Structural anatomy and morphometric analyses of sacra in greyhounds

Abstract

This study was conducted to provide structural and morphological data on the sacra of greyhounds. Descriptive quantitative investigation was carried out on 171 sacra of greyhound`s cadavers and then classified into standard and fused sacra based on the number of fused sacral vertebrae. The weight, length and width of sacrum of sacra were measured. Both standard (59%) and fused sacra (41%) were identified. The average length and width of the standard sacrum were found to be 46.14 ± 2.53 mm and 57.89 ± 3.54 mm, respectively. The sacral length was 1.61‐mm longer in males (p < .01), and the sacral width was 0.46‐mm shorter in males but not significant (p = .51). The average weight of a standard sacrum was 26.54 ± 4.55 g and was 1.18 g heavier in males but not statistically significant (p = .24). Results showed that one‐kilogram increase in the body mass was associated with a 0.3 mm (p < .001) increase in sacral length, and a 0.54 mm (p < .001) increase in sacral width, respectively. The morphological data of the standard and fused sacra provided in this study might help the veterinary community to improve treatment and rehabilitation and help the trainer to design the right training protocol for racing greyhounds. In addition, the results of this study are a step to understand the sacrum’s functions and how the greyhound's body functions and future studies are required to investigate the biological importance of these findings.