The cow is a very valuable and widespread animal in household and on farms. It is grown for the purpose of obtaining milk and meat. For high productivity, the cow should be properly and satisfyingly fed. To avoid problems with the digestive system, it is important to know the structure of the cow's stomach and the reasons for stopping it from working, which often happens. Read about this in the article.
Digestive system
The cow is a herbivore, the stomach of which, in the course of evolution, has adapted to the digestion of food with a high content of plant fibers. Along with the organs, bacteria evolved, the habitat of which is the digestive tract.
Microorganisms have developed their own ecosystem of protozoa, fungi and bacteria, which get along well with their host. For example, in the initial section of the stomach of a cow (rumen) live in large numbers different types bacteria and protozoa. The first have 60 items, the second - 30. The composition of the cow includes the oral cavity, esophagus, intestines and stomach.
How does the stomach work?
Many people are interested in, Some believe that four. But this is not the case. The organ is one, like in other animals, but it has a complex structure. The stomach of a cow, according to the anatomical structure, has four sections, but gastric juice is only in the last. The first three chambers are intermediate points where the food that the cow has chewed is prepared and fermented. Do not be surprised at the number of stomach sections. All of them are very important, and each performs its own function, because the animal secretes 100-200 liters of saliva in one day, which should have a storage space.
Digestion is a slow process. A cow can chew food for six to eight hours before it is in the stomach. The eaten food is here for several hours or more than two days, it depends on how much cellulose is contained in the food.
Scar
This is the first, or initial, section of the stomach of a cow, it is the largest in size. Everything that she ate, and this is practically unchewed food, gets here. The cow's initial stomach stores 80% of all food eaten. In general, it holds 150 kg of feed.
The walls at the initial part of the cow's stomach are thick enough, so they are not affected by tough pieces of plant food that the cow has not chewed well. At intervals of once a minute, the walls contract, stirring the grass to distribute the enzymes evenly. At the same time, the tough stems are rubbed and softened.
The main condition is her grazing. The grass eaten at this time is in the initial section of the cow's stomach. But after grazing, the food begins to regurgitate in small portions and is chewed again by the animals. This mass is called chewing gum. Softened under the influence of enzymes, it is thoroughly rubbed with teeth and again swallowed by the cow. But it gets into another part of the stomach, into a book.
The walls of the scar are covered with small growths. Their task is to absorb from food as many useful substances as possible, which are the product of the fermentation process, which is carried out with the participation of saliva and a huge number of bacteria that are beneficial to the body. Their number is 150 billion.
Net
Among the sections of the cow's stomach, the second is the mesh, which consists of many cells. This is one of the smallest sections (up to 10 liters in volume), connected to the rumen. Here, processes such as digestion and fermentation continue. The walls of this section have strong muscles that are able to mix the contents of the stomach, facilitating another process - the fermentation of nutrients. The grid, like a lattice, does not allow large stems to pass further, to the location of more delicate ones that can be injured by coarse food.
The first time the food that is chewed in the rumen burps up, gets back into oral cavity for further grinding with teeth. This happens when coarse cellulose fibers, which are difficult for bacteria to digest, accumulate in a certain amount in the stomach. But if there are large particles in food, the mesh retains them for 20-48 hours. During storage in this part of the stomach, its contents are completely modified. The food becomes suitable for further grinding before it enters the next section.
Book
Chewed food enters this section, which is considered the third in the stomach. Here the absorption of water, fatty acids, and other substances necessary for nutrition takes place. This section is small, it holds 5% of the eaten feed, which is 20 liters in volume. Here, the chewed gum is processed further thanks to the potent bacteria and aggressive enzymes that are in this section.
Abomasum
One of the parts of the stomach of a cow is the abomasum. It is designed to perform a wide variety of functions. Its capacity is 15 liters of food, which is finally prepared for digestion. This section serves as a normal stomach. Here, the food that has undergone the fermentation process in the first three sections is digested due to the action of the acid and enzymes of the animal itself.
How many stomachs does a cow have? The animal has one organ, but its structure is complex. The last section receives food in a dried form, which is mainly absorbed while in the book. The abomasum of a cow's stomach is similar in structure to a human organ. Its walls have glands in large numbers that secrete a juice called gastric juice. It has the highest acidity index in comparison with other departments.
In the abomasum, food is finally broken down. After the prepared mass enters the intestines, all the substances necessary for nutrition are absorbed from the small particles into the body. In the intestine, the absorption process is much more intense. From the moment food enters the stomach and until it is completely digested, it takes two to three days.
The cow's digestive system is complex. The burenka must constantly eat. You should not allow breaks between feedings, otherwise the health of the animal is threatened.
Why does a cow's stomach stop?
The most common reasons why the stomach refuses to work are the following:
- Feeding low-quality food, which is categorically unacceptable. The feed must be fresh and well chopped, otherwise, when it enters the esophagus, the cow feels discomfort, and intestinal stagnation occurs. If vegetables are given to the animal, they need to be grated or chopped with a knife. When feeding corn, it should be peeled. With regular malnutrition, the cow will swallow food quickly and in large portions during feeding, which leads to stomach stoppage.
- organ, there may be a sudden startle, during which the esophagus narrows. It can also happen if the cow has leukemia, tuberculosis or neurological disorders.
- The stomach may stop if the cow has swallowed a hard foreign object, such as a stone, nail.
The stomach of a cow has stopped - how to start?
If the reason is the ingress of a foreign object into the esophagus, you can deal with it on your own, without the help of a veterinarian. To do this, the cow should be tied to a tree and a wedge inserted between the teeth so that the jaws do not close. Then wrap your hand with a towel and take out the item.
This can be done using a probe that is inserted into the animal's esophagus. The swallowed object is easily pushed by it. In order for the probe to pass freely, any vegetable oil... You can pour in water at the same time. If the probe is not at hand, you can use a rubber hose with a diameter of no more than 3.5 cm, as long as its edges are round. Do not use a stick, it can cause injury to the esophagus.
At home, you can force the animal to stretch out its tongue. When this happens, irritate him by inducing vomiting. The animal may spit out the swallowed object. If the cow is eating unprocessed feed, this indicates that the pancreas have stopped working. In this case, you should contact your veterinarian.
Launching the stomach with folk remedies
If it was not possible to push through the swallowed object or eliminate the cause of the stomach stoppage due to the cow's consumption of poor-quality feed, due to the lack of medicines in the first-aid kit, they resort to folk remedies... Recipes for some of them:
- Yeast in the amount of 100 grams should be dissolved in a glass of warm water, let it brew for 30 minutes. Add vodka and sugar in the amount of 200 ml and 100 grams there. The cow should drink the resulting volume of liquid twice a day. Tincture to water the animal for several days.
- Prepare a decoction of yarrow, St. John's wort, flaxseed and water the cow twice a day. The stomach will work again.
- Buy cheremichny tincture at the pharmacy, dilute it with 0.5 liters of water and pour it into the cow's mouth.
- Important! Many cow health problems can be avoided if the cow is properly cared for and fed.
What to feed?
In order for the cow food consumed to be well absorbed and not to harm the stomach, the animal must be properly fed. A diet is considered balanced if it consists of the following ingredients daily:
- Cellulose fibers, which are rich in fresh grass, hay, silage.
- Grains of corn, oats, barley, soybeans, the use of which energizes the cow's body.
- By-products produced by the food industry: pulp of oranges and beets, molasses.
Zhenya
How many stomachs does a cow have?
Even seasoned villagers-farmers who are personally involved in the process of slaughtering a cow claim that a cow has multiple stomachs. Where did this opinion come from about how the digestive tract of a horned cow is arranged? What are the features of nutrition and work of the digestive system? Answers in the article.
Cow stomach - structure, description
If you take a close look at the digestive system of a cow in the drawings of the anatomical structure of the animal, surprise is inevitable. After all, there are really four stomachs! But this is a delusion. The answer of experts is unambiguous - there is only one stomach, and the distinguished "chambers" are its departments. Each of the four has a name:
- abomasum;
- book;
- scar;
- net.
A new question arises. What are they needed for? The structure of the stomach of a cow is not arranged in the same way as in, for example, carnivorous animals or mammals that eat mixed feed. Nature has endowed the cow with an ideal digestive organ that allows the absorption of plant foods by almost 100%. This is especially important for delicious, nutritious milk.
The cow "throws" a large amount of grass, hay, compound feed into the body, not chewing it too carefully. Yes, this is impossible, otherwise she would chew for days. Although she has to constantly "work" with her jaws, it is not for nothing that she is called a ruminant.
It turns out that the horned "milkmaid" grinds the same food again. Getting incompletely digested in the scar, it returns to the oral cavity a little later. The re-chewed food mass falls into the mesh-sieve - here it is "sorted" a second time. The remaining large parts are returned to chew again. The book starts the basic chemical process by actively adding enzymes and bacteria. The food begins to "ferment". Food enters the abomasum dry for final digestion with the help of gastric juice.
Description of the food processing process
The digestive sections of the cow include:
- Oral cavity. This is where the feed "raw material" comes first. Moreover, when creating a cow, nature paid special attention to the lower teeth. They are horned and pluck out the grass.
Attention! Saliva is needed to macerate tough feed. A cow produces almost 200 liters per day.
- Larynx or pharynx. Enzyme gases accumulate in the larynx. They are needed to break down food.
- Esophagus. Already soaked, "flavored" with enzymes, food moves through the esophagus to the stomach.
- Stomach. This is where the feed sorting process takes place.
The largest gastric section is the scar. It serves several functions. Saturates food with enzymes, carbon dioxide, starting the process of food processing. Shreds large pieces, such as stems, and returns the unchewed mass to the mouth for a second process. "Warty" walls draw out the most useful substances from food and convert carbohydrate particles into fatty acids.
Attention! The cow's stomach is able to "accommodate" 120-150 kg of feed.
Nutrition rules
The features of the device of the gastrointestinal tract require a well-thought-out diet. Obviously, soft grass and forage are not enough for a complete diet. Vegetables, silage or ready-to-eat foods are very poorly digested without a harder, dry food. The cow does not receive enough nutrients that give her energy to produce delicious milk... Hay and straw are used as dry food.
They are the basis for "chewing gum", methodical chewing of which the cow engages in in the evening after daytime grazing. It is also beneficial to include bacteria in the diet to help break down complex food particles. Once in the body, each portion of food is in the stomach of the cow for almost 2 days. It is not surprising that the main “job” of cows is to digest feed.
Good quality feed is essential for a complex food digestion device. Unfortunately, the complex structure of the stomach often causes gastrointestinal disorders. "Passing" through four sections of one stomach is a long process, its work must be debugged. All the more important it is to take care of the health of the cow.
Ruminant stomach device: video
The digestive system of a ruminant animal can surprise a person uninitiated in agricultural affairs. So, the digestive system of cows is very voluminous, which is associated with the need to process a large amount of incoming food. A large supply of food is naturally necessary to produce a sufficient amount of dairy products. The quality of the food supplied to the stomach should also be taken into account, since it is usually coarse, hence the need for a large amount of time for the complete breakdown of food.
The stomach of a cow, like that of other cattle, has a very peculiar structure. How many stomachs does a cow have, how does it work in general? digestive system these animals? We will answer these and a number of related other questions below in this article. Each section of the stomach has its own functions. We will also focus on them.
Cows do not particularly bother chewing food, only slightly crushing the absorbed grass. The main part of the feed is processed in the rumen to the state of a fine gruel.
The digestive system of the cow, on the one hand, perfectly and rationally allocates time during grazing, on the other hand, it allows the maximum extraction of all nutrients from the roughage. If the cow will chew thoroughly every blade of grass plucked, she will have to spend whole days in the pasture and eat grass. During rest, it is worth noting that the cow constantly chews the food that has collected in the rumen and now goes for re-chewing.
Department of the stomach of ruminants
The cow's digestive system consists of several sections, differing in function, namely:
The mouth of these animals is especially interesting, since its main purpose is to pluck grass, hence, the presence of an exclusively anterior row of lower teeth. Impressive saliva volumes released every day, it reaches about 90 to 210 liters! Enzymatic gases accumulate in the esophagus.
How many stomachs does a cow have? One, two, three, or even four? This will cause surprise, but only one, but consisting of four departments. The first and largest compartment is a scar, and a mesh and a book are located in the proventriculus. No less interesting and not quite euphonious name the fourth chamber of the stomach is the abomasum. The entire digestive system of a cow requires detailed consideration. More details about each department.
Scar
- enzymatic - intracellular bacteria trigger the digestive system, thereby ensuring the initial fermentation process. In the rumen, carbon dioxide and methane are actively produced, with the help of which all food entering the organ is split. In the case of non-regurgitation of carbon dioxide, the animal's belly swells up, and as a result, a malfunction in the work of other organs;
- food stirring function - cicatricial muscles contribute to food mixing and its further release for re-chewing. Interestingly, the walls of the scar are not smooth, but with small formations resembling warts, which facilitate the absorption of nutrients;
- transformation function - more than one hundred billion microorganisms present in the rumen, promoting the conversion of carbohydrates into fatty acids, which provides energy to the animal. Microorganisms are classified as bacteria and fungi. Protein and ammonia keto acids are converted by these bacteria.
A cow's stomach can hold up to 150 kg of feed, a huge portion of which is digested in the rumen. Up to 70 percent of the food eaten is found here. Several bags are distinguished in the rumen:
- cranial;
- dorsal;
- ventral.
Probably, each of us noticed that a cow, some time after eating, regurgitates it back for re-chewing. The cow spends more than 7 hours a day on this process! Re regurgitated mass is called chewing gum. This mass is thoroughly chewed by the cow, and then goes not into the rumen, but into another department - into the book. The scar is located in the left half of the abdominal cavity of the ruminant.
Net
The next section in the cow's stomach is the mesh. This is the smallest compartment, with a volume not exceeding 10 liters. The mesh is similar to a sieve stopping large stems, as in other sections, coarse food will immediately harm. Imagine: a cow chewed grass for the first time, then the food hit the scar, burp out, chewed again, hit the net. If the cow chewed carelessly and left large stems, they will be stored in the net for one to two days. What is it for? The food is decomposed and again offered to the cow for chewing. And only then the food gets into another department - the book.
The grid has a special function - it separates large pieces of food from small ones. Thanks to the mesh, large pieces are returned to the rumen for further processing. There are no glands in the mesh. Like the scar, the mesh walls are covered with small formations. The grid consists of small cells that define food processing level the previous chamber, that is, a scar. There are no glands in the mesh. How is the mesh connected with other departments - a scar and a book? Quite simple. There is an esophageal groove, resembling a semi-closed tube in shape. To put it simply, the mesh sorts the food. Only enough chopped food can end up in the book.
Book
The booklet is a small compartment that can hold no more than 5 percent of the feed consumed. The book has a capacity of about 20 liters. It is only here that the repeatedly chewed cow food is processed. This process is supported by the presence of numerous bacteria and potent enzymes.
It is no coincidence that the third section of the stomach is called a book, which is associated with the appearance of the section - continuous folds, divided into narrow chambers. The food is arranged in folds. The digestive tract of the cow does not end there - the incoming saliva processes the food, fermentation begins. How is the food in the book digested? Feed distributed in folds, and then dehydrates. Moisture absorption is carried out due to the peculiarities of the net structure of the book.
The booklet performs an important function in all digestion - it absorbs food. By her own the book is quite voluminous, but it contains a small amount of food. All moisture and mineral components are absorbed in the book. What does the book look like? On an elongated bag with numerous folds.
The book is like a filter and shredder of large stems. In addition, water is sucked in here. This department is located in the right hypochondrium. It is connected both with the mesh and with the abomasum, that is, it continues the mesh, passing into the abomasum. The shell of the third section the stomach forms folds with small nipples at the ends. The abomasum is elongated in shape and resembles a pear, which is thickened at the base. Where the abomasum and omasum meet, one end connects to the duodenum.
Why does a cow chew food twice? It's all about the fiber found in plants. It is difficult and time-consuming to process it, which is why double chewing is necessary. Otherwise, the effect will be minimal.
Abomasum
The last part of the cow's stomach is the abomasum, which is similar in structure to the stomachs of other mammals. A large number of glands, constantly secreting gastric juice are features of the abomasum. Longitudinal rings in the abomasum form muscle tissue... The walls of the abomasum are covered with a special mucus, consisting of the epithelium, containing the pyloric and cardiac glands. The mucous membrane of the abomasum is formed from numerous elongated folds. The main digestive processes take place here.
Huge functions are assigned to the abomasum. Its capacity is about 15 liters. Here food is prepared for final digestion. The book absorbs all moisture from food, therefore, it enters the abomasum already in a dried form.
Let's sum up
Thus, the structure of the stomach of a cow is very peculiar, since a cow does not have 4 stomachs, but a four-chambered stomach, which provides the processes of the cow's digestive system. The first three chambers are an intermediate point, preparing and fermenting the supplied feed, and only in the abomasum contains pancreatic juice completely processing food. The cow's digestive system includes the rumen, reticulum, omasum and abomasum. Enzymatic filling of the rumen ensures the breakdown of food. The structure of this compartment resembles a similar human organ. The rumen of cattle is very capacious - 100 - 300 liters, in goats and sheep it is much less - only 10 - 25 liters.
Long retention of food in the rumen ensures its further processing and decomposition. In the beginning, cellulose undergoes cleavage, it is involved in this a huge number of microorganisms... Microorganisms change depending on the food, so there should not be a sharp transition from one type of food to another.
Fiber is very important for the ruminant organism as a whole, as it provides good motor skills pregastric departments. Motility, in turn, ensures the passage of food through the gastrointestinal tract. In the rumen, the process of fermentation of fodder masses takes place, the mass is split, and the body of the ruminant animal assimilates starch and sugar. Also, in this section, protein is broken down and non-protein nitrogen compounds are produced.
The acidity of the environment in the abomasum is provided by numerous glands located on the walls of the abomasum. The food is broken down here into tiny particles, in the future, nutrients are completely absorbed by the body, finished mass moves into the intestines, where the most intensive absorption of all beneficial microelements occurs. Imagine: a cow ate a bunch of grass in a pasture, and the digestion process starts, which ultimately takes 48 to 72 hours.
The digestive system of cows is very complex. These animals must continuously eat, as the break will bring big problems and affect the health of the cow very negatively. Complex structure of the digestive system has negative qualities - indigestion - a common cause of death in cows. Does a cow have 4 stomachs? No, just one, and the entire digestive system includes the mouth, pharynx, cow's esophagus and stomach.
Attention, only TODAY!
When breeding large pets, you need to understand their anatomy. An interesting animal in this regard is the cow, which is believed to have four stomachs. Let's find out how many stomachs a cow actually has.
The common truth, known to all, is that a cow has four stomachs. However, is it correct to think so from an anatomical point of view? The stomach of a cow may be one, but it is represented by different departments. It should be noted that anatomically, cows have four completely different areas, each of which performs its own function.
This anatomy of the digestive tract is due to the fact that the digestion of a cow is different from all other domestic animals. The four-chambered stomach allows all ruminants to digest coarse plant foods, extracting the maximum of useful substances from it.
Structural features
As we have already found out, the stomach of ruminants is divided into four different sections... Each part of the cow's stomach is represented by a specialized formation that is maximally adapted to perform a specific task. Let's take a closer look at the stomach sections of a cow.
Scar
The scar is considered the largest section. It includes the esophagus. Therefore, unchewed plant fragments fall into this part. Most of this mass is subsequently regurgitated into the oral cavity back and there it is already thoroughly chewed. Then it is swallowed and gets into the net.
The rumen performs the following digestive functions:
- enzymatic. This function is triggered by intracellular bacteria. As a result, fermentation begins, during which methane and carbon dioxide are produced;
- stirring food for re-chewing;
- fermentation.
The fulfillment of these functions provides a thick-walled structure of this area, as well as its contraction every minute. Thanks to this, the enzymes are evenly distributed over the plant mass. In the wall there are warty formations through which the absorption of nutrients is carried out. In addition, this section of the digestive tract must necessarily consist of three sacs: dorsal, cranial and ventral. The scar is located in the peritoneum, on the left side.
Net
Also, the stomach of a cow has a section such as a mesh. This is the smallest part in size. The mesh volume does not exceed 10 liters. This anatomical formation looks like a sieve. Hence the name of the formation. The purpose of the grid is to stop large fragments of plants, since such food can be harmful in subsequent parts of the digestive tract. If the cow chewed food poorly, then large plant residues in the net are stored for up to two days.
Thus, the function of the grid is to separate large pieces of plant matter from the chopped food. There are no glands here. The walls of this formation are covered with small formations. As a result, small cells are formed, with the help of which the level of previously processed food is determined.
The mesh is connected to the scar and the book through the esophageal groove. From this section, food that has been sufficiently chopped goes into the book.
Book
The book is a small compartment. It can contain no more than 5% of the feed consumed by the animal. The total capacity of the book is no more than 20 liters. Here, well-chewed food is processed by powerful enzymes as well as numerous bacteria.
This part of the digestive system got its name because of its appearance... The book looks like solid folds, which are separated by narrow chambers.
The folds contain food. It is processed using saliva. Thanks to this, fermentation begins. The inner shell of this formation has small papillae. Therefore, food is effectively dehydrated here. Water is absorbed by the mesh structure. It also absorbs mineral components from the feed.
The book is a fairly voluminous education. But despite this, it does not hold much food. It is located in the right hypochondrium. The booklet connects to the mesh and abomasum. At the junction of the book and the abomasum, one end is connected to the duodenum.
It is worth noting that some experts consider the scar, the ridge and the mesh to be the proventriculus. At the same time, they consider only the abomasum as a full-fledged stomach. This is due to the fact that complete digestion occurs only in the abomasum.
Abomasum
The last part of the stomach is the abomasum. This section has a similar structure to the stomachs of other mammals. There are a large number of glands that secrete gastric juice. No other department distinguishes it. Also, the abomasum has longitudinal rings that form muscle tissue. In this case, the walls are covered with mucus, which consists of the epithelium. It contains cardiac and pyloric glands.
In abomasum, the mucous membrane consists of elongated folds. All digestive processes are carried out in these folds. This department has an average capacity of about 15 liters. This is where food comes in dried form from a book. Digestion ends here.
The correct answer to our question is that animals have one stomach, which is divided into four different sections. Such a specific structure of the stomach in a cow allows her to get the maximum of nutrients from the plant mass.
As you can see, the digestive system of a cow is much more complex than that of other animals raised on farms. You need to know the peculiarities of digestion of cows in order to properly feed them at home.
Video "Straw in a cow's diet"
In this video, you will learn why a cow needs to eat straw.
Today we will talk about how many stomachs a cow has. It is a farm animal that feeds on plant food and rough food. Therefore, its digestive system is designed in such a way that food is quickly digested, and the maximum amount of nutrients gets into the body. The cow's stomach consists of 4 sections, each of which has a name: scar, mesh, book and abomasum. They all perform specific functions that aid in the digestion of food.
Burenka scar and mesh
The rumen in cows is the largest stomach chamber. It is popularly called tripe and performs important functions in the work of digestion:
- fermentation;
- mixing;
- transformation.
Calf fermentation is initial stage digestion, which is carried out by intracellular bacteria. In a cow's rumen, carbon dioxide and methane break down all the products that enter it. There are tiny formations on the walls of the organ, with the help of which the nutrients of the feed are quickly absorbed in the stomach of the cow.
The mixing of food in the rumen in cows occurs with the help of muscles. They also contribute to belching and preparation for re-chewing. In addition, this first part of the stomach contains a huge number of microbes that convert carbohydrates into fatty acids, which supply the animal with energy.
What is the mesh for?
When talking about how many stomachs a cow has, the net is always mentioned. This is a muscular sac that contains most of the food that is here for 1-2 days.
The volume of the mesh is not more than 10 liters. This section in the stomach of cattle is like a sieve. It does not allow penetration too large pieces food that can harm. And they go back to the scar.
This section of the stomach has no glands. Its walls consist of small growths - cells that determine the need for re-processing of food with a rumen. If you look at the image of the cow's gastric system, you can see that the mesh is connected to the subsequent chambers of the stomach by a special groove. It looks like a semi-closed pipe. It is with its help that food is sorted. An insufficiently crushed product will not get into the book.
What are the functions of the book
The cow's stomach also includes a book in which food is trapped between a large number of muscle plates. They overlap each other and move a little deeper from the wall. The organ resembles a book page, which is why it is called that.
The feed is processed with saliva in the cow's booklet and begins to ferment. In this section, fiber is digested, which is found in large quantities in dry grass and silage.
After entering the book, the food is evenly distributed between the plates. They absorb a large amount of nutrients and water that are contained in food. As a result, she becomes severely dehydrated. Thanks to this, the acid secreted by the rennet (we will talk about it later) is not diluted, but minerals fall back into saliva. The mass of the calf book is considerable, but it contains only 5% of the feed that has entered the stomach. An adult cow's book is about the size of a basketball.
To maintain acidity, cows produce about 150 liters of saliva per day.
What does cow abomasum do?
The structure of the stomach of a cow is very complex. This organ, consisting of 4 sections, also includes the abomasum. It is very similar to the stomach of other mammals.
If we compare the abomasum with other departments, it becomes obvious that it is the simplest in structure. This fourth chamber consists of longitudinal rings formed by muscle tissue. The walls of the organ are covered with epithelial mucus. It contains special glands that help process food. The mucous membrane of this organ includes a large number of glands that secrete gastric juice. Elongated folds are located on the mucosa.
Cow abomasum with a volume of about 15 liters. It is here that the main digestive processes take place. In the book, all the liquid is sucked out of the food, so the food is in a dried state and prepares for the final digestion, which is carried out by the intestines.
Serious stomach diseases
If you give cattle a lot of fast-fermenting food, severe gas formation can begin in the stomach. Belching of gas completely stops, as a result of which the scar begins to swell. Palpation is performed to confirm the diagnosis. Treatment of large ruminants is first carried out in a conservative way, and in the absence of a positive result, it is necessary to puncture the scar.
The cattle is firmly fixed in a standing position, after which the operation is performed using a special tool. Only an experienced veterinarian should perform a scar puncture, otherwise the animal may die.
Abomasum displacement is another stomach condition that affects even high-yielding cows. Especially if you feed them the wrong way. The cattle stomach can move in different directions. To confirm the disease, the animal is palpated and auscultated.
As a treatment, the cows are prescribed a two-day fasting diet, regular rolling over the back and drugs that affect peristalsis. For example, "Carbachol" in a dosage of 1-3 ml per subcutaneous injection or "Physostigmine" with great care, and only in the amount determined by the veterinarian.
In the comments, discuss with the readers of the site the structure and function of a cow's stomach.