Digestion and Absorption Continued…

Mouth to Stomach food pushes into the esophagus (muscular tube connecting the mouth to the stomach) food carried via peristalsis lower esophageal sphincter controls the passage of food and liquid between the esophagus and stomach as food approaches the closed sphincter, the muscle relaxes and lets food pass through to the stomach

Stomach stores swallowed food and liquid mixes food and liquid with digestive enzymes and acid it produces (chyme) Acidic due to HCl (pH 1- 3) –Why doesn’t the stomach get damaged with such a low pH?

Gastric Enzymes Pepsin: breaks protein into amino acids Gastric Lipase: breaks apart lipids

Small Intestine muscles mix food with digestive enzymes from the pancreas, liver, and intestine and push the mixture forward (via persistalsis) to the large intestine walls absorb the digested nutrients (via vili) into the bloodstream pH 8

Major Pancreatic Enzymes Trypsinogen: protease Lipase: breaks apart lipids into glycerol and fatty acids Amylase: breaks starch down into glucose

Liver and Gallblader gallbladder is located under the liver and on the right side of the abdomen –primary function is to store and concentrate bile (yellow-brown liquid produced by the liver) bile aids in the digestion of fats and neutralizing the chyme leaving the stomach

Large Intestine waste products of the digestive process include undigested parts of food and older cells from the GI tract lining absorbs water and any remaining nutrients and changes the waste from liquid into stool rectum stores stool

Gastric Parasites Coccidiosis: acute invasion and destruction of intestinal mucosa by protozoa Clinical signs: diarrhea, fever, decreased appetite, weight loss, & emaciation Potential to be fatal

Coccidiosis Pathogenesis: ingestion of oocysts via feces Diagnostic: clinical signs and fecal sample Treatment: Sulfadimethoxine Canine or feline coccidia are not considered zoonotic agents

Gastric Parasites Giardia: intestinal infection caused by a protozoan parasite (“beaver fever”) Clinical signs: acute foul- smelling diarrhea, greenish tinge or bloody diarrhea, excess mucus in the feces, and vomiting gradual weight loss may become apparent Potential to be fatal

Giardia Pathogenesis: transmitted by eating or sniffing the cysts from contaminated ground, or by drinking contaminated water Diagnostics: clinical signs and fecal test Treatment: Metronidazole Zoonotic