Dogs
Canidae (dogs) have a special position in the 2nd mill. BC, acting as symbol for the goddess Gula. The dog has long been known as Gula‘s companion. The dog’s role in the art of healing could result from the antiseptic effect of its saliva.
The special position of the dog is also attested to by burials of dogs, found in relation to a ramp leading up to the temple of Gula at Isin.
Another, yet less unpleasant picture is the dog, demonstrably kept in the temple precinct of Isin, playing the role of the scapegoat, meaning a medical problem was "solved", i.e. a person was "healed" by transferring the disease or illness to the dog and consequently beating it half to death, to exorcise the bad. The buried dogs attest a relatively huge number of broken bones that were not necessary lethal but some of which had not healed up completely.