Thoracic Cavity

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Before we review the heart and arteries, we are going to review the thoracic cavity. Assume that we cut this dog through the thorax, caudal to the hilus of the lungs, so we will not see the trachea within the mediastinum.As you may have noticed, I made this a spineless dog (no vertebrae). The vertebra would be approximately in the region of the letter A. Is the dog facing towards or away from you? Identify as many structures as you can before looking at the key below.

The dog is facing away from you, making his/her right the same as your right. How do we know?

A. Mediasinal pleura; B. Visceral pleura; C. Parietal pleura; D. Aorta; E. Azygous vein; F. Esophagus; G. Caudal vena cava (right side); H. Plica vena cava; I. Pulmonary ligaments; Pericardium: J. Pericardial mediastinal pleura (just know it is mediastinal pleura); K. Fibrous pericardium; L. Parietal serous pericardium; M. Pericardial cavity; N. Epicardium (Visceral serous pericardium). The non-bolded words I expect you to know but you don't need to identify grossly.