Anatomy

The physical structure of the body, Understanding the words used to express positioning on a dog’s body helps a great deal in understanding veterinary lingo, For the directions below, the dog is standing in the center of a room with his head facing the north wall,

• On the body:
• Dorsal toward the ceiling or back
• Ventral toward the floor or belly
• Cranial, or anterior toward the north wall or head
• Caudal, or posterior toward the south wall or butt
• Lateral toward the east or west wall or side
• Medial toward the midline, away from the east or west walls
• On the limbs:
• Proximal toward the body
• Distal away from the body
• Palmar the front foot pads
• Plantar the rear foot pads
• Movement:
• Flexion decreasing a joint’s angle
• Extension increasing a joint’s angle