[Comparative study of the digestion of a complete food in the pony and the rabbit].

The research focused on comparing the digestion of a complete pellet diet in ponies and rabbits. The study observed the digestibility of the diet in different parts of the digestive system and analyzed biochemical changes to better understand differences and similarities in digestions in the two animals.

Diet Composition and Distribution

• The researchers designed a complete pellet diet for ponies and rabbits, which was made up of 11% crude protein and 17% cellulose. The cellulose content was analyzed using the Van Soest method, which is a well-accepted procedure in animal feed analysis for determining fiber.

Digestibility Comparisons

• The study evaluated total digestibility and partial cumulative digestibilities in the different parts of the digestive system like the stomach, small intestine, caecum, proximal and distal colon.
• The research found no significant difference in the digestion of dry matter between ponies and rabbits. The pony showed a better digestibility measure for crude protein, but for crude fiber, the rabbit’s digestibility was only 60% of what was measured in the pony.
• An interesting finding was that starch was completely digested in both animals. However, the digestibility of protein was noted to be highly negative in the stomach, small intestine, and caecum in both animals.

Changes in Biochemical Composition

• The study also measured changes in the biochemical composition by observing the pH, VFA (Volatile Fatty Acids), lactic acid, and ammonia concentrations in different sections of the digestive tract.
• VFA concentrations were higher in the caecum and colon of ponies, but the percentages of acetic, propionic, and butyric acids were similar in both species.
• On the other hand, it was noted that the lactic acid concentration was higher in the initial part of the pony’s digestive tract, while the ammonia concentration was lower as compared to the rabbits.

In conclusion, this research provides a comprehensive comparison of the digestive processes in ponies and rabbits using a standard pellet diet. The results illuminate the digestion and biochemical changes in the gastointestinal tracts of these animals, presenting valuable insights that could help to improve animal feed formulations.