WEBVTT - Do Dogs Have Belly Buttons?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey

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<v Speaker 1>brain Stuff, Lauren vogel Bomb. Here here's a question we

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<v Speaker 1>know has been keeping you up at night. Do dogs

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<v Speaker 1>have belly buttons? Of course they do, I mean they

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<v Speaker 1>do right well. The short answer is yes, dogs and

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<v Speaker 1>cats have belly buttons. All placental mammals do. Placental mammals

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<v Speaker 1>are those that give birth to live babies, as opposed

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<v Speaker 1>to oviparous animals, which lay eggs, and marsupials, whose babies

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<v Speaker 1>develop in their mother's pouch. While in the womb. Placental

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<v Speaker 1>mammals depend on their mothers to deliver nutrition and oxygen

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<v Speaker 1>and remove waste through the umbilical cord that goes for

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<v Speaker 1>puppies as well as humans. Each puppy in a litter

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<v Speaker 1>has its own umbilical cord that connects its mother's placenta

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<v Speaker 1>to the puppy's stomach. After giving birth, a mama dog

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<v Speaker 1>will chew through the umbilical cord, leaving a wound where

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<v Speaker 1>the puppy and cord were connected. The tiny wound on

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<v Speaker 1>the pup heals quickly into a small thin line, also

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<v Speaker 1>known as a navel or belly button, so essentially, belly

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<v Speaker 1>buttons are just scars. But where are these belly buttons

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<v Speaker 1>on our four legged friends? You certainly don't notice them

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<v Speaker 1>like you do on humans. The navel on a dog

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<v Speaker 1>it's often difficult to locate because of its size and

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<v Speaker 1>the fur that quickly grows over it. If you feel

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<v Speaker 1>compelled to find your dog's belly button, look for it

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<v Speaker 1>under the fur where the tufts meet around the base

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<v Speaker 1>of your dog's ribs. Sometimes there will be a noticeable

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<v Speaker 1>patch of darker fur in the area. And unlike human navels,

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<v Speaker 1>canine belly buttons are between their nipples, which are located

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<v Speaker 1>at the base of the rib cage. So yes, dogs

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<v Speaker 1>and cats have belly buttons, they just look different than

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<v Speaker 1>human belly buttons. In fact, humans are the ones with

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<v Speaker 1>the unusual belly buttons. They're relatively large compared to those

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<v Speaker 1>of other mammals. The majority of human navels about are

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<v Speaker 1>concave and are often referred to as innies. A much

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<v Speaker 1>smaller number of people the remaining ten percent, have oudies

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<v Speaker 1>that protrude like a lump under the skin, and many

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<v Speaker 1>people incur actually believe that audies are caused by a

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<v Speaker 1>doctor's less than stellar umbilical cord cutting skills, but the

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<v Speaker 1>lumps are totally normal. It's just the way a person's

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<v Speaker 1>skin an abdominal wall come together. While the umbilical scars healing.

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<v Speaker 1>All placental mammals can get them. However, some audies are

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<v Speaker 1>caused by umbilical hernias. Hernias occur when muscles don't heal properly.

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<v Speaker 1>Instead of growing together, the muscles leave a hole where

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<v Speaker 1>tissue or a bit of intestine can poke through. Most

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<v Speaker 1>of these heal on their own without treatment and don't

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<v Speaker 1>cause any pain or other symptoms. But if a puppy

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<v Speaker 1>or kitten or a human baby has an audie that

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<v Speaker 1>becomes swollen or painful, take them to a vet or

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<v Speaker 1>you know, a doctor to get checked out and prevent complications.

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<v Speaker 1>So dogs and humans have belly buttons for the same reason,

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<v Speaker 1>but unlike humans, dogs don't have the extra convenience of

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<v Speaker 1>a built in lint catcher, and their belly buttons aren't

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<v Speaker 1>really good candidates for piercing either. Today's episode was written

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<v Speaker 1>by mix bar with and produced by Tyler clayg. Brain

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<v Speaker 1>Stuff is a production of I Heart Radios How Stuff Works.

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