What is the function of the cecum in rabbits?
What is the function of the cecum in rabbits?
In small herbivores, such as rabbits, for example, the cecum is enlarged and contains bacteria that aid in the digestion of plant matter and facilitate nutrient absorption.
What is a caecum in rabbits?
The rabbit digestive tract greatly resembles that of a horse. Both are “hind-gut fermenters,” meaning that they have an organ called the “cecum” that functions much like the rumen of a cow, but instead of being at the beginning of the digestive tract it is at the end.
Why is the cecum of a rabbit larger than a human’s?
(a) Humans and herbivores, such as the (b) rabbit, have a monogastric digestive system. However, in the rabbit the small intestine and cecum are enlarged to allow more time to digest plant material. The enlarged organ provides more surface area for absorption of nutrients.
What is special about the cecum?
In herbivores, the cecum stores food material where bacteria are able to break down the cellulose. In humans, the cecum is involved in absorption of salts and electrolytes and lubricates the solid waste that passes into the large intestine.
What causes pain in the cecum?
An uncommon condition, a cecal volvulus occurs when your cecum and ascending colon twist, causing an obstruction that blocks the passage of stool through your bowels. This torsion can lead to abdominal pain, swelling, cramps, nausea, and vomiting.
What is inflammation of the cecum?
Typhlitis is an inflammation of the cecum, which is the beginning of the large intestine. It’s a serious illness that affects people who have a weak immune system, often from cancer, AIDS, or organ transplant. Sometimes it’s referred to as neutropenic enterocolitis, ileocecal syndrome, or cecitis.
How do you treat cecal impaction in rabbits?
Treatment: aggressive fluid therapy, analgesia, fluid therapy. Prognosis: cecal impaction is difficult to treat and the prognosis can be guarded or poor depending on the severity of the impaction and the general health of the rabbit.
How do I know if my rabbit has a GI stasis?
Rabbits with GI stasis often look bloated, pass little to no stool, and have big, gas-filled stomachs and intestines on X-rays. Blood tests often reveal evidence of dehydration and abnormal electrolyte values. There may also be changes associated with other underlying diseases (such as kidney or liver disease).
How do you treat rabbit stasis?
How will my veterinarian treat GI stasis?
- fluid therapy for rehydration.
- nutritional support (syringe feeding if not eating)
- antibiotic(s) (if there is an underlying bacterial infection)
- motility modifying drugs to enhance movement of food through the stomach and intestines.
- pain relievers.
- anti-inflammatory medications.
How long does rabbit digestion take?
Rabbits have a rather fast GI transit time, meaning from the time food is ingested it can be processed through the entire GI tract in about 19 hours. Rabbits will ingest plant material, chewing the food up to 120 times per minute, then they swallow the food where it passes through the esophagus into the stomach.
How do you treat inflamed cecum?
The procedure for treating cecal volvulus is called a cecopexy. Your surgeon will move the cecum back to its proper position in the abdominal wall. Intestinal resection surgery. If the cecum is severely damaged from being twisted, your doctor may recommend intestinal resection surgery.
What causes cecal impaction in rabbits?
Cause: stress, diet low in fiber, dehydration, excess lignified material, clay cat litter, dysautonomia. Signs: hunched posture, anorexia, reduced or absent fecal output, teeth grinding, reluctance to move, enlarged abdomen, doughy or firm cecum. Diagnosis: abdominal palpation and radiographic examination.