How much weight is carried in the dog’s shoulders?
75%
What is the Axial skeleton?
- the skull, spine, ribs and sternum
What is the appendicular skeleton?
The bones that form the limbs
What is the visceral skeleton?
Bones that form part of an organ such as the ossicles of the middle ear
What’s the hole in the skull for the eye called?
Orbit
Starting at the shoulder and working down towards the ground, name the bones of the foreleg.
- Scapular
- Humerus
- Radius and Ulnar
- Carpus
- Metacarpus
- Phalange
Starting in the hip and working down towards the ground name the bones of the hind limb.
- Illium
- Ischium
- pubis
- Femur
- Tibia and Fibular
- Tarsus
- Metatarsus
- Phalange
Starting at the neck and working towards the tail name the sections of vertebrae.
- Cervical
- Thoracic
- Lumbar
- Sacrum
- Caudal
What are the functions of the skeleton?
- Support and protect the body
- Serve as levers for muscular action
- Storehouse for calcium and phosphorus along with many other elements
- factory for red blood cells and several kinds of white blood cells. In adult dogs it also stores fat.
What is osteoarthritis?
Characterised by the loss of cartilage in the synovial joint leaving the 2 ends of the bones exposed and rubbing against each other resulting in pain and inflammation.
What are the causes of osteoarthritis?
- Old age and the degeneration of the cartilage
- Joint disorders such as hip and elbow dysplasia
Name some of the signs and symptoms of a musculoskeletal problem
- Altered gait or lameness
- Muscle atrophy
- Crepitus in joints (creaking)
- difficulty getting up after being laid down
- Struggling to use stairs or get in and out of car
- change in appetite or behaviour
- vocalisations
- licking or biting a sore area
How many vertebra are there in the Thoracic vertebra?
13
How many vertebra are there in the cervical vertebra?
7
How many vertebra are there in the lumbar vertebra?
7
How many vertebra are there in the Sacrum?
3
How many vertebra are there in the coccygeal?
20-23
What are the first two cervical vertebrae known as?
Atlas and axis
What are growth plates?
- Areas of immature bone near the ends of the bones.
- they are soft areas of young bones that grow and add length to the bones
- at around 1 year old the growth plates become hard with calcium and minerals
- these areas are weak and frequent sites of injury and fractures
What is hip dysplasia?
Abnormal development of the hip joint causing the ball and socket joint to be looser than normal. Common in large breed dogs.
What is elbow dysplasia?
Abnormal development of the elbow joint.
- osteochondritis dissecans and (OCD) damaged cartilage that develops abnormally causing joint fluid to enter into the cracks and causes pain
- Fragmented Coronoid process (FCP) a small piece of bone on the inner side of the ulnar breaks off and irritates the cartilage
- Un-united anconeal process (UAP) doesn’t fuse with the ulna and instead forms a separate piece of bone.
State some of the benefits of massage on the skeletal system.
- Increase joint mobility by reducing any thickening of the connective tissue and helping release restricting fascia
- free adhesions, break down scar tissue and decrease inflammation
- restore range of motion and stimulate production of synovial fluid
- improves muscle tone and balance in turn reducing the physical stress placed on the bones and joints as
