Döring Dorothea, Müller Helen E, Franzmeier Sophie, Matiasek Kaspar, Blutke Andreas, Reese Sven
Chair of Animal Welfare, Ethology, Animal Hygiene and Husbandry, Department of Veterinary Sciences, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany.
Institute of Veterinary Pathology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany.
Sci Rep. 2025 Mar 17;15(1):9212. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-91629-1.
Little is known about the importance of the vibrissae in domestic dogs and no studies have been published to date. The shaving of the vibrissae is still common in dogs, particularly in preparation for dog shows. In this publication, we show how dogs use their vibrissae with 17 video clips from 11 individuals. We also performed histological, transmission electron microscopic and immunohistochemical analyses to characterise the histomorphology of canine follicle-sinus complex (FSC). Tissue samples were taken from six dog carcasses. The videos show that dogs respond to mechanical stimulation of their vibrissae. Touching the superciliary and mystacial vibrissae induces a reflex blinking of the eyelids. Dogs also move their mystacial vibrissae forward to explore objects. Histomorphological and ultrastructural analyses confirmed that canine mystacial FSCs have the typical general histomorphology of mammalian sinusoidal vibrissae with dense innervation and specific mechanoreceptor structures. The follicles of the small hairs on the upper lip also have the typical canine FSC structure and, therefore, can be identified as 'microvibrissae'. In conclusion, there is sufficient evidence to suggest that the vibrissae of the domestic dog are a functional sensory organ and should not be shaved for cosmetic reasons to protect the physical integrity of the dog.
目前人们对家犬触须的重要性知之甚少，迄今为止也尚未发表相关研究。给犬剃除触须的情况仍然很常见，尤其是在为犬展做准备时。在本出版物中，我们通过来自11只个体的17个视频片段展示了犬如何使用它们的触须。我们还进行了组织学、透射电子显微镜和免疫组织化学分析，以表征犬毛囊-鼻窦复合体（FSC）的组织形态学。组织样本取自6具犬尸体。视频显示，犬会对其触须的机械刺激做出反应。触摸眉部和口鼻部触须会引起眼睑的反射性眨眼。犬还会将口鼻部触须向前移动以探索物体。组织形态学和超微结构分析证实，犬口鼻部FSCs具有哺乳动物正弦触须典型的一般组织形态学，神经支配密集且有特定的机械感受器结构。上唇小毛发的毛囊也具有典型的犬FSC结构，因此可被识别为“微触须”。总之，有充分证据表明家犬的触须是一个功能性感觉器官，不应出于美容原因剃除，以保护犬的身体完整性。
