In the 1990s, the AO (Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Osteosynthesefragen) Hand Study Group developed several anatomically bent plates (standard and short) for wrist panarthrodesis in humans. However, only straight plates have been used for carpal panarthrodesis (CP) in animals to date. The primary purpose of this study was to determine if precontoured plates are more anatomical for CP in dogs. Measurement of several of the bones that are implicated in CP, as well as the relationship between their surfaces and the surface of a straight plate, were performed in a radiographic and computed tomographic cadaveric study. Axial and transverse measurements taken at different levels of the metacarpal bones 2, 3 and 4 were also included. The second objective of this study was to develop a more anatomical CP plate according to the results obtained. The measurements and images obtained in this study show that, as in human orthopaedics, bent or stepped plates are more anatomically correct than straight plates for CP in dogs.