4 ms·
Their shit is a good source of vitamin B12, which is presumably part of the reason why they eat it.
by libdong 8y ago
Their shit is a good source of vitamin B12, which is presumably part of the reason why they eat it.
- rconti 8y agoWhy did the B12 pass through their system in the first place? Or is the B12 somehow generated on the way out?
- libdong 8y agoIt's produced by bacteria in the intestines, but not absorbed during the first pass through.
- lisper 8y agoWhy would it be absorbed any better the second time around? (This thread is making me feel queasy.)
- sndean 8y agoI'm not sure, but dogs have significantly shorter (looking quickly, 1/4 the length?) digestive tracts than we do. Less surface to absorb things.
- londons_explore 8y agoprobably produced too late in the process... Rabbits for example re-eat every piece of faeces because the digestion of grasses take so long it takes two passes to get the energy out...
- libdong 8y agoLike others have said, it takes time for B12 to be produced in significant quantities, and by that time it has passed the small intestine where it can be absorbed.