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Regurgitation and aspiration of stomach content can occur in farm animal species during anesthesia, especially in nonfasted animals. The risk of regurgitation decreases significantly when water is withheld for 6–12 hours and feed is withheld for 12–24 hours prior to anesthesia in small ruminants. Pigs are monogastrics. It has been indicated that alfalfa or any type of hay delays gastric emptying time, and vomiting with possible aspiration may occur during induction of anesthesia after a recommended fasting period of 12 hours. Thus, removal of alfalfa or other types of hay from their routine diet should be instituted 2–3 days prior to anesthesia [11].

Domestic ruminants have a large rumen that is usually full of liquid materials, and it does not empty completely even after 24–48 hours of fasting. Regurgitation can occur either during light (active regurgitation) or deep (passive regurgitation) anesthesia in ruminants and camelids in spite of preoperative fasting and withholding of water. Active regurgitation usually occurs during light anesthesia and is characterized by explosive discharge of large quantities of ruminal materials. Passive regurgitation occurs during deeper planes of anesthesia when the esophageal muscles and transluminal pressure gradients relax as a result of anesthetic‐induced muscle relaxation. If the airway is not protected, a large amount of ruminal materials can be aspirated into the trachea and reach the small airways. Aspiration of acidic stomach fluid causes immediate reflex airway closure and destruction of type II alveolar cells and pulmonary capillary lining cells. Consequently, pulmonary edema and hemorrhage, hypoxemia, and arterial hypotension develop due to loss of alveolar and capillary integrity leading to reflex airway closure, bronchospasm, dyspnea, hypoxemia, and cyanosis. Recovery from aspiration pneumonia depends on the pH and amount of ruminal materials aspirated [10]. Pigs tend to have very acidic stomach fluid with a pH as low as 1.5–2.5 [12], whereas the rumen pH remains within 5.5–6.5 in cattle, sheep, and goats [13] and 6.4–7.0 for C1 of camelids [14]. Thus, the greater impact of aspirating rumen contents lies in the amount of bacterial microflora and solid food materials aspirated. In pigs, the level of acidity of stomach fluid is the primary factor affecting the severity of damage to the pulmonary tissues upon aspiration. Severe consequences like reflex airway constriction, mechanical airway obstruction, and aspiration of bacteriologically active materials can still occur in the presence of a neutral pH in ruminants [10]. Animals may die before an endotracheal tube can be placed to protect the airway in extreme cases. Please refer to Chapter 7 for prevention and treatment of aspiration pneumonia. Preoperative withholding of feed and endotracheal intubation with an adequately inflated cuff immediately following induction of anesthesia are recommended in all anesthetized farm animals.