Levator muscle of the anus

About the levator muscle of the anus of the dog

Levator muscle of the anus is a muscle of the hips and pelvis (pelvis), on the left side. Its name in the Nomina Anatomica Veterinaria is Musculus levator ani. You can turn it above, see it in place in the hips and pelvis of the dog, and open it inside the whole animal in Vetomica.

Where it runs from and to

A muscle is told apart from its neighbours by what it takes hold of at each end, which is also what decides what it does when it shortens.

Origin

Pelvic floor: the medial ilium shaft, the inner pubic ramus and the pelvic symphysis.

Insertion

Hemal processes on the ventral side of the mid-caudal vertebrae, around the seventh.

Action

Holds the tail down over the anus, compresses the rectum and supports the pelvic diaphragm.

Nerve

Ventral branches from the caudal sacral and first caudal spinal nerves.

Written for Vetomica in its own words from the standard reference anatomy of the dog; the books it was checked against are listed below.

What it works on

Bones it takes hold of

• Ilium
• Pubis
• Caudal vertebrae
• Hemal arches

Joints it moves

• Pelvic symphysis

Muscles and ligaments it works with

• Coccygeus muscle
• Sphincter ani externus
• Obturatorius internus
• Lateral ventral sacrocaudal muscle

Terminology

English

Levator muscle of the anus

Latin (NAV)

Musculus levator ani

Status

A valid term in the Nomina Anatomica Veterinaria

References

Where to read this structure in full, and where the named parts above were read.

• NAV 2017Myologia: Diaphragma pelvis; Splanchnologia: Musculi perinei
• Miller's Anatomy of the Dog, 5th ed.The Muscular System: muscles of the pelvic diaphragm; The Urogenital System: perineum
• Dyce, Sack & WensingThe pelvis and reproductive organs of the dog and cat
• Miller 2020 (book pass)ch. 6 The Muscular System, PDF p. 549

The levator muscle of the anus in other animals

The same structure in the other animals in the Library, to compare.

• Levator muscle of the anus of the cat

Questions about the levator muscle of the anus

What is the Latin name of the levator muscle of the anus?

In the Nomina Anatomica Veterinaria, the levator muscle of the anus is called Musculus levator ani.

Where is the levator muscle of the anus of the dog?

Levator muscle of the anus is a muscle of the hips and pelvis (pelvis), on the left side.

Which bones does the levator muscle of the anus attach to?

Levator muscle of the anus takes hold of Ilium, Pubis, Caudal vertebrae and Hemal arches.

Where does the levator muscle of the anus originate and insert?

Origin: Pelvic floor: the medial ilium shaft, the inner pubic ramus and the pelvic symphysis. Insertion: Hemal processes on the ventral side of the mid-caudal vertebrae, around the seventh.

What nerve supplies the levator muscle of the anus?

Ventral branches from the caudal sacral and first caudal spinal nerves.

What does the levator muscle of the anus do?

Holds the tail down over the anus, compresses the rectum and supports the pelvic diaphragm.