaelogical Science.
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