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The interactive dog atlas · Skeleton · Vertebral column

Lumbar vertebrae vertebrae lumbales

The lumbar vertebrae are the bones of the spine between the last rib and the sacrum, under the loin. They are the largest vertebrae and have no ribs.

Open in the interactive atlas Guide: Skeleton Worksheet

Educational material, not a diagnostic tool. Written by the Mantrailing România team from veterinary sources we read. Updated 14.11.2026.

Dog in left lateral view — exterior, muscles, skeleton and organs Vector study after the Ellenberger, Baum and Dittrich plates: a standing dog, head to the left, deep chest and digitigrade limbs. The four layers use the same contour: exterior with body regions, superficial muscles, skeleton and organs.
  1. Lumbar vertebrae
  2. Thoracic vertebrae
  3. Sacrum
Lumbar vertebrae on the atlas drawing, "Skeleton" layer, with the neighbouring structures. Left lateral view, after the Ellenberger, Baum and Dittrich plates.

Where it is

The vertebral column between the last rib and the sacrum.

System
Axial skeleton
Region
Vertebral column

What it is and what it does

The seven lumbar vertebrae are the largest vertebrae of the spine and have no ribs. Their wide transverse processes anchor the powerful muscles of the back. The number sometimes varies: in a study of 89 dogs, about 4.5% had an extra lumbar vertebra or a transitional one.

Worth remembering

Their wide lateral projections anchor the powerful muscles of the back.

Names

  • Also called: loin vertebrae.
  • Latin term: vertebrae lumbales.
  • In Romanian: Vertebrele lombare (Romanian page).

Guides it appears in

From the same region: Vertebral column

All structures, in the atlas · Flashcards: skeleton