The Equine Hindgut Has a Great Capacity for Fermentation

A general function of the cecum and colon, as mentioned in Chapter 30, is to recover fluid and electrolytes from ingesta leaving the ileum. In many herbivorous species, this function has been expanded to include fermentative digestion. Absorp­tive and fermentation functions complement each other in the colons of nonruminant herbivores. This arrangement leads to an elegantly interactive system of fermentation and absorp­tion; however, it also results in an interdependence between the two processes, meaning that disturbances in fermentation can result in important abnormalities in absorption, and vice versa.