Morphometry of the cranial cavity of dogs of mesocephalic breeds

The bones of the cerebral part of the skull form the cranial cavity, which is a container for the brain, its membranes, vessels and venous sinuses. Most morphometric studies of the dog skull focus on comparing the facial and cerebral divisions in different breeds, their classification and general structural analysis, without a detailed study of the parameters of the cranial cavity [5-7]. The purpose of this study is to conduct a morphometric analysis of the cranial cavity in dogs of mesocephalic breeds. Computed tomography was chosen as the main research method. The group of dogs for the study included Beagle, Yorkshire Terrier, Akita, and Mestizo dogs weighing up to 7 kg. To conduct the study, the dogs were divided into two groups. The first group included animals with a total skull length of 15 to 19 cm (beagle, akita). The second group includes animals with a skull length of 11 to 14 cm (mestizos weighing up to 7 kg, Yorkshire Terrier). The CT scan and craniometry were decrypted using the RadiAnt computer program. During morphometry, the parameters of the maximum width, height and length of the cranial cavity, similar parameters of the cerebral part of the skull, as well as the zygomatic width and total length of the skull were determined. In the course of the study, a morphometric analysis of the absolute and relative morphometric parameters of the cerebral skull and cranial cavity of dogs with mesocephalic type of skull was carried out. It was found that in dogs of the first group, the cranial index is 56, and the maximum difference in the parameters of the cerebral skull and cranial cavity is in length, the smallest in width. For dogs of the second group, the cranial index is 61, and the length parameters have the greatest difference, as in the first group, but this difference is less pronounced. The indices of the cerebral skull and cranial cavity are higher in dogs of the second group, which indicates the anatomical features of the skull structure and its general shape, as well as the degree of development of the masticatory muscles. The ratio of the length of the cerebral skull to the total length of the skull in both groups turned out to be similar, which indicates the dependence of the cranial index mainly on the size of the facial region.