How high fiber diets affects porcine gastrointestinal tracts

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How high fiber diets affects porcine
gastrointestinal tracts

• Kaki Little
• Erika Neeley
• Advanced Physiology of Animals
• Spring 2007

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Introduction

• This study was designed to record the effects of
  a high fiber diet and determine which areas of
  the GI tract would be most affected.

• Additionally, an Endoscopy/Colonoscopy was
  preformed on a control fed pig to gain better
  understanding of Gastro-intestinal physiology

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Basic Physiology of the Porcine GI tract
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Hypothesis

• Null Hypothesis
• The high fiber diet will have no effect on any
  portion of the digestive tract
• Alternative Hypothesis
• The high fiber diet will increase the size and
  workload of the cecum

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Objectives

• To determine if a 10 fiber diet will have an
  effect on the digestive system, with particular
  attention to the cecum
• To further understand the anatomy and physiology
  on a real-life level through an
  Endoscopy/Colonoscopy.

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Materials

• Animals
• 3 weaner pigs from the New Deal farm were used
• 2 Female (control) and 1 male (high fiber)
• The two female specimens had significant sunburns
• Feeds
• Control pigs were fed a basic cracked corn diet
• Fiber pig was fed control diet with 10 fiber
  supplementation
• Fiber source Metamucil basic source of fiber
  is psyllium

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Timeline of events

• Day 1 Pigs arrived from New Deal Farms
• Days 1-7 Pigs were fed specific diets and
  weighed daily
• Day 8 Food was taken away from endoscopy pig
• Pig 2 received enema
• All experiments were performed on pigs

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Materials and Methods

• Endoscopy/ Colonoscopy
• Control pig was given numerous enemas to flush
  the GIT and prepare the system
• Pig was sedated with intravenous Telazol and
  vitals were recorded
• Dr. Veriyam preformed the
• endoscopy first, followed by
• the colonoscopy
• Despite the numerous
• enemas, the animal still
• had too much fecal matter
• to go all the way into
• the cecum

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Dissection

• All three pigs were euthanized humanely using a
  Buthanasia solution
• One control pig was used to harvest cells from
  the pancreas for another study
• Another control pig was
• used to harvest mucosal
• cells from the lining of the
• esophagus for research
• with human acid reflux
• disease.

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Dissection

• The digestive tract was removed from esophagus to
  anus and weighed individually
• Photos were taken as a comparison of size, color
  and viability

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Results

• Cecum of the fiber fed hog was larger as a ratio
  of total GIT weight
• Stomach and intestinal contents of the control
  pig 2 were greatest because he had recently eaten
• Total weight of the
• endoscopied pig GIT was
• the least due to enemas
• given pre-op
• Large burn on the pyloric
• region of stomach found on
• endoscopied hog from
• removal of mucosal cells

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Results
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Conclusion

• Because swine are non-ruminants and hind-gut
  fermenters, we observe
• Larger cecum due to increased workload (a result
  of digesting excess fiber)
• Less fecal matter in the intestines of the
  fiber-fed pig, due to the laxative-like abilities
  of fiber
• Had the experiment continued longer, we would
  expect the cecum to continue increasing in size

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Acknowledgements

• Animal Care and Use Committee
• Advanced Physiology of Animals class
• Lindsey Hulbert
• Dr. Veriyam
• Dr. John McGlone
• Texas Tech University
• 3 little piggies
• God
• Our Mothers

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Questions?