📝 STANDARD DESCRIPTION:
MAIN PATHWAY (top to bottom):
1. Abdominal Aorta → divides into Right & Left External Iliac arteries + Internal iliac.
2. External Iliac exits abdomen → becomes Femoral artery in thigh.
3. Femoral artery runs down medial thigh in femoral triangle → becomes Popliteal artery behind stifle.
4. Popliteal artery → splits into Cranial Tibial (front) + Caudal Tibial (back).
5. Cranial Tibial → continues down front of leg → becomes Dorsal Pedal artery at hock.
6. Distally → Plantar/Palmar metatarsal arteries → digital arteries.
Internal Iliac supplies: pelvic viscera + gluteal & obturator arteries.
FEMORAL ARTERY = pulse site in DOG/CAT (medial thigh in femoral triangle).
📚 DETAILED DESCRIPTION:
ARTERIES OF HINDLIMB & PELVIS
Arterial supply to the hindlimb is through the External Iliac → Femoral → Popliteal → Tibial chain. The pelvic viscera get blood from the Internal Iliac.
1. AORTA → ILIACS: The abdominal aorta, just before reaching the pelvis, divides into right and left external iliac arteries (which go to the limbs) and internal iliacs (to the pelvic organs and gluteals).
2. EXTERNAL ILIAC ARTERY: Runs caudally and exits the abdomen via the vascular lacuna onto the medial thigh. After giving off the deep femoral artery, it continues as the FEMORAL ARTERY.
3. FEMORAL ARTERY: Runs down the medial side of the thigh through the femoral triangle. This is where you feel the femoral pulse in dogs and cats. It gives off:
• Saphenous artery (skin of medial leg).
• Caudal femoral arteries.
Then passes between the femur and the medial gastrocnemius head into the popliteal fossa, becoming the popliteal artery.
4. POPLITEAL ARTERY: Short artery deep in the popliteal space (back of stifle). Gives off the cranial tibial artery and continues as the caudal tibial artery.
5. CRANIAL TIBIAL ARTERY: Runs down the front of the leg between tibialis cranialis and long digital extensor. Crosses the front of the hock as the dorsal pedal artery. Continues as the dorsal common digital artery III in cattle (used for IVRA Bier block site!).
6. CAUDAL TIBIAL ARTERY: Smaller; supplies caudal aspect of leg.
7. INTERNAL ILIAC ARTERY (pelvic): Major branches:
• Cranial Gluteal artery — through greater sciatic foramen.
• Caudal Gluteal artery.
• Obturator artery — through obturator foramen.
• Internal Pudendal artery — to perineum & external genitalia.
• Visceral branches — to bladder, rectum, uterus, prostate.
SPECIAL: Ventral Coccygeal Artery — under the tail, in the hemal arches of Cy3-Cy4. Used to feel pulse in CATTLE (tail pulse).
// COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS
| HORSE |
External iliac → Femoral → Popliteal → continues. Femoral pulse felt at femoral triangle for emergency monitoring. |
| DOG |
Femoral artery is the standard PULSE SITE in dogs and cats. Also used for arterial blood gas sampling. |
| CATTLE |
Ventral coccygeal artery (under tail) is the easy pulse site. |
CLINICAL RELEVANCE
Pulse Sites:
• Cattle → ventral coccygeal artery (under tail) or facial artery.
• Horse → facial artery (cheek).
• Dog & Cat → femoral artery (medial thigh, in femoral triangle).
Iliac thrombosis (Horse): Clot at iliac artery → exercise intolerance, hindlimb cramping after exercise.
