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Digestion begins in the mouth.First, the animal selects pieces of forage and picks up finer foods, such as grain, with sensitive, prehensile, lips.The front teeth of the horse, called incisors, nip off forage, and food is ground up for swallowing by the premolars and molars.
Fermentation is crucial to digestion because it breaks down complex carbohydrates, such as cellulose, and enables the animal to use them. Microbes function best in a warm, moist, anaerobic environment with a temperature range of 37.7 to 42.2 °C (99.9 to 108.0 °F) and a pH between 6.0 and 6.4.
A monogastric digestive system works as soon as the food enters the mouth. Saliva moistens the food and begins the digestive process. (Note that horses have no (or negligible amounts of) amylase in their saliva). After being swallowed, the food passes from the esophagus into the stomach, where stomach acid and enzymes help to
The height of horses is measured at the highest point of the withers, where the neck meets the back. [23] This point is used because it is a stable point of the anatomy, unlike the head or neck, which move up and down in relation to the body of the horse.
The basic tenet of the DRM is that the intake of energy by an animal passes through two consecutive processes, food ingestion or foraging, and food digestion. Optimal foraging theory describes the diet selection if the food ingestion rate is the limiting factor. The DRM describes diet selection and foraging behavior if digestion is the rate ...
Horses are often withheld food for several days. Use of anti-inflammatory, anti-endotoxin, anti-microbial, and prokinetic drugs are common with this disease. Surgery may be needed to rule out obstruction or strangulation, [ 28 ] and in cases that are long-standing to perform a resection and anastomosis of the diseased bowel. [ 19 ]
Equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS) is a common cause of colic and decreased performance in horses. Horses form ulcers in the mucosa of the stomach, leading to pain, decreased appetite, weight loss, and behavioral changes. Treatment generally involves reducing acid production of the stomach and dietary management.
Points of a horse. Equine anatomy encompasses the gross and microscopic anatomy of horses, ponies and other equids, including donkeys, mules and zebras.While all anatomical features of equids are described in the same terms as for other animals by the International Committee on Veterinary Gross Anatomical Nomenclature in the book Nomina Anatomica Veterinaria, there are many horse-specific ...