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Dog Digestive System

Mouth and Teeth

• The very start of the dog digestive system.

• The food is cut, sliced or torn to the correct size by the teeth. (Mechanical Digestion)

• The food is lubricated by saliva and further broken down by enzymes in the saliva. (Chemical Digestion)

• The food, mixed with saliva, forms a bolus and is guided by the tongue, down into the esophagus.

Esophagus

• The esophagus is the connecting tube leading from the mouth to the stomach.

• It is a muscle and contracts in wave like motions, called peristalsis, to move the food along the path to the stomach.

Stomach

• Here the food is further broken down into a very thick liquid called chyme.

• The stomach works like a cement mixer, mixing and grinding the food. (Mechanical Digestion)

• The food is mixed with hydrochloric acid (would burn your hand, if you touched it). This stomach acid helps to breakdown the food. (Chemical Digestion)

Small Intestines

• Small Intestines are the next stop on the journey of dog digestion.

• It is a long hollow tube about 4 times the length of the dog's body.

• Almost all nutrients are absorbed here, into the bloodstream, and then travel though out the body to be used by the cells.

Pancreas

• The pancreas secretes enzymes, into the small intestine, that help to further break down proteins.

• The pancreas is also an endocrine gland that regulates the amount of sugar in the blood.

Liver

• The liver creates bile, which is used to breakdown fats.

• It also filters out toxins and waste found in food and medications

Gall Bladder

• The gall bladder stores bile, after it is released by the liver.

Large Intestine

• The large intestine is made up of the cecum and the colon.

• The colon absorbs any leftover water from the feces (waste) before it exists the body.

• Bacteria in the large intestine break down any remaining hard to digest food.