How Do I Identify The Bones in the Dog?

You can feel your dog's bones through its coat.

A dog's skeleton and a human skeleton have some similarities. Many of the bones have the same name, location and basic function. For example, dogs and humans share a skull, rib cage, and a pelvic bone. Identifying the bones of a dog can be simple as long as you have a diagram to guide you.

Things You'll Need

• Veterinary anatomy textbook

Instructions

1. Locate the bone you want to identify on your dog's body. Note the bone's specific location.

2. Feel the length of the bone through the dog's coat, until you reach a joint. This will give you a rough estimate of the bone's size, which might make identification easier. This might not be possible with the smaller bones in the paws.

3. Open a veterinary anatomy book, or visit a website with a diagram of a dog's skeleton.

4. Find the spot on the diagram that corresponds to the bone you are trying to identify in your dog. Once you have the location, find the bone that best matches the size of the bone you felt through your dog's coat. The bone in the diagram that is the same size and in the same location as the bone on your dog is probably the one you are looking for.

References

• See Fido: Dog Skeleton
• OSU: Skeleton of the Dog

Resources

• See Fido: Dog Skeleton