Like many animals, a dog is a miraculous amalgam of organs and systems which carry out specific jobs as well as inter relating to keep the dog “running efficiently.” Although anatomy is a huge subject, a concise consideration of how the dog moves, sees, hears, smells, breathes, eats and digests food helps us to understand why it is built the way it is. Despite the changes undergone since the time when it needed to fend for itself in the wild, the domestic dog is still basically a carnivore and adapted as such. The dog was designed to run fast, to capture and kill its prey as a part of a pack. It retains astonishing senses of hearing and smell, both superior to man’s.
The anatomy of the dog and that of its feral ancestors, the wolf and the jackal is designed for a lifestyle as a hunter of prey. Selective breeding has produced many different breeds of dog, but despite the diversity of external appearance. The anatomy remains essentially the same, modified chiefly only in size or shape.

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1. The Anatomy Of Dog: Skeletal System: Introduction The Skeleton is formed from a highly specialized substance known as bone, a complex of living cells embedded in a material formed mainly from a compound calcium-phosphorus salt reinforced by a meshwork of protein fibers. Through-out an animal’s life, bone is constantly being removed, reformed and remodelled in order to perform its several functions. Besides...
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3. Anatomy Of The Dog: What is a Breed A few months ago, the United Kennel Club added nine breeds, to its registry, bringing its total to 160. Last month, the American Kennel Club announced the addition of the American Kennel Club announced the addition of the American Eskimo to its miscellaneous group, the first step towards official recognition as an AKC breed. The...
4. The Anatomy Of Dog: The Digestive System The simplest way to consider the dog’s own complex “food processor” is via the component parts of the gut, each of which is a food-processing chamber with a specific job. These parts often have their own gland producing enzymes related to their job. The order of stages is: 1. Mouth and salivary glands 2. Oesophagus...
5. The Anatomy Of Dog: The Respiratory System The function of the respiratory system is to provide the body with a constant supply of oxygen from the atmosphere, and to eliminate from the body waste carbon dioxide gas. It consists of the nose, mouth, larynx, the trachea, the bronchi and the lungs. In the head, the air passage (the nose) lies dorsal to...