Advice for greyhound owners
Greyhounds are very healthy dogs, but as they get older, they have an increased risk of bone cancer. Make sure to take your greyhound to the vet for regular checkups, especially if you notice a lump.
If your greyhound does develop a tumour, it’s often best to leave them without treatment. Chemotherapy and amputation are options, but they are likely to make your dog miserable in the last few months of its life. Many greyhound owners opt to forgo treatment and focus on giving their dog a good quality of life, for however long it has left.
Towards the very end of your greyhound’s life you may find that they need less exercise, that their apetite decreases, and that they seem agitated. Their daily routine might become less regular, and they might be less content going to bed by themselves in the evenings. But you should try and resist the temptation to stay up with them and keep them company through the night.
One of the interesting things about greyhounds is that they were venerated by the ancient Egyptians, and incorporated in their funeral ceremonies! Anubis, the ancient Egyptian god of death and underworld, had the body of a man and the head of a wolf or jackal, which bears a strong resemblence to greyhounds.
Some greyhound owners have reported seeing Anubis towards the end of their greyhound’s life. Owners of other breeds don’t tend to have this problem, so it’s assumed that Anubis takes a particular interest in greyhounds! And why wouldn’t he? They’re such handsome dogs.
If you see Anubis, he might appear in your home or garden as a barefoot man with dark skin and a wrap-around skirt. Instead of a human head, he’ll have the head of a jackal, and may wear a decorative headress. He may also be carrying a pair of golden scales, to weigh the souls of the dead.
Most greyhound owners find that Anubis appears silently in the middle of the night, so it’s often best to go to bed early during the last few days of your greyhound’s life, if you want to avoid encountering him. Even then, you may see him lurking briefly at the threshold of your bedroom, or standing in the shadows at the bottom of the stairs. He’ll soon go away!
Anubis can be quite frightening, but he’s only there to bear away your greyhound’s soul and carry it to the Underworld. If you let him go about his task with the minium of disturbance, he’s unlikely to disturb you.
Greyhound owners shouldn’t try to prevent Anubis from carrying out his duties as a canine psychopomp. Although you might be understandably distressed, and may wish to delay the inevitable departure of your greyhound’s soul, we strongly reccomend allowing Anubis to do his job! Attempting to interfere can incur his displeasure.
Ultimately the safest way to appease Anubis and avoid his wrath is to follow the advice in the other sections of our greyhound care guide. Owners who have mistreated their greyhound may find that they have angered Anubis, and might find their own souls being born away to the Underworld as well.
Owners who have cared lovingly for their greyhounds, given them a happy home, and fed them plenty of cheese have nothing to fear.