Anatomy of the grown to full size
adult
The cow's
digestive tract is made up of the mouth, esophagus, a complex four-compartment stomach,
small intestine as well as the large intestine. The stomach includes the reticulum
or honeycomb, rumen or paunch, the omasum or manyplies, as well as the abomasum
which is also known as the true stomach.
The reticulum
The reticulum
of the animal is a pouch-like structure in the forward area of the body cavity.
The tissues are arranged in a network which resembles a honeycomb. A small fold
of tissue lies between the reticulum and the rumen, but the two are not really
separate in compartments. Collectively they are known as the rumino-reticulum.
Heavy or dense feed and metal objects which are eaten by the cow drop into this
compartment. The reticulum also lies close to the heart of the cow. Nails and
other sharp objects may work into the tissue and cause hardware disease If not
prevented properly by a magnet or corrected by surgery, infection may occur and
the animal may die due to the infection.
The rumen
The rumen which
is on the left side of the animal is the largest of the four compartments and
is then divided into several sacs. It can hold twenty five gallons or more of
material, depending on the size of the cow. Due to the fact of its size, the
rumen acts as storage or holding vat for the fed feed. It is also known as a
fermentation vat. A microbial population in the rumen digests or ferments feeds
which are eaten by the animal. Conditions within the rumen encourage the growth
of microbes. The rumen absorbs most of the volatile fatty acids which are produced
from the fermentation of feed stuffs by rumen microbes. Absorption of volatile
fatty acids and some other products of digestion are enhanced by a very good
blood supply to the walls of the rumen.
The omasum
The omasum
is in a glope-shape, this globe-shaped structure which is also known as the
manyplies contains leaves of tissue such as the pages in a book. The omasum
absorbs the water as well as the other substances from the digestive contents.
Feed material (ingesta) between the leaves will be drier than that which is found
in the other compartments of the animal.
The abomasum
The abomasum
is the only compartment which is also known as the true stomach with a
glandular lining. Hydrochloric acid and digestive enzymes, needed for the
breakdwn of feeds, are secreted into the area of the abomasum. The abomasum is
comparable to that of the stomach of the non-ruminant animal.
The small intestine
The small
intestine of the animal is measures about twenty times the length of the
animal. It is made up of three sections namely; the duodenum, jejunum, and
ileum. The small intestine receives all the secretions of the pancreas and the
gallbladder, which also aid digestion in the animal. Most of the digestive
processes in the animal are completed here, and many nutrients are absorbed
through the villi which is the small finger-like projections into the blood and
lymphatic systems.
Cecum
The cecum is
one of the large area which is located at the junction of the small and large intestine,
where some previously undigested fiber may as well be broken down. The exact
significance of the cecum has not been truly proving or established.
Large intestine
The large
intestine of the anima is the last segment of the tract through which it undigested
all intake feedstuffs. Some bacterial digestion of undigested feed take place,
but absorption of water by it, is the primary digestive activity which is occurring
in the large intestine compartment.
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