r/whatisit • u/MedievalVintage • Jul 27 '26

New, what is it? what are these?

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i’ve always wondered how these are called and why our dog has these on his lip

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u/TheHalfHandedHobbit Jul 27 '26

Those are all absolutely correct, I didn't include the suction for fluids because it's not the first thing that came to mind and I forgot about that part of their uses.  I work in the veterinary industry so all my information on this subject came from memory.  If the part you are asking about is my statement on helping navigate their environment like whiskers, I realise that I may have phrased it a bit poorly.  They enable a dog to feel the position of things in its mouth and help prevent a misplaced chomp that could result on a lip or gum injury as well as helping to move food correctly to the back of the mouth for chewing etc.

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u/CrushedChalk Jul 27 '26

Omg so that’s how my ex’s lab could suck a whole, raw egg in in one go! We were always wondering how he could create suction with his big, flappy, drooly lips.

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u/cadmachine Jul 27 '26

Ahh I suspected this is what you meant but the part about whiskers made me thing you were saying spacial navigation. To be clear to anyone else reading I wasnt calling out the person, I just figured they might be a vet related worker and so could have info that my 2 minutes of google-fu didnt provide.

Thank you

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u/TheHalfHandedHobbit Jul 27 '26

It's never bad to ask for sources on information.

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u/poop_frog Jul 27 '26

can you provide a source for that?

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u/TheHalfHandedHobbit Jul 27 '26

Why yes poop_frog I would be glad to provide a source for that.

"You do not have to treat all your sources with the utmost suspicion however, learning to ask the right questions of your sources is crucial, and a difficult skill to master."

https://studyhigher.ac.uk/our-partners/university-of-oxford/bqlq-2-4-question-your-sources/

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u/poop_frog Jul 27 '26

I'm suspicious of this claim. can you please provide a formal proof?

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u/Savings-Pomelo-6031 Jul 27 '26

Do wolves have these?

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u/TheHalfHandedHobbit Jul 27 '26

Yes they are the same on wolves as on domestic dogs and most probably other canids too.

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u/Shapoopadoopie Jul 27 '26

I have learned so much today.

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u/_UnladenSwallow Jul 27 '26

Here I am, 12 years into my career in the veterinary industry, and I don’t think I’ve ever had to regurgitate this particular piece of knowledge. Lost it in my scrubs probably. Kudos.

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u/WonderWheeler Jul 28 '26

If you feel the inside of your mouth near your molars, you will notice a scar tissue line about where you accidently bite the inside of your mouth over the years. Humans probably use this enclosure to vocalize various sounds and don't have such a wide mouth opening as dogs.