Re: full recovery at vet checks?

[CMKSAGEHIL@aol.com]

In a message dated 2/20/99 9:41:55 AM Pacific Standard Time, Tivers writes:

<< But the intake during the ride doesn't, itself, become avaialble, does it?
>>

You thought it took 8 hours to become available (I don't think you had
documentation of that, but it sounds reasonable, give or take a little, from
what I understand of equine GI tract function)--how many 100-mile times do you
see that reflect elapsed times (not riding time) of 8 hours or less?  I am not
aware of any.  Also, there is a little thing called a gastro-colic reflex,
where continued eating and filling of the stomach results in gut motility
further down the tract.  As this is a neurological response to gastric
activity, it is reasonably immediate.  This has a lot to do with maintaining
gut motility, which is a VERY important feature in utilizing that wonderful
vat of fluids, electrolytes, and FFA's in the large colon and cecum...
So--while the actual roughage that is ingested right now may not physically
"see" the large colon for several hours, there ARE immediate benefits of its
ingestion.  It is quite common to have a horse present with virtually no gut
sounds, and have him represent in 15 or 20 minutes with quite normal motility
if he is given the opportunity to (and is willing to) eat.  That stuff he just
ate sure as heck isn't down there, but just by getting it into his stomach, he
has reactivated the assembly line, so to speak.  Mother Nature is awfully good
about providing little mechanisms like that to keep critters going...

Heidi