Does it sound like a silly question? But I know that you are curious enough to know the answer, and that is probably the reason you continue to read this article. “Do dogs have belly buttons” is one of the questions most of the pet owners ask themselves or to their friends and the answer can be surprising at times. Yes, they do have a belly button! This might come as a surprise to many because there are still a lot of people who believe that dogs don’t have a belly button.
What are they and how does it look like?
The reason why most people are confused about this topic is, the bellybutton in a dog is not exactly as it is seen in humans. The belly button in dogs is just a scar which is formed when the umbilical cord is detached from the body. So when it is covered by fur, you are unlikely to notice it. In humans, the navel seems to be pulled inwards, whereas in dogs the scar appears to be flat and gets immediately covered with fur after detachment.
As in humans, the belly button is the place where the placenta is attached to the puppy from the mother’s womb before their birth. It is from this spot; the blood vessels carry the essential nutrition and oxygen that a puppy needs and waste removal also happen through this channel. In some cases, the umbilical cord can still be attached to the little one, but the mom dog successfully removes it after whelping.
Do all dogs have a belly button or only in certain breeds?
Yes, all dogs have belly button as they are born with umbilical cords. After whelping the mother dog cut off umbilical chord and eat it or otherwise it falls off on its own after some time. If your pet dog doesn’t do this on her own, you might have to perform this task on the pup. One interesting thing with dogs is that their intestines grow outside of their stomach attached to the umbilical cord, and when the pup is developed enough, it is pushed inside. The process happens because a dog’s birth happens in a span of 63 days, so there is no enough time for a dog to develop its internal organs inside.
Where is the belly button on a dog’s body?
Physiologically, dogs are entirely different from human beings in certain ways. In humans, the belly button is situated towards the bottom whereas; in dogs it is situated between their nipples and navel. In humans, the nipples are located towards the top of the torso but in dogs, the navel is bordered on either side of the nipples. A puppy’s belly button is clearly visible for a short time after birth. If your dog has short or medium hair, you can check for its belly button where the coat meets around the base part of the rib. There you will be able to see a thin scar just above the abdomen and below the rib cage.
Most of the mammals have belly buttons
If you wonder why dogs have belly buttons, you need to know that almost all the mammals have belly button including cats, dogs, and dolphins. But some mammals don’t have a belly button. A platypus is an exception as it lays eggs, so there is no need of umbilical cord. Platypus belongs to the class called Monotremes which refers to egg laying mammals and marsupials which mean pouched mammals are the exceptions which don’t have a belly button. All other placental mammals are likely to have a naval scar after the removal of the umbilical cord. Except in humans, the belly button scar is not prominent and looks more like a small flat scar.
Why the belly button in dogs are not prominent
The dog’s belly button is flat and not prominent for a reason. Unlike humans, the size of a dog’s umbilical cord is very small. Nurturing a human baby requires a relatively big umbilical cord and hence the remaining scar becomes more prominent. Since a dog’s umbilical cord is small, the scar settles into a small, flat scar rather than a deep round hole. Also, after a few days preceding birth the area gets covered with fur making it difficult to detect.
But my dog’s bellybutton is pretty clear and bulged up
When I asked my friend to know whether dogs have belly button he said dogs do have and it is clearly visible as a bulge. Unfortunately, what he saw was the herniated belly button of his puppy. A Hernia is a condition which is more likely to occur in puppies of 1 year and younger. It occurs when a part of the body bulges through a gap into another part. An umbilical hernia refers to the condition where there is a small wound is created when the cord doesn’t close properly. In some complicated cases, the contents of the abdomen get entangled in the belly button, and it can be fatal if left untreated.
I haven’t seen belly button on my dog’s body
It is good if you haven’t noticed the bellybutton on your dog because it can never be prominent unless there is a medical condition. When it sticks out, it means that there is something to be worried. If you ever find your dog’s belly button bulged up, do take an appointment with your dog’s vet for proper diagnosis. An uncomplicated hernia will go off on its own without any major concerns.
Conclusion
So now got an answer to the question “do dogs have belly buttons” you know that it just resembles a flat scar which is not all noticeable especially if your dog’s body is covered with a lot of furs. If you want to find your dog’s belly button, it might take a lot of belly rubs to find out a small flat, hairless area. Next time when your dog is taking a short nap, take a look and with some investigation you will probably find its belly button.
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