The Dog

by William Youatt

[The]

structure and office of the

velum palati

, or veil of the palate, is in the horse a perfect interposed section between the cavity of the mouth and the nose, and cutting off all communication between them. In the dog, who breathes almost entirely through the mouth, the

velum palati

is smaller; the tensor muscle, so beautifully described by Mr. Percivall, is weak, but the circumflex one is stronger and more developed. When

coryza

in the dog runs on to catarrh, and the membrane of the pharynx partakes of the inflammation, the

velum palati

becomes inflamed and thickened, but will not act as a perfect communication between the mouth and the nose. When there is a defluxion from the nose, tinged by the colour of the food, and particles of food mingle with it, we have one of the worst symptoms that can present itself, because it proves the extent and violence of the inflammation.