Dissection and Plastination of the Nervous System of a Dog: A Teaching Tool

Dissection and plastination of the nervous system have been used to teach anatomy; however, there is no record of a dissection and plastination of a dog's complete nervous system. The objective of this study was to dissect and preserve the whole nervous system of a dog, using the plastination technique, as a tool for teaching veterinary neuroanatomy. A 7-month-old dog was perfused through the common carotid artery with an ethanol-based soft embalming solution, and 10% formalin was injected through the cisterna magna. An incision was made at the level of the dorsal midline, and the muscle tissue from this area was removed, as well as the vertebral laminae and pedicles with a rib shear to clear the dorsolateral region of the vertebral column and to expose the spinal cord. Then, every nerve was individualised by blunt dissection. The soft tissue of the head was removed to visualise the skull, which was incised with a rib shear and rotary tool until the brain was exposed. Finally, the entire nervous system was removed in one piece and plastinated for conservation through the Biodur S10 technique. A specimen of the nervous system was obtained that included the brain, the spinal cord with its meninges, the cervical plexus, the brachial plexus, the intercostal and abdominal nerves, the lumbosacral plexus, the sympathetic trunk, the vagus nerve, and the phrenic nerves. We implemented an alternative preservation technique that minimised the use of formalin, which yielded satisfactory results while reducing the handling of toxic agents. The model obtained allows a total visualisation of the nervous system. It is expected to be helpful for the understanding of this complex anatomical system.