Study of the

physiological functions
of digestive organs in
Farm Animals

Dr.Kashif Iqbal
•Describe the basic function of the primary components of
the digestive system.

• Compare the function and location of the digestive

organs to those in the monogastric, modified monogastric
and ruminant digestive systems.

• Explain the difference between and identify diagrams of

the different types of digestive systems of various animals.
 What do animals need to live?
• Animals make energy
using:
• food food
• oxygen
• Animals build bodies
using:
ATP
• food for raw materials
• amino acids, sugars, O2
fats, nucleotides mitochondria
• ATP energy for
synthesis
Digestion
• Digestion is the process of breaking down
foods into nutrients that the body can use
• Metabolism is the processes involved in the
body’s use of nutrients
• Meta- means change or beyond
• Anabolism is building up of body cells
• Catabolism is breakdown of body cells
Digestive Systems
• Man and pig have a simple stomach with an
extensive intestinal system
• Ruminants have a complex stomach with a
simpler intestinal system
• Horses and rabbits have a simple stomach
with an extensive intestinal system and an
enlarged cecum
Path of Digestion
• Food is grasped and collected into the oral cavity
• This is called prehension

• Mastication (chewing) breaks food into smaller

pieces
• Deglutition moves chewed food into the pharynx
and on into the esophagus
• The epiglottis closes off the entrance to the trachea

• Food moves down the esophagus by gravity and

peristalsis
• Peristalsis is a series of wavelike contractions of smooth
muscle
• -stalsis means contraction
Structures and Functions
• The organs of the gastrointestinal tract (GI) form
a tube like passage through the body cavities.
– From the mouth to the anus by way of the pharynx,
esophagus, stomach, and intestines

• The main functions of this system is

– Prehension
– Transport
– Breakdown of food
– Absorption of nutrients
– Eliminate waste
 3 Major Digestive Systems
• All 3 systems will be addressed in detail in the
lesson to follow:
• Ruminants—have four stomach compartments
• Non Ruminants:
• Monogastric—have one stomach
• Modified Monogastric—have one stomach but
the ability to digest roughages
Ruminants
• Hi,
 A RUMINANT is a mammal that eats and
digests plant-based food such as grass.
Ruminating mammals
include cattle, goats, sheep,
giraffes,, yaks, water buffalo, deer, camels,
llamas, , antelope, , and nilgai.
The word "ruminant" comes from the Latin
word ruminaire which means "to chew over
again".
GOAT COW

DEER BUFFALO
 Sheep, cows, and goats are examples of
animals with complex stomachs, which are
also known as ruminant digestive systems
WHAT IS
MONOGASTRICS
???
 A MONOGASTRIC organism has a
simple single-chambered stomach,
compared with a ruminant organism,
like a cow, goat, or sheep, which has a
four-chambered complex stomach.
Examples of monogastric animals
include omnivores such
as humans, rats, and pigs, carnivores
such as dogs and cats, and herbivores
such as horses and rabbits.
HORSE HUMAN

RABBIT
PIG
Humans, swine, rabbits, chickens and horses
all have a simple stomach, which is also
known as a monogastric digestive system.
Structures and Functions
• Food moves through the digestive system aided by
peristalsis, an involuntary, wavelike movement.

• The digestive tract in all mammals generally has the

same parts
– Mouth
– Teeth
– Tongue
– Pharynx
– Esophagus
– Stomach
– Small intestine
– Large intestine
 Parts and functions of the monogastric
mammal digestive system
•Mouth:
Lips form the entrance to the mouth.
-gather and chew feed using tongue and teeth, Mechanical digestion
-salivary glands moisten feed to aid in swallowing
-saliva begins the carbohydrate breakdown with salivary amylase
That help in hydrolysis of starch into dextrins and maltose
Salivary Glands
Saliva is produced in 4 salivary glands
Parotid
Sublingual
Mandibular
Zygomatic
Referred to as exocrine glands
Saliva begins the breakdown of some foods (carbohydrates) in the mouth.
Moistens food, lubricant for the bolus.
• Esophagus
-tube from mouth to stomach that is open at the mouth end
-separated from stomach by the esophageal sphincter
Cattle sheep: made up of striated muscles ,longitudinal, cross sectional
Horse: made up of smoth muscles
 Parts and functions of the monogastric
mammal digestive system continued…
•Stomach
-muscular gland lined sac that receives ingesta from the
esophagus and conducts both physical and chemical digestion
-primary secretions:
Mucus: produced by neck chief cells and it protect walls of
stomach from digestion
pepsin –Produced by Body chief cells and it is an enzyme that
digests protein; Proteolytic
Renin: Produced by Body chief cells and it is milk clotting enzyme
hydrochlorides –Produced by parietal cells and that aid in
protein digestion and maintain PH
Small Intestine
-enzymatic digestion and absorption
1. duodenum - most digestion occurs here
2. jejunum - some digestion and some
absorption occur
3. ileum - mostly absorption
-Functions of the small intestine(1) Pancreatic secretions
:digestion of proteins(proteolytic enzyme), carbohydrates
(amylolytic enzyme), and fats(lipolytic enzyme);
absorption of the end products of digestion .These enzymes are
present in pancreatic juice

-(2)Bile secretion- made in liver, stored in gall bladder,

active in the small intestine, emulsifies fat to aid in
digestion
(3)Intestinal secretion: Intestinal glands such as
aminopeptidase,maltase,lactase,sucrose and nuclease.
Absorption
• Absorption is the process of taking digested
nutrients into the circulatory system
• also called assimilation
• Absorption occurs in the small intestine
• Villi are tiny hair like projections that
help increase the surface area of the small
intestine allowing more nutrients to be
absorbed
• Villi means tuft of hair
• The valleys that result from the
projections of the small intestine are
called crypts
 Parts and functions of the monogastric
mammal digestive system continued…
•Enzymes in the small intestine
Digestive System
• Accessory organs:
• Pancreas secretes enzymes to break down
fat
• Liver (largest internal organ) secretes bile,
which digests fats
• also stores iron
Parts and functions of the monogastric
mammal digestive system continued…

•Cecum - essentially non functioning in many monogastrics. Rabbits

and horses have an enlarged cecum that acts like a rumen and is
involved with microbial digestion (fermentation)

• Large Intestine
-water absorption
-waste storage
 Ruminant Digestion
 Intake
 Mastication (chewing) Rumination
 Swallowing
 Regurgitation
 Remastication
 Fermentation
 Eructation
 Absorption
 Digestion
 Parts and functions of the ruminant
digestive system continued…
• Mouth
-contains dental pad, teeth, tongue and saliva
-saliva contains no salivary amylase

• Esophagus
-tube from mouth to stomach
-tube from stomach to mouth
The Mouth
• The lips of sheep, goats, and horses are soft
and flexiable and aid in picking up food.

• Lips of cattle are stiff and immobile and do

little more than close the mouth.
Teeth
• The number of deciduous (baby teeth) and
permanent teeth vary with the species and
the natural diet of an animal.

• Teeth provide a variety of functions

– Cutting and grinding of food
– Defense mechanism

• Ruminants do not have upper incisors, just

a pad.
Ruminant Stomach
• Stomach occupies 3/4 of abdominal cavity,
mostly on the left side
• Rumen (paunch): 80% of stomach, lighter food
collects here
• microbes digest cellulose
• lots of water

• Reticulum (hardware stomach): 5% of stomach,

heavy foreign items are trapped here
Ruminant Stomach
• Omasum (many plies): 8% of stomach,
absorbs water
• Abomasum (true stomach): 8% of stomach,
typical enzyme activity
• Rumination: regurgitation, rechewing of
food
 Parts and functions of the ruminant
digestive system
Ruminants are characterized by
having a stomach with four
compartments

Rumination - the regurgitation,

rechewing and reswallowing of

ingested food

Cud - mass of regurgitated ingesta;

bolus
1. Anus 7. Reticulum
Process of rumination
2. Rectum 8. Esophagus
1. regurgitate bolus from rumen
3. Cecum 9. Abomasum 2. rechew and reinsalivate
4. Colon 10. Omasum 3. reswallow
5. Duodenum 11. Small Intestine 4. repeat with another bolus
6. Rumen
 Rumen
 Largest compartment
 On left side of animal
 Contains micro-
organisms
 Ferments cellulose
 Absorbs VFA’s
 Divided into chambers
 Continually contracting
 Contains papillae
 Produces CO2
 pH close to neutral (6 -
7)
 Reticulum
 Smallest compartment
 Lies close to the heart
 Small sac - part of rumen
body
 Catches dense, heavy feed for
later rumination
 Contracts for regurgitation
 “Honeycomb” lining
 Catches hardware and stores
it
 Omasum

 Third compartment
 Globe-shaped
 Lining called “many plies”
 Reduces feed particle size
 Absorbs water and dries out
ingesta
 Absorbs volatile fatty acids
Abomasum
 Final compartment
 Tubular in design
 “True” stomach (glandular)
 Secretes HCl and enzymes
for chemical digestion
 Reduces pH to 2.5
 Dissolves minerals
 Kills rumen bacteria
 Breaks down proteins
 Passes ingesta to small
intestine
Ruminant Digestion
Ruminant Facts (Bovine)
 Chews cud
 40,000-60,000 jaw movements/day
 No upper incisors - dental pad
 Does not “bite” grass - wraps tongue
 Uses fermentation to digest plants
 Symbiotic relationship with bacteria
 Produces 13 gallons of gas/hour
 Produces 40 liters of saliva/day
 Parts and functions of the ruminant
digestive system continued…

• Reticulum - "honeycomb"
-houses microorganisms
-catches hardware (ingested by animal)
-houses the opening to the omasum

• Omasum - "manyplies“ or “book”

-full of folded tissue
-water absorption

• Abomasum - true stomach

-pepsin
-HCl
 Parts and functions of the ruminant
digestive system continued…

•Small Intestine
-enzymatic digestion and absorption
-Functions of the small intestine: digestion of proteins,
carbohydrates, and fats; absorption of the end products of
digestion
1.duodenum
2.jejunum
3.ileum

•Large Intestine
-water absorption
-waste storage
Ruminant Digestive System
Pigs, Rabbits, Horses, Chickens, and Humans
have a simple stomach or a monogastric
digestive system

Cows, Sheep and Goats have a complex

stomach or a ruminant digestive system
Known as a modified
monogastric system
Parts and functions of the monogastric
avian digestive system

•Mouth/Beak - gather and break down feed

• Esophagus - tube from mouth to stomach that

is open at the mouth end

• Crop - feed storage and moistening

• Proventriculus - glandular stomach (HCI and

gastric juices); enzymatic

• Gizzard - muscular stomach; mechanical

breakdown
 Parts and functions of the monogastric
avian digestive system continued…
•Small Intestine - enzymatic digestion and absorption
-Functions of the small intestine: digestion of proteins,
carbohydrates, and fats; absorption of the end products of digestion
-Enzymes in the small intestine

• Ceca - essentially non functioning in monogastrics

• Large Intestine
-water absorption
-waste storage

• Cloaca - common chamber for GI and urinary tracts

• Vent - common exit for GI and urinary tracts

Digestive System of Horse
• Converts feed into a form that can be used for
maintenance, growth, and reproduction
• In a light horse, the tract is approximately 100
feet long and capacity of 40-50 gallons.
• Includes:
• Mouth, esophagus, stomach, intestines, anus, liver,
teeth, pancreas, and salivary glands
Equine Digestive System
• Mouth
• Lips, pharynx, soft palate
• Lips pick up loose feed which is then passed into
the mouth by the tongue

• Pharynx
• Short, funnel shaped tube between the mouth and
the esophagus
• Food and water cannot return through the mouth
after passing through
• Horse that chokes has food pass through nose
Digestive System
• Esophagus is a long muscular tube from the
pharynx to the stomach.

• Stomach is a U shaped muscular sac

• Peristalsis moves food through
• Gastric juices are expressed by the stomach walls.
 Horse Digestive System

1. Esophagus 5. Large intestine

2. Stomach 6. Pelvic flexure
3. Small intestine 7. Colon
4. Cecum 8. Rectum
 Large Intestine, Horses
• The large intestine makes up approximately 60% of
the total digestive tract.
• Divided into cecum, large colon, small colon and
rectum.
• Cecum is an important organ in horses.
• Horses can use large amounts of roughage because of the
presence of bacteria in the cecum and colon.
• These bacteria digest cellulose and ferment
carbohydrates.
 Large Intestine, Horses
• IMPORTANT- because the large intestine of the horse usually
contains substantial quantities of ingested material, impaction
occurs easily.

• This impaction is the start of what horse ailment?

• Signs and symptoms

• Kicking at abdomen, rolling, lying down and standing up repeatedly,
restlessness .
DIFFERENTIATION BETWEEN
RUMINANTS & MONOGASTRIC
STOMACH
RUMINANT MONOGASTRIC