Skeletal System

Question 1

How much weight is carried in the dog’s shoulders?

Answer 1

75%

Question 2

What is the Axial skeleton?

Answer 2

• the skull, spine, ribs and sternum

Question 3

What is the appendicular skeleton?

Answer 3

The bones that form the limbs

Question 4

What is the visceral skeleton?

Answer 4

Bones that form part of an organ such as the ossicles of the middle ear

Question 5

What’s the hole in the skull for the eye called?

Answer 5

Orbit

Question 6

Starting at the shoulder and working down towards the ground, name the bones of the foreleg.

Answer 6

• Scapular
• Humerus
• Radius and Ulnar
• Carpus
• Metacarpus
• Phalange

Question 7

Starting in the hip and working down towards the ground name the bones of the hind limb.

Answer 7

• Illium
• Ischium
• pubis
• Femur
• Tibia and Fibular
• Tarsus
• Metatarsus
• Phalange

Question 8

Starting at the neck and working towards the tail name the sections of vertebrae.

Answer 8

• Cervical
• Thoracic
• Lumbar
• Sacrum
• Caudal

Question 9

What are the functions of the skeleton?

Answer 9

• 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.

Question 10

What is osteoarthritis?

Answer 10

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.

Question 11

What are the causes of osteoarthritis?

Answer 11

• Old age and the degeneration of the cartilage

- Joint disorders such as hip and elbow dysplasia

Question 12

Name some of the signs and symptoms of a musculoskeletal problem

Answer 12

• 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

Question 13

How many vertebra are there in the Thoracic vertebra?

Answer 13

13

Question 14

How many vertebra are there in the cervical vertebra?

Answer 14

7

Question 15

How many vertebra are there in the lumbar vertebra?

Answer 15

7

Question 16

How many vertebra are there in the Sacrum?

Answer 16

3

Question 17

How many vertebra are there in the coccygeal?

Answer 17

20-23

Question 18

What are the first two cervical vertebrae known as?

Answer 18

Atlas and axis

Question 19

What are growth plates?

Answer 19

• 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

Question 20

What is hip dysplasia?

Answer 20

Abnormal development of the hip joint causing the ball and socket joint to be looser than normal. Common in large breed dogs.

Question 21

What is elbow dysplasia?

Answer 21

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.

Question 22

State some of the benefits of massage on the skeletal system.

Answer 22

• 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