Digestion/Absorption NUTRITION and FEEDS Digestion/Absorption Mrs. Jennifer S. Klever

Understanding the Digestive Systems Ruminants Non-ruminants

A RUMINANT ANIMAL Has four distinctive compartments in its stomach, which swallows its food essentially unchewed, regurgitates, and chews it thoroughly and reswallows it again. Examples include cattle, sheep, goats, deer, rhinos, and elk.

A NONRUMINANT ANIMAL Has a single compartment in its stomach, which swallows its food after chewing and does not regurgitate its food. Examples include pigs, humans, bears, and dogs.

What are the four compartments of the rumen? Reticulum Rumen Omasum Abomasum

Reticulum 5% capacity Nicknamed the “hardware stomach” Function: -storage space for foreign materials -such as nails, and wire which can cause damage to other body organs -often a magnet is fed to the animal to catch and hold these foreign materials

Rumen 80% capacity Functions: -largest compartment -in cattle the rumen has the capacity to hold 40 – 60 gallons -this area is used as storage -millions of bacteria and protozoa break down the feed

Omasum 7% capacity Function -is a muscular section that squeezes out the water from the feed before it enters the abomasum

Abomasum 8% capacity (the “true” stomach) Function: -Digestive juices cause chemical changes to break down proteins, carbohydrates, and fats into simpler substances which can pass into the small intestine for further digestion and absorption into the blood stream.

So what’s all that regurgitation stuff you were talking about?

During the process of eating, ruminants (cow, sheep, etc During the process of eating, ruminants (cow, sheep, etc.) chew there feed just enough to make swallowing possible. After the ruminants have consumed there feed, the feed is brought back up from the rumen and chewing is completed. YUM YUM EAT UP!

Nonruminant Digestion -food is swallowed directly into the single stomach compartment -there it is mixed with digestive juices

-Because there is very little bacterial action there is no conversion of low-quality protein to high quality protein. -Result: Nonruminant animals are not able to digest large amounts of fiber

UNLESS . . . -The animal has an enlarge cecum (such as rabbits, horses and guinea pigs) -Bacterial breakdown happens in the large intestine and particularly in the cecum of the horse and rabbit.

Can this little lady bloat? Question of the hour! Can this little lady bloat?