Rabbit Digestion

Question 1

What is the rabbits stomach

5 Fs

Answer 1

Fur, food, fibre, fluid and faeces

Question 2

What is the stomach ph

Answer 2

Roughly 1-2 after feeding

Question 3

What is gastric emptying time

Answer 3

4-5 days

Question 4

What does the wild rabbit live on

Answer 4

Fibrous vegetation for much of the year

Question 5

How many hours does the wild rabbit spend grazing

Answer 5

6-9 hours a day

Question 6

How is the saliva secreted and when

Answer 6

Secreted constantly and contains salivary amylase.

Question 7

How is food selection based

Answer 7

Food selection is based on smell and on tactile information from the vibrissae around the mouth and nose

Question 8

What is the water requirement compared to that of the dog and cat

Answer 8

Water/fluid intake is greater

Question 9

Ileocaecal valve

Answer 9

Can either take left into proximal colon or can take a right into caecum

Question 10

Give account of the liver

Answer 10

4 lobes, gall bladder present

Question 11

Main bile pigment

Answer 11

Biliverdin

Question 12

Ampulla

Answer 12

There is a dilation at the proximal end of the duodenum where the bile duct enters the duodenum

Question 13

Where do the lobes of the pancreas lie

Answer 13

Right = between descending and ascending duodenum as isolated lobules within the mesentery 
Left = lies along the greater curvature of the stomach in the mesentery between it and the transverse colon

Question 14

Location of single pancreatic duct

Answer 14

Proximal end of ascending colon

Question 15

What is the sacculus rotundus

Answer 15

Thick walled dilatation of the terminal ileum, known as ampulla ilei or ileocaecal tonsil

Question 16

What does the wall of the sacculus rotundus contain

Answer 16

Lymphatic follicles and it forms the junction between caecum, ileum and prox colon

Question 17

What is the ampulla caecalis coli

Answer 17

Area where the fibrous contents of the gut are sorted by size. Small particles of digestible fibre move into the caecum and larger indigestible fibre move into the prox colon and are expelled as dry faecal pellets

Question 18

Is the caecum sacculated

Answer 18

Yes

Question 19

Describe the structure of the caecum

Answer 19

1.5 turns of a flat spiral, mesenteric attachments to: ileum, descending duodenum, and colon&raquo_space;> complex structure is the ileocaecocolic complex

Question 20

Within the caecum what occurs

Answer 20

Ammonia use, ureolysis, proteolytic, cellulysis

Question 21

What is ureolysis

Answer 21

when on low protein diet, urea is actively secreted into the caecum

Question 22

What is caecal fermentation

Answer 22

Contains large quantities of non pathogenic anaerobic bacteria and a variety of Protozoa

Question 23

Examples of bacteria in abbots on a fed high carb low fibre diet

Answer 23

Lactobacillus and E. coli

Question 24

VFA absorption

Answer 24

Absorbed across the caecal muscosa and form primary energy source

Question 25

VFA examples

Answer 25

1. Acetic acid, 2. Butyric acid, 3. Proprionic acid

Question 26

Butyrate usage

Answer 26

By hindgut, a lot of energy is required for metabolism and absorption of VFAs and other products of digestion, it is broken down without any ketone production

Question 27

Acetate, proprionate and lactate ?

Answer 27

Absorbed via hepatic portal circulation, most of the proprionate and remains of butyrate are utilised within the liver with acetate and lactate remaining within the systemic circulation for usage by other tissues

Question 28

VERMIFORM APPENDIX LOCATION AND FUNCTION

Answer 28

End of caecum, rich in lymphoid tissue and secretes a bicarbonate rich fluid

Question 29

Caecotrophs

Answer 29

Once VFA absorbed. The rest of the caecal contents form thick paste passing into proximal colon when rabbit is at rest

Question 30

Colon sacculated? Yes or no. What happens here

Answer 30

Prox colon is sacculated, where fibre is sorted

Question 31

Fusus coli ?

Answer 31

Middle section of the colon

Question 32

Function of distal colon

Answer 32

Absorption of water, VFA and electrolytes

Question 33

Fusus coli function

Answer 33

Pacemaker of colon. 4cm long, very vascular and highly innervates. Contains goblet cells and longitudinal folds

Question 34

What happens when hard faeces are produced

Answer 34

Strong smooth muscle contractions in fusus coli squeeze water out of faecal material. Water, VFA, and electrolytes are further absorbed as the faces pass slowly through the distal colon and firm dry faecal pellets are produced

Question 35

When caecotrophs are produced

Answer 35

Gentle contractions of the fusus coli, so not much water squeezed out, mucus secretion from goblet cells increased to form a mucous covering for the caecotrophs.
Lysozoyme produced to enter the caecotrophs
Caecotrophs passs quickly through the distal colon

Question 36

How much faster do caecotrophs pass through the distal colon than the dry faecal pellets

Answer 36

Twice as fast, there is minimal further reabsorption

Question 37

Digestion of caecotrophs **hard - include mucus, lactic acid, lysozyme, lactate

Answer 37

Mucuous coating protects caecotrophs from stomach acid. They remain in the fundus about 6-8hrs before digestion. Lactic acid is produced within the caecotrophs. During this time lysozyme produces by the fusus coli and incorporated into the caecotrophs breaks down the bacteria in the caecotrophs and lactate is absorbed via stomach wall

Question 38

Water requirements

Answer 38

Rabbits need 50-100ml/kg/ours which is more than the cat or dog. It is constantly secreted and absorbed along the digestive tract

Question 39

Calcium metabolism

Answer 39

High plasma calcium level compared with other mammals, calcium is absorbed passively in the SI in production to the level of dietary calcium. It is then excreted or reabsorbed in the renal nephron according to need.

Question 40

Ca:P and calcium absorption

Answer 40

Ca:P ratio affects calcium absorption, excretion and utilisation and vitamin D3 is needed for utilisation of calcium throughout the body