Digestive System

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Small Volume Resuscitation in Anesthetized Endotoxemic Horses

Endotoxemia occurs when toxins from the wall of Gram-negative bacteria crosses the intestinal wall and gains access to the bloodstream. Endotoxin becomes concentrated on the surface of white blood cells, causing them to secrete inflammatory agents.

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Sun Cured/Dehydrated Alfalfa

In 2005, feed regulatory officials were informed that sun-cured alfalfa products might be used in products labeled as dehydrated alfalfa, thereby substituting a product of possibly inferior nutritional quality to unsuspecting consumers. This

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Colic Surgery and Reperfusion Injury

During colic surgery, it can be difficult to judge whether twisted bowel deprived of oxygenated blood, a process called ischemia, will recover sufficiently once it is replaced and blood flows again. While the bowel might look healthy on the outside,

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The Adaptive Equine Stomach

A study at the Island Whirl Equine Colic Research Laboratory at the University of Florida has determined that the horse’s stomach can adapt to meals of various sizes and compositions, giving researchers a better understanding of how the normal

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The Body’s Building Blocks

Like a structure made of tinker toys, protein is composed of smaller pieces–the amino acids. These can be rearranged to form the different types of protein-based tissues in the body. Protein is one of the basic nutrient elements of the equine

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Dental Correction and Feed Digestibility

Equine dental abnormalities are among the top five most common medical problems encountered by equine veterinarians. Clinical evidence has shown that horses with severe tooth hooks and points that were corrected gained weight

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Endotoxemia and Gastrointestinal Disease

Endotoxemia is one of the most commonly encountered life-threatening conditions in horses with gastrointestinal disease. It is, by nature, a very disappointing and frustrating disease to encounter, and is the leading cause of death in adult horses

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Genome Sequenced

Japanese scientists recently announced that they have sequenced the genome of Clostridium perfringens. The organism can cause diarrhea, scours, and other intestinal problems in horses. Clostridia are normally found in various environments

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Equine Digestive Physiology

An understanding of the horses’ digestive tract, where feedstuffs are digested and how that impacts the end products of digestion, is necessary to help the horse meet these challenges. The digestive tract of the horse is divided into two sections

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The Gastrointestinal (GI) Tract

Then there is the matter of the large colon, with its sacculated construction that seems made to order for twisting or strangulating when the pouches become distended by gas during a bout with colic.

There is also the matter of length. If

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Probiotics and Digestive Aids: Microbes to the Rescue

While the horse receives the bulk of the nutrients as his food is broken down, he’s not the only one who benefits; the microbes take their share and thus maintain their populations. Their presence is essential to the horse, who could not digest fiber

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Digestion From Start To Finish

Although it is not necessary for you to become bogged down in the intricacies of equine digestive physiology, a basic understanding of how the horse digests feed is necessary for the selection of appropriate diets and feeding practices.

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Choke (Esophageal Obstruction)

The word choke for me conjures up images of someone hovering over a table, unable to talk or breathe because a piece of food has lodged in their trachea or windpipe–fortunately, the Heimlich maneuver usually rectifies the situation. Choke is

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Fat Burning

For the most part, the word fat has bad connotations in our society today–fat often is used to describe an overweight or obese state. When we think of dietary fat and the proportion of calories in our diet that is derived from various sources”P>For the most part, the word fat has bad connotations in our society today–fat often is used to describe an overweight or obese state. When we think of dietary fat and the proportion of calories in our diet that “>For the most part, the word fat has bad connotations in our society today–fat often is used to describe an overweight or obese state. When we think of dietary fat and the proportion”For the most part, the word fat has bad connotations in our society today–fat often is used to describe an overweight or obese state. When we think of d”or the most part, the word fat has bad connotations in our society today–fat often is used to describe an overweight or obe”r the most part, the word fat has bad connotations in our society today–fat often is used to de” the most part, the word fat has bad connotations in our society toda”the most part, the word fat has bad connota”he most part, the wo

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