The aim of the study was to investigate whether the sedation method had an effect on the screening result for hip dysplasia (HD). Another aspect considered was if the dog?s weight had an impact on the results. This study was a follow up on the results from an earlier study of sedation routines in Swedish dogs. The Breeds included in this study were the same as in the earlier one; German shepherd, Bernese mountain dog, Boxer, Newfoundland, Rottweiler, Saint Bernard, Golden and Labrador Retriever.

The genetic relationship between three Swedish horse Breeds was investigated using microsatellite data from 144 loci in 30 horses. The North Swedish Trotter is believed to have been crossed with the Standardbred in the 1950?s to produce a faster trotter. If true, the North Swedish Trotter should be more alike the Standardbred than what the North Swedish Draught Horse is, from which they originate. This was investigated using F-statistics and Nei?s distance in GENEPOP and GENETIX and cluster assignment in STRUCTURE.

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of antibodies against the intracellular protozoan Encephalitozoon cuniculi in healthy pet rabbits. Encephalitozoonosis is an important differential diagnosis to ascending infection with Pasteurella multocida in the ears since a common symptom is vestibular syndrome. Samples were collected from healthy rabbits that were brought to an animal clinic in Stockholm for some kind of prophylactic procedure. The samples were analysed by an India-ink Immunoreaction test / Carbon Immunoassay. Of 106 rabbits 7 (6.6%) were seropositve.

This study treats the possibility of Breeding mallards and pheasants on our own farm, Björnslund. From the beginning I considered to Breed them from eggs to adults but after visiting several Breeders I changed my mind. It seemed to be a lot of work with no economic profit in comparison with buying already hatched birds and then feed them to adults. If the business shall be profitable I have to be soll the hunting for the birds and then sell the dead birds to game purchasers. There are also calculations that show which price you have to charge for the hunting that will give a positive result. Another possibility is to own a slaughterhouse and sell the meat to restaurants and supermarkets.

The quantity of methane emissions from sheep depend on several factors, for example, the composition of the diet, feed quality, the age of the animals, time of the day and maybe also Breed and sex. A comprising literature review was made about which factors that affect the size of emissions. In addition, a questionnaire was sent to two farms, one with a more intensive production system and another with a more extensive system. Inventories of the two farms were made; the rest of the data needed to conduct the study was taken from literature and other sources. Meat produced at the more intensive farm caused emissions of 0.4 kg of methane per kg of bone free meat and the more extensive farm caused emissions of 0.9 kg methane per kg of bone free meat.

There are only a few published studies on the normal variation in ovary size in bitches. All of the previous studies have been made on the beagle Breed. This study was performed on indian street dogs with the objective to measure ovaries and structures in the ovaries after ovariehysterectomy to decide if smaller dogs have smaller ovaries and how small and big they can be in the normal dog. The structures (follicle and corpus luteum) where also measured to get a maximum size for normal structures in the bitch. This information can be valuable when examining the ovaries of the bitch with ulstrasound.

Swedish farmers have the possibility to be subsidized by EU rural development programme for grazing animals on pastures to promote the biodiversity of flora and fauna. The environmental remedy sometimes does not allow supplementary feed and at the same time the Swedish Animal Welfare Act and the Swedish Agricultural Board?s regulations for animal welfare and protection states that animals, in this case horses, shall be fed with food of good quality and adapted for the species. The regulations also state that they should have an individual feeding regime that enables them to maintain a normal body condition. The aim with this master thesis has been to investigate if it is possible to keep Gotland ponies on extensive pastures, during late spring and summer and still maintain animal welfare. The horses were assessed every fourth week using a welfare assessment protocol developed in line with the Welfare Quality® project (submitted, Viksten et al) where physical, behavioural and resourcebased parameters were observed. Twelve one-year old stallions of the Breed Gotland ponies purchased from different Breeders were used in the study.

It is mainly high levels of androstenone and skatole in adipose tissue that is the reason behind boar-taint, which is an unpleasant odor and taste from the meat of adult male boars. The purpose of this literature study is to provide an overview of current knowledge about the physioloical functioning of androstenone. There are several studies showing androstenone´s function as a pheromone, and that it is an important part of communication and mating behavior between pigs. Androstenone is produced in the testes of the boar and transported via the bloodstream to the salivary glands where it is excreted with the saliva. Sows sense the pheromone, not via the vomeronasal organ as previously considered, but via the olfactory mucosa.

There is desire to evaluate the tracheal diameter in the Swedish population of English Bulldog, a Breed with breathing disorders, and if possible use it as a criteria for Breeding in the hope of improving the life situation for these dogs. The Swedish Kennel Club has together with the Swedish Club for English Bulldog and veterinarians presented a five year radiological study that has the purpose to give an average look on how the tracheal situation is in the population. The trachea will be evaluated through two different methods, both measuring two distances in the thorax. The first one compares the tracheal diameter to the height of the cranial opening of the thorax, and the second one to the width of the third rib. With the measured distances one will calculate a quotient and compares it to the reference values.This study is designed to get a preliminary evaluation, based on the 65 dogs that were available on the time for the study, with measurements done by two persons on three different occasions each.

The aim of this work was to investigate possible risk factors for colic in horses, and to describe what horse owners can do to prevent this condition. The gastrointestinal system of the horse is constructed for continuous high fibre consumption for a period up to eighteen hours a day. Under those conditions, the continuous flow of digesta stimulates gut motility so that the intestines move constantly. When the diet is changed rapidly and the horse is being fed high rations of concentrates each day, the risk of getting colic is higher compared to when consuming less concentrates and giving the horse a stable diet. Lack or absence of access to water and restricted allowance to move freely every day increases the risk of colic. Changed management practices and decreased activity contributes to increased risks, as well as other critical risk factors such as Breed, season and age combined with rapidly changed management. More knowledge and education is required of the horse owners about feed requirements in the horse, management routines and rapidly changed activity..

It becomes more important to consider different behaviour traits in the selection for dairy cows to be suitable in the production systems of today. The purpose of this investigation was to study the genetic background to behavioural traits and the heritabilities for temperament, rank order, aggressiveness, feeding behaviour and for learning behaviour. Moreover, the genetic correlations to other traits were studied. To be included in a Breeding programme a trait needs to have enough genetic variation, a moderate to high heritability or to be correlated to another measurable trait. Behaviour is a quantitative trait affected by many genes and the environment.

Icelandic horses are becomming increasingly common in Sweden. The owners of Icelandic horses in Sweden usually believe their horses to be different from other Breeds. Icelandic horses are predominantly considered to be less reactive, less neophobic and easier to handle than other Breeds. Swedish owners of Icelandic horses also usually try to house and handle their horses in a way similar to the traditional extensive Icelandic way. There are no scientific studies of Breed differences between Icelandic horses and other Breeds, or of the housing of Swedish Icelandic horses.

In Sweden the Breeding organization for the Swedish Warmblood horse uses a traditional scoring system when evaluating horses. The horse is scored subjectively in relation to how good each trait is in relation to the Breeding objective. Other countries, for example the Netherlands, instead use a linear scoring system. The linear scoring system evaluates the horse on a scale between two, for the Breed, biological extremes which makes the evaluation more objective since the judges personal values does not influence as much. The Breeding organization for the Swedish Warmblood is today planning a change towards a linear scoring system.

Dogs with behavioral problemsThis study was made to investigate if there was a problem in today?s society regarding dogs showing for example excessive aggression and/or anxiety. The main questions in this study was "is there a problem today" and "if there is a problem, what can we do to prevent it". To investigate these questions interviews were made with six different professions concerning the dog domain. The result of the study shows that three of the interviewed considered it to be a problem, one did not have an opinion on the matter and two choose not to call it a dog related problem because it mostly depends on the owner.

Renal dysplasia is a developmental anomaly of the kidneys which is considered to be the primary lesion in juvenile progressive nephropathy, a condition leading to chronic renal failure in young dogs. It is defined as disorganised development of the renal parenchyma due to abnormal differentiation, and pathological lesions include persistent foetal structures, dysplastic tubules and cartilaginous and osseus metaplasia. The aetiology of renal dysplasia in dogs is still unknown, but possible causes are infection with canine herpesvirus, teratogenic substances or intrauterine ureteral obstruction. In some Breeds renal dysplasia is a familial or inherited disease. Clinical signs of chronic renal failure, such as polyuria, polydipsia, vomiting, weight loss, anorexia, lethargy and anemia, usually appear before the age of 2 years.