Have you ever stopped to think about how the dog's body works? Canine anatomy is full of curiosities that can surprise us. One of the best known is that dogs do not see all colors, but that is far from the most intriguing fact about dog anatomy. With that in mind, the Paws of the House has put together everything you need to know about your four-legged friend's body - from their main organs and systems, to their five senses. See below!

Anatomy: dog may have around 321 bones scattered around its body

A very frequent question among dog owners is how many bones a dog has. This is a question that can be influenced by several factors, such as the breed and life stage of the animal. A puppy, for example, usually has more bones than an adult. What happens is that during the growth phase of the animal, some bone elements merge, which is why it is possible to have more bones.state that an adult dog usually has between 319 and 321 bones scattered throughout its body. In addition, the breed also influences because the size of the dog's tail can vary from one breed to another.

The skeleton of dogs is divided into three parts: axial, appendicular and visceral. In the first part, there are the spine, the bones of the skull, sternum and ribs of the dog. In the appendicular region are the bones of the thoracic and pelvic limbs, while in the visceral region is where the dog's penile bone develops, in the case of males. Females do not have this bone.

It is worth noting that this is a very important part of the canine anatomy because the bones are the main responsible for supporting and protecting the body of dogs, also functioning as a storage of minerals. Together with the muscles, they help in the movement and flexibility of dogs, and, therefore, it is important to keep an eye on possible diseases that affect this region.

Muscles are another key part of a dog's anatomy

As already mentioned, the musculature plays an important role in the movements that the dog makes. The contraction and relaxation of the muscles allows dogs to move in the most different ways, from the simplest actions such as walking and running, to the act of sitting, lying down and rolling, for example. In fact, did you know that dogs can run an average of 30 km / h? It's really impressive, and all of this is ...possible thanks to the anatomy and musculature of these animals.

It is the muscles that ensure the stability of the puppy while moving, and in addition, they also help to warm and regulate the puppy's body temperature. The dog's muscles can act voluntarily - that is, when the puppy is conscious of the act, such as walking - or involuntarily, such as the dog's heartbeat.

Canine anatomy: understand the cardiovascular system of dogs

The dog's heart is considered a vital and extremely important organ for these animals. Like that of humans, it is also divided into four cavities, two ventricles and two atria. The function of this part of the body is to pump blood throughout the dog's body through veins and arteries, which are the parts responsible for transporting the liquid throughout the animal's body.

Because it is one of the most important regions of the canine anatomy, the guardian should be aware of possible changes in the dog's heart. Some heart diseases are quite common, such as dilated cardiomyopathy, hypertension and heart murmurs in dogs. When you suspect any problem or notice any significant change in your dog's heartbeat, be sure toseek professional advice.

Dog's digestive system: how does it work and how long does it take for food to be digested?

Made up of the mouth, oesophagus, stomach and small and large intestines, the dog's digestive system is responsible for absorbing the nutrients essential for the development of the organism from the dog's food. It all starts in the mouth: the dog's teeth are in charge of chewing the food and breaking it down into smaller pieces to facilitate the digestion process. Next, the dog's glands are in charge of chewing the food.The oesophagus transports the food to the stomach, where it is stored until it is converted into energy by the small intestine, which is the main organ of the canine digestive system. This is where most of the digestion and absorption of nutrients takes place. What cannot be used by the small intestine can be used by the small intestine.dogs' organism, in turn, is directed to the small intestine, where the waste turns into feces.

But how long does this whole process take? Well, this will depend on what the puppy ate, so it can take from 10 hours to 2 days for the dog's digestive system to fully digest a food. Some foods are easier to break down, while others are more complex, and this is a factor that influences digestion. In addition, the age of the dog also interferesthat: puppies can digest food faster than adult dogs. As they get older, their metabolism tends to slow down even more, which is why an elderly dog may take even longer to digest.

Pregnancy in dogs: what you need to know about the canine reproductive system

The reproductive system is formed by the genital organs of dogs, which, in the case of males are the testicles and penis; and in the case of females are the uterus and ovaries. Although they play an important role in canine reproduction, many guardians opt for dog castration in order to avoid a possible unwanted pregnancy, which can lead to an increase in abandoned animals. In addition, another onehe great benefit of neutering a dog is that the procedure helps prevent several diseases, such as prostate cancer in males and breast and uterine cancer in females.

See how the dog's five senses work!

- Canine hearing:

The dog's ear has an anatomical structure that allows dogs to pick up many more sounds and noises, even from metres away. This is why it is often said that these animals have very acute hearing: they can locate the source of most sounds almost automatically. In addition, the dog's ear is capable of picking up higher frequencies than ours. ie,while humans can only identify frequencies between 16 and 20,000 Hz, dogs can reach up to 40,000 Hz. In practice, this means that we do not pick up very high-pitched sounds, while dogs are totally sensitive to this type of noise.

- Dog's sense of smell:

Dogs have about 200 million olfactory cells, which means that they have a sense of smell up to 40 times better than humans. That's why this is another very acute sense in these animals, and the dog can distinguish a large number and variety of odors from meters away. Another curious fact is that dogs have a kind of "olfactory memory", that is, theyThis overdeveloped sense of smell is only possible thanks to the anatomy of the dog's snout, as dogs have a specific nostril for breathing and another for sniffing.

- Dog's eye view:

As many people know, dogs do not see all colors: the ones they can see most easily are blue and yellow, and some shades of green. Red, orange, pink and other warmer and more vibrant shades are not recognized by the animal. This is due to the anatomical construction of their retina, which has a much smaller number of cones than humans, and it is this number that makes it difficult for them to see.On the other hand, dogs see very well in the dark, thanks to another structure called rods. It is also important to note that the peripheral vision of dogs works very well and allows these animals to have a much greater perception of the environment than humans: as their eyes are positioned on the sides of the head, they have a better perception of the environment.can reach a range of 240°.

- Canine palate:

Among the dog's senses, the palate is considered the least acute. The reason for this is simple: the amount of taste buds that the dog has is much smaller than that of other animals. If humans have about 9,000 taste buds, dogs have, on average, only 1700 of them. Still they can distinguish the main flavors, which are salty, sweet, bitter and sour,But it's nothing that complex, which is why, in general, it's not too difficult to please the canine palate, since what really arouses a dog's interest in a certain food is the smell, since the dogs' sense of smell is extremely powerful.

- Puppy feel:

Touch is one of the first senses to be developed in the canine organism. There are nerve endings scattered throughout the dog's body that allow the animal to perceive different sensations, such as cold and heat. In addition, it is through touch that the dog can perceive and protect itself from possible external aggressions, such as the bite of an insect. However, dogs' sensitivity does not even include the followingis always the same, as one factor that can influence these perceptions is the size and thickness of the dog's hair.