Fig. 341.—Spleen of Dog, Visceral Surface.
a, a, Ridge; b, ventral end; c, dorsal end. (After Ellenberger, in Leisering’s Atlas.)
The gall-bladder lies in the fossa vesicæ felleæ, between the two parts of the right central lobe; it does not reach to the ventral border of the liver. The cystic duct joins the hepatic duct at the lower part of the portal fissure, forming with it the bile duct (Ductus choledochus); the latter passes to the right and opens into the duodenum, about two or three inches (ca. 5 to 8 cm.) from the pylorus.
Of the ligaments, the coronary and right lateral are well developed, but the left lateral and falciform are small.
The pancreas is V-shaped, consisting of two long narrow branches, which meet at an acute angle above the pylorus. The right branch extends backward above the first part of the duodenum, below the caudate lobe of the liver and the right kidney, and ends usually a short distance behind the latter. The left branch passes inward and backward on the visceral surface of the stomach, and ends under the left kidney. There are two ducts: the larger one unites with the bile duct, while the smaller one enters the duodenum an inch or two (ca. 3 to 5 cm.) further back.
Fig. 342.—Projection of Viscera of Dog, (Male) on Body-Wall, Left Side.
A, C, D, Apical, cardiac, and diaphragmatic lobes of lung; P, pericardium; Pr, prostate. Costal attachment and median line of diaphragm are dotted.
Fig. 343.—Projection of Viscera of Dog (Female) on Body-Wall, Right Side.
A, C, D, Apical, cardiac, and diaphragmatic lobes of right lung; P., pericardium; L. K., right kidney; Pan., right branch of pancreas; O, ovary; U, cornu of uterus. Costal attachment and median line of diaphragm are dotted; also posterior contour of stomach.
The spleen is bright red in color in the fresh state. It is somewhat falciform, long, and narrow; the ventral part is the widest. Its position varies in accordance with the fullness of the stomach. When that organ is moderately full the long axis of the spleen corresponds to the direction of the last rib. Its parietal surface is convex and lies largely against the left flank. The visceral surface is concave in its length, and is marked by a longitudinal ridge, on which the vessels and nerves are situated. The dorsal end lies against the left kidney and left crus of the diaphragm. The ventral end is a little further back, and reaches to the ventral wall of the abdomen. It is so loosely attached by the great omentum as to be regarded as an appendage of the latter.