micro flora in living beings stomach

Question
hello ma'am, i am sorry to say, i am not a biology student. this is a basic question, but please clear it. my dog's vet tells me about the micro flora present in every living beings stomach. actually what it is? why horse stomach is too sensitive than all the animals stomach? i am supposed to ask my vet but she got transferred to an other state and no more in contact with me. can you please clear it?

Answer
Hi Rohit,

Thank you for your question.  Mircoflora is an integral part of the horse's digestive process, as it can be for people.  The microflora essential to the horse are the bacteria and protozoa that live in the horse's cecum, in the hindgut.  The bacteria are responsible for digesting structural carbohydrates (forage/fiber sources) and in doing so they produce byproducts that the horse's system absorbs and converts to energy.  This is why horse's can derive energy from pasture and hay and why we can not.  We feed fiber rich feeds to animals that either convert it to energy to use in work (horses) or into milk or meat that we eat for energy (beef, chicken, pig, etc).

But again to keep the digestive system clear; the stomach does not contain bacteria.  The stomach digests NSC, protein, fat and mineral using digestive enzymes that are manufactured by the horse and secreted into the stomach.  Structural carbohydrates (fiber) escapes digestion in the stomach and moves to the cecum (hindgut) where it is digested by the bacteria who producer a byproduct that the horse uses as an energy source.  The bacteria also producer bacterial protein that the horse can absorb and use (still debatable in the scientific world) and B-vitamins that the horse uses in energy metabolism.  

Confusing, I realize.  Its why the pay me the big bucks :)

Thanks, Corlena