Dogs - Physical traits and functions - General characteristics - Teeth - Digestive machine - Skeletal structure

 Physical traits and functions

General characteristics

Dogs come in a wide range of shapes and sizes. It is difficult to imagine that a large Great Dane and a tiny poodle are of the same species, but they are genetically identical with the same anatomic features. All dogs have 78 chromosomes, or 39 pairs of chromosomes (humans have 23 pairs), and one member of each pair comes from each parent. The normal temperature (rectal) of an adult dog is 100–102.5 °F.

Teeth

Dogs have  units of tooth. Twenty-8 deciduous tooth erupt through six to 8 weeks of age, and by the time puppies are six to seven months antique these deciduous tooth are all replaced by means of 42 adult tooth. The permanent tooth encompass incisors, that are used to nip and bite; canine, which tear and shred flesh; and premolars and molars, which shear and overwhelm. In brief, a dog’s teeth function guns and as equipment for reducing or tearing food. The dogs are the top and decrease fangs for which the dog circle of relatives became named. As in most carnivores, the enamel are excessive-topped and pointed, unlike the vast, grinding teeth of many herbivorous animals.

The teething procedure can be tough for dogs. Their gums harm and emerge as swollen, they may lose their appetites, and they may have mild intermittent diarrhea.

Digestive machine

Dogs rarely chew their food. Once the meals is taken into the mouth, it is gulped or swallowed and handed thru the esophagus into the belly, wherein digestive enzymes begin to interrupt it down. Most of the digestion and absorption of meals takes area in the small intestines with the resource of the pancreas and the liver. The pancreas secretes enzymes wanted for regulating the digestive manner. As in human beings, the pancreas produces insulin and glucagon, both of which can be essential for the law of glucose. The liver is the biggest internal organ inside the body. It has six lobes (whereas the human liver has most effective two). The liver is chargeable for many crucial life-retaining capabilities. It facilitates digestion by way of generating bile, which aids in the absorption of fats. The liver additionally metabolizes protein and carbohydrates, and it excretes toxins from the bloodstream. In addition, it manufactures most important blood-clotting marketers. Because the liver plays all these vital functions, liver ailment may be a first-rate trouble in puppies.

Skeletal structure

Dogs are running animals, with the exception of these bred specially for one of a kind functions. For instance, the bulldog, with its huge head and short, “bowed” legs, cannot be called a creature born to chase recreation. Most dogs, however, are properly prepared to run or lope over long distances, supplied that they may be physically conditioned for such activities. The creation of the shoulder and pelvic bones and the manner they articulate with the leg bones and the backbone allow most breeds to trot, run, or gallop without difficulty. Certain breeds have wonderful gaits which have been genetically selected via humans. The German shepherd canine is thought for its “flying trot.” The severe extension of the the front and rear legs causes the canine to appear as if it had been soaring, even though one foot always remains at the floor. Another unique gait is that of the greyhound. This dog become bred for superb bursts of velocity, and its maximum secure gait is the gallop. The spine is unusually flexible, permitting the dog to contract and extend its four legs in unison, wherein all 4 feet are off the ground on the identical time.

Other breeds also have particular functions. The Afghan hound become bred to chase sport over lengthy distances in rocky terrain. Its structure lets in incredible flexibility via the hip joints and decrease lower back, permitting the canine to turn speedy in a small region. The dachshund, through comparison, is lengthy and occasional with quick legs. This dog turned into bred to seek badgers underground, and its shape allows it to enter subterranean tunnels on the lookout for its prey.

Although most breeds no longer follow the pursuits for which they were originally bred, their instincts remain strong, and their structure still allows them to perform their specific tasks.