In dogs, what portion of the esophagus is skeletal muscle?

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Multiple Choice

In dogs, what portion of the esophagus is skeletal muscle?

Explanation:
In dogs, the entire esophagus is composed of skeletal (striated) muscle. This means propulsion of a swallow is driven by voluntary-type muscle contractions along the full length of the esophagus, with control coming from somatic motor pathways. In many other species, there’s a mix—skeletal muscle in the upper portions transitioning to smooth muscle in the distal portion—but dogs lack that smooth-muscle segment. So the best answer is that all of the esophagus is skeletal muscle.

In dogs, the entire esophagus is composed of skeletal (striated) muscle. This means propulsion of a swallow is driven by voluntary-type muscle contractions along the full length of the esophagus, with control coming from somatic motor pathways. In many other species, there’s a mix—skeletal muscle in the upper portions transitioning to smooth muscle in the distal portion—but dogs lack that smooth-muscle segment. So the best answer is that all of the esophagus is skeletal muscle.

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