dog anatomy!

an overview of the general anatomy of dogs!

      on this page, i will be breaking down dogs' body systems, including the respiratory, nervous, musculo-skeletal system, and more!

the musculo-skeletal system:

• dogs have over 300 bones in their body, more approximately 319 (the length of their tail changes this number), and around 700 muscles.
• the system is composed of three parts—appendicular, axial, and visceral skeletons.
• the appendicular skeleton — the pectoral and pelvic limbs, aka the front and hindlimbs. is needed for movement and support of the dog’s body.
• the axial skeleton — the skull, spine, ribs, and sternum. it protects vital organs such as the brain, heart, and lungs, anchors muscles for mobility, and provides the structure of a dog.
• the visceral skeleton — bones that comprise parts of organs, they provide necessary structural support.
• there are multiple different types of muscles..
• skeletal muscles — directly attached to bones by tendons
• cardiac muscle — the heart
• visceral muscles — found inside organs such as intestines, the stomach, and blood vessels
• joints connect bones, there are three types of joints...
• fibrous joints — these are found in dogs’ skulls and spines, and hold the bones in place to prevent them from moving in ways they shouldn’t (so they have very limited movement with these joints).
• synovial joints — these offer a lot of motion, and can be seen in a dog’s knee, leg, shoulder blade, elbow, and hip.
• cartilaginous joints — found between a dog’s vertebrae in the spinal cord and neck, they allow some movement but less than synovial joints.

the cardiovascular system:

• its main functions are to pump and circulate blood through the body, deliver oxygen and nutrients, and remove waste.
• contains the heart, blood vessels, and blood
• different types of blood vessels are veins, capillaries, and arteries
• veins — thin blood vessels that carry blood from the parts of the body back to the heart. they contain valves, which stop blood from flowing back to the organs.
• capillaries — even smaller than the veins, these often have the capability to only allow a few red blood cells to pass through the center of the capillary at a time. they can allow nutrients, oxygen, water, carbon dioxide, etc to travel between tissues and blood.
• arteries — these are the strongest and largest blood vessels. they carry oxygen rich blood away from the heart to other parts of the body.
• the heart is located on the left side of a dog’s chest, between the right and left lungs, and inside a thin sac called the pericardial sac.

the nervous system:

• made up of the brain, spinal cord, and nerves.
• has two parts, the central and peripheral.
• central: the brain and spinal cord.
• brain: has three sections, cerebrum, cerebellum, and brain stem..
• brain stem — controls vital life functions such as heart rate and breathing,
• cerebrum — the part of the brain that controls learning, decision making, and memory,
• cerebellum cerebellum: — controls movement, balance, and motor control.
• the spinal cord: a thin line of nervous tissue that connects from the brain to the tail. is composed of cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral, and caudal segment.
• peripheral: the rest of the nerves found throughout the body, connecting the central nervous system to organs, limbs, and sensory receptors.

the digestive system:

• is comprised of a dog's mouth, tongue, small intestine, large intestine, teeth, salivary glands, stomach, esophagus, liver, gallbladder, and pancreas.
• its function is to digest food, obtain nutrients from food, and get rid of waste.
• dogs have 42 teeth: 16 pre-molars, 10 molars, 12 incisors, and 4 canines.
• pre-molars — are made for crushing food with flat biting surfaces.
• molars — are dogs’ largest teeth, made with flat surfaces for grinding and chewing food.
• incisors — are the sharp teeth, made for cutting into food/meat.
• canines — are designed to grasp and tear food.

the respiratory system:

• includes the nose, lungs, larynx, pharynx, trachea (windpipe), mouth, and bronchi.
• carries oxygen into the body, and carbon dioxide out.
• divided into 2 portions, the upper and lower airways...
• upper — filters and moisturizes inhaled air, the trachea, which transports the air into the lungs.
• lower — brings oxygen into bloodstream and exhales carbon dioxide, the lungs.
• dogs cannot regulate their heat through sweating, so their bodies evolved to pant, which the respiratory system does.

(all images are not mine, the rights go their original creators!)