Canine Physiology
Some names from your dog ‘s anatomy may be very familiar, but others will certainly seem like a real puzzle when you take him to your veterinarian. Below you will learn some parts of canine physiology that can help you get to know your pet better.
Characteristics
Dog heads have many parts with the same names as humans, but they also show some differences. Your nose, for example, is always cold and wet.
Ears also differ depending on the breed of dogs. There are straight ones like the German Shepherd, the droopy ones like the Beagle, the button-shaped ones like the Fox Terrier and the ones that are surgically altered, like the Doberman ones.
Unlike the shape of human mouths, dogs have snouts that are usually projected forward. In it, the whiskers are located, which help them sensorially.
Their eyes are usually brown in color, although some breeds have light eyes and there is a genetic defect called heterochromia that causes some dogs to have different colored eyes.
The neck consists of the throat, nape and crest. The shoulders are the upper part of the forelegs and at their highest point is the chevron.
The back of dogs includes the body itself, not counting all its extremities.
The prossternum is the high part of the sternum that joins all of your ribs from the front. It’s what closes your rib cage, below your chest, and is followed by your abdomen or belly.
Your back runs from where your neck ends to where your ribs end, followed by the loin that ends where your hips start and is where your hind legs are born.
The side of your body is the flanks and is the part that runs from your front legs to your hind legs.
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You will notice that on the back of your paws there is a bulge. It’s called dewclaws and it’s a trace of the thumbs. It has no specific use.
The hind legs start with the superior muscle which is the part that goes down from the torso to the knees, this is the hind leg joint that lines your abdomen.
From the knee, it follows the lower muscle that reaches to the hock, an oddly shaped joint that bends at an acute angle at the back of its legs. That’s what would correspond to the knee.
They follow, in the same way as the front legs, the carpals, paws and toes, with their corresponding pads.
Last comes the tail. It is a continuation of their spinal column, which in some breeds is very long and lacking in woolly fur as in Dachshunds.
The hips are where the tail comes from, in your pelvis. The tail of some breeds such as the Boxers is cut for aesthetic reasons.
The fact is, all dogs have a long tail that serves to show us when they’re happy, moving it around, or when they’re scared, putting it between their paws.
In addition to these physical characteristics, there are some important data to be known, such as its longevity.
Although each breed has different lifespans, in general a dog can live between twelve and fifteen years. There are some breeds, such as the Chihuahua and the Yorkshire Terrier that can live to be in their twenties.
