The lower respiratory tract includes the bronchi and the lungs, located inside the thoracic cavity and separated from it by the pleurae. The dog's thoracic cavity is defined by the ribs on the sides and by the diaphragm at the rear. The lungs are separated from the chest wall by the pleurae, which define the pleural cavity. Thus, the lungs always remain filled with air. A dog's lungs have seven pulmonary lobes: The left lung has three (cranial, middle and caudal) and the right lung has four (cranial, middle, caudal and accessory).
The bronchi branch and carry the air to the pulmonary alveolae: There are as many bronchi as there are pulmonary lobes. After reaching the lobes, the bronchi again branch into bronchioles of decreasing diameter.
The lungs are also richly supplied with blood vessels, which allow the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide (oxygenation) over a large surface area.
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