ANATOMY

OF THE
DOG
OSTEOLOGY
SKULL
Bones of the skull, lateral aspect. (Zygomatic arch and mandible
removed)
Bones of the
skull, dorsal
aspect
Bones of the skull,
ventral aspect
Basisphenoid, dorsal aspect
Bones of the skull, hyoid apparatus,
and laryngeal cartilages, lateral aspect.
VERTEBRAL COLUMN
The vertebral column(columna
vertebralis) consists of approximately 50
irregular bones, the vertebrae. (The three
separate hemal arches to be
described later are not included in
this number.) The vertebrae are arranged
in five groups: cervical, thoracic, lumbar,
sacral, and caudal (formerly coccygeal)
CERVICAL
VERTEBRAE
THORACIC
VERTEBRAE
There are 13 thoracic vertebrae (vertebrae
thoracicae) . The first nine are similar; the last
four present minor differences from each
other and from the preceding nine. The
bodies of the thoracic vertebrae are shorter
than those of the cervical or lumbar region.
Although there are approximately twice as
many thoracic as lumbar vertebrae, the
thoracic region is slightly less than one-third
longer than the lumbar region.
LUMBAR VERTEBRAE
The lumbar vertebrae (vertebrae
lumbares) seven in number, have longer
bodies than those of the thoracic
vertebrae. They gradually increase in
width throughout the series, and in length
through the first five or six segments.
The body of the seventh lumbar vertebra
is approximately the same length as the
first.
SACRAL VERTEBRAE
The bodies and processes of the three
sacral vertebrae(vertebrae sacrales) fuse
in the adult to form the sacrum(os
sacrum).
The body of the first segment is larger
than the bodies of the other two
segments combined.
CAUDAL VERTEBRAE
The average number of caudal
vertebrae(vertebrae caudales) is usually 20,
although the number may vary from 6 to 23.
THORACIC SKELETON
Ribs
The ribs(costae) form the largest part of the
thoracic skeleton, which includes the middorsal
and midventral strips formed by the vertebral
column and the sternum, respectively. There
are usually 13 pairs of ribs in the dog.
Sternum is an unpaired segmental series of
eight bones, sternebrae, that form the
ventral boundary of the thorax.
APPENDICULAR
SKELETON
Bones of the Thoracic/Pectoral Limb
The clavicle(clavicula) is not articulated
with the skeleton in the dog.
The scapula is the large, flat bone of the
shoulder joint.
HUMERUS
Humerus is the bone of the arm, or
brachium. Proximally it articulates with
the scapula in forming the shoulder
joint; distally it articulates with the
radius and ulna in forming the elbow
joint. Developmentally it is divided into a
shaft and two extremities; definitively it is
divided into a head, neck, body, and
condyle.
 Left humerus,
caudal aspect.
RADIUS

The radius is the main

weight-supporting bone of the
forearm; it is shorter than the
ulna, which parallels it and
serves primarily for muscle
attachment.
ULNA
The ulna, for descriptive purposes,
is divided into a body, or shaft, and
two extremities. The proximal
extremity is the olecranon and the
distal extremity is the head.
FOREPAW

Bones of left forepaw
, palmar view.
 Left carpus,
CARPUS articulated, dorsal
aspect
METACARPUS
PHALANGES
PELVIC LIMB
The bony pelvis is formed by the ossa coxarum and the
sacrum.
Each pelvic limb (membrum pelvinum) consists of its half of
the pelvic girdle (cingulum membri pelvini), composed of the
ilium,ischium,pubis, and acetabular bonefused as the hip
bone (os coxae); the thigh, represented by the femurand the
sesamoidsassociated with the stifle, the crus, or leg, consisting
of the tibia and fibula; and the hindpaw, or pes. The pes
includes the tarsal bones,metatarsals, and digits consisting
of three phalangesin each, and the sesamoid bonesassociated
with the phalanges.
Left os coxae, lateral aspect
FEMUR

The femur(os femoris) is the

heaviest bone in the skeleton. In
well-proportioned breeds it is slightly
shorter than the tibia and ulna but is
about one-fifth longer than the
humerus.
Left femur and os coxae
articulated, lateral
aspect.
Left femur with patella,
cranial aspect.
SESAMOID BONES IN
THE STIFLE JOINT OF
DOG
TIBIA AND FIBULA

Left tibia and fibula

articulated, cranial
aspect.
B, Craniocaudal
radiograph of left tibia
and fibula, articulated.
HINDPAW
The skeleton of the hindpaw
(pes) is composed of the tarsal
and metatarsal bones, the
phalanges, and the sesamoid
bones associated with the
phalanges.
A, Left tarsus, articulated, lateral
aspect.
B, Oblique radiograph of left tarsus,
articulated
Left tarsus, articulated,
dorsal aspect