Camels and chevrotains, however, have a three-chambered stomach and are often referred to as pseudoruminants. Giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis). Ruminants eat quickly.

ruminant stomach

Ruminants include cattle, sheep, goats, buffalo, deer, elk, giraffes and camels. These animals all have a digestive system that is uniquely different from our own. Instead of one compartment to the stomach they have four. Of the four compartments the rumen is the largest section and the main digestive centre.

Deer have a four-chambered stomach. The rumen allows for the deer to gather a lot of food at once and then digest it later. The deer bring the food back up into their mouth and Page 2 chew it again. This process is called chewing their cud.

The abnormality is gastro-duodenal duplication— a condition otherwise known as two stomachs— that occurs in only one in 100,000 births. Doctors believe that gastro-duodenal duplication develops during very early embryologic development as the intestine is being formed.

Without your stomach, you aren’t able to handle regular portions of food and may not even feel hungry. Even if you are not hungry, it is important to remember that nutrition is a vital part of your health. You will need to eat smaller amounts of food more often – six to eight small meals a day.

Babies who have an omphalocele, on the other hand, truly are born without a belly button. The intestines or other abdominal organs protrude through a hole in the middle of the baby’s abdomen, right where the belly button would be.

When there is food in your stomach before drinking, alcohol is absorbed more slowly. When you drink on an empty stomach, much of the alcohol you drink passes quickly from the stomach into the small intestine, where most of it is absorbed into the bloodstream.

Until you can eat and drink normally, nutrition will be given directly into a vein (intravenously) or through a tube inserted through your tummy into your bowel. Most people can begin eating a light diet about a week after a gastrectomy. After the operation, you’ll need to take regular painkillers until you recover.

General Diet Guidelines After Your Gastrectomy

1. Start with 6 or more small meals daily.
2. Chew your food well.
3. Eat slowly.
4. Sit upright during meals.
5. Have your last meal of the day at least 2 hours before bedtime.
6. Don’t have more than 4 ounces (½ cup) of liquid with your meals.
7. Include protein with each meal.

Possible complications of a gastrectomy include:

• wound infection.
• leaking from a join made during surgery.
• stricture – where stomach acid leaks up into your oesophagus and causes scarring, leading to the oesophagus becoming narrow and constricted over time.
• chest infection.
• internal bleeding.
• blockage of the small intestine.