Ruminant GI tract

Question 1

What are the parts of the stomach? Are they glandular or non-glandular?

Answer 1

Reticulum (non-glandular)
Rumen (non-glandular)
Omasum (non-glandular)
Abomasum (glandular)

Question 2

What does the dorsal sac of the rumen have?

Answer 2

An atrium and a caudodorsal blind sac

Question 3

What is the groove between the reticulum and rumen?

Answer 3

Ruminoreticular groove

Question 4

What is the groove between the atrium and ruminal recess?

Answer 4

Cranial groove

Question 5

What demarcates the blind sacs?

Answer 5

Coronary grooves

Question 6

What is the disease when a wire gets stuck in the reticulum?

Answer 6

Traumatic reticulopericarditis (Hardware disease)

Question 7

Where does the superficial leaf of the greater omentum attach?

Answer 7

To the greater curvature of the abomasum and all side of the rumen
Attaches to the left longitudinal groove

Question 8

Where does the deep leaf of the greater omentum attach?

Answer 8

To the right side of the rumen

Attaches to the right longitudinal groove

Question 9

Where do the intestines sit?

Answer 9

Above the omentum in a pocket called the supraomental recess

Question 10

Where does the lesser omentum attach?

Answer 10

Comes from the lesser curvature of the stomach to the liver

Question 11

What type of muscle is the esophagus? Why?

Answer 11

Striated muscle

Because of eructation

Question 12

What are the 2 sphincters of the esophagus?

Answer 12

Pharyngoesophageal

Cardia

Question 13

What is undeveloped in the calf at birth?

Answer 13

Reticulorumen

Question 14

What makes up the gastric groove?

Answer 14

Reticular groove (esophageal groove)
Omasal grovoe
Abomasal groove

Question 15

What is the purpose of the esophageal groove?

Answer 15

Closes when the calf starts suckling so the colostrum/milk goes directly to the abomasum
This is beneficial so that milk doesn’t sit in the rumen for too long

Question 16

What is the size of the rumen?

Answer 16

40-60 gallons

Question 17

What is the purpose of the rumen?

Answer 17

Digestion

Fermentation

Question 18

What is the purpose of the pillars in the rumen?

Answer 18

Rumination and eructation

Question 19

What is the purpose of the papillae in the rumen?

Answer 19

Increases absorptive surface

Question 20

What are the VFAs in the rumen?

Answer 20

Acetate
Butyrate
Propionate

Question 21

What are the mixing layers of the rumen?

Answer 21

Gas
Fiber mat
Fluid

Question 22

What happens in the reticulum?

Answer 22

Fermentation continues
Retains food until particles are small enough to pass
Absorption of water and soluble vitamins
Absorption of VFAs

Question 23

What occurs in the omasum?

Answer 23

Fluid absorption

Question 24

How is particle size reduced in the omasum?

Answer 24

Grinding

Question 25

What is the omasum known as?

Answer 25

Butcher’s bible

Manyplies

Question 26

What happens in the abomasum?

Answer 26

Enzymatic digestion (HCl and pepsin secretion)
Degradation of microbes
Digestion protein to peptides and amino acids

Question 27

What are the 3 regions of the abomasum?

Answer 27

Fundus
Body
Pyloric region

Question 28

What happens in the small intestines?

Answer 28

Chemical and enzymatic digestion
Pancreatic and bile juice
Absorption of sugars, amino acids, microbial protein, long chain fatty acids, mineral and vitamins
Peristalsis

Question 29

What happens in the large intestine?

Answer 29

Fermentation

Absorption of water, minerals, and VFAs

Question 30

Which direction does the blind end of the cecum point?

Answer 30

Caudally

Question 31

What is the movement of food starting with the cecum?

Answer 31

Cecum goes to proximal loop, which gives way to centripital coils
The second centripital coil hits the central flexure
Coils are now centrifugal
Distal loop
Transverse colon
Descending colon

Question 32

What makes up the ascending colon?

Answer 32

Proximal loop
Centripital coil
Central flexure
Centrifugal coil
Distal loop