Detailed Dog Digestive System

Dogs require eating nourishing food in order to live a fit life. The constituents of food that provide them all the energy and raw materials they require are called “nutrients.” After dogs consume, the nutrients in the food are digested, engrossed, and processed (or “metabolized”) by the body to accomplish the dog's requirements.

The ins and outs of digestion

Food gets broken into a simple form that can be engrossed and used by the body in a procedure called "digestion." In mammals, this process takes place in the digestive or alimentary area,  often simply called the "gut." This is a void tube that the food passes through and is acted upon by acids and enzymes from organs, like the belly and small intestine that discharge into the tube. These digestive enzymes speed up the procedure of hydrolysis, by which food is broken. The three main classes of nutrients that require to be digested are carbohydrates, protein, and fat. Other nutrients (minerals, vitamins, and water) are absorbed in more or less the same outline as they are found in food. But they may require to be released from the proteins, fats, or carbohydrates prior to absorption.

Detailed dog digestive system

Digestion begins in the orifice, where food is mechanically broken and mixed with the saliva prior to its being swallowed. Although the dogs aren't sternly carnivores, their teeth are mainly suited to meat consumption and can cut, masticate, and crush food. Still, many dogs have a propensity to bolt their food, frequently chewing only the toughest of foods prior to swallowing. The sight and stench of food stimulate the flow of saliva, causing the dribbling and "lip-smacking" frequently seen at mealtime. Once the food arrives in the mouth, its physical occurrence help to increase saliva production. Saliva contains mucus, a very efficient lubricant that coats the food to help with swallowing.

The heart of the matter: the stomach

When food is swallowed, it passes the esophagus, whose muscles pact with a "wave" motion called peristalsis, and arrives at the belly in a few seconds. The stomach has numerous functions. It's a storage organ; it's a mixing bag (where more digestive enzymes are added to the food), and it's a control valve that controls the rate of flow into the small intestine. Protein digestion begins in the stomach. The tummy secretions contain protein-digesting enzymes (proteases), hydrochloric acid, and mucus. The main enzyme, pepsin, is secreted in an immobile form, pepsinogen, to stop it from digesting the cells that make it. The emission of acid, mucus, and enzymes depends on the composition and quantity of food eaten and is controlled by hormones and nerves. On the other hand, the rate of emptying is decreased by the occurrence of chyme, acids, fats, or irritants in the duodenum. This ensures that the stomach contents are amply well digested before they leave the belly. It also ensures that the small intestine doesn't receive more chyme than it can cope with efficiently.