A canine patient undergoing a clinical nutritional trial is monitored for gastrointestinal health and digestive function.
During one phase of the trial, the canine patient presents with stools that are abnormally dry, firm, and fragmented. Suggest one physiological reason for this presentation.
Following a sudden change in diet, the same patient produces highly watery, liquid stools. Suggest one physiological cause for this condition.
Describe the physical mechanism by which a bolus of food is actively transported along the mammalian digestive tract.
Identify the specific anatomical structures of the mammalian gut where faeces are: (i) temporarily stored prior to elimination. (ii) actively expelled from the body.
Explain how the process of egestion differs from the process of excretion in mammals.
