Intramuscular injections to Cats can generate strong reactions in some individuals while reactions of the same extent, according to the author, not always are recognized when using the subcutaneous route. The reactions are probably caused by fear, stress and/or pain. When the injection can generate pain one has to take that into account, which can be a limitation in treatment. It is well known that injections generate pain, but knowledge about the cause and processes of the injection-associated pain is limited. This is mainly due to the difficulty in finding objects to study pain on, high cost of use of laboratory animals and difficulty to obtain objective measurements. Although there is evidence that there may be a local muscle injury by intramuscular injection, it is not always that the extent of damage is related to the pain experienced. Facts about the causes of injection-associated pain have been studied in a literature review.

Serum thymidine kinase 1 (TK1) activity is used as a tumor marker in disease monitoring in veterinary and human medicine. TK1, an intracellular enzyme, is involved in a salvage pathway of DNA precursor synthesis. TK1 is used in DNA precursor production by catalyzing the transfer of the gamma-phosphate-group from a phosphate-donor to the 5?- hydroxyl-group of thymidine forming thymidine-monophosphate. Nucleoside monophosphosphates are finally converted into thymidine-triphosphates. TK1 activity significantly rises in the G1 and the S phase of the cell cycle.

Runtom i världen finns det utarbetade metoder för att begränsa den ökande populationen av förvildade katter. Studier gjorda över så kallade TNR-projekt (Trap, Neuter, Return) har visat goda resultat på den långvariga effekten av minskad förökning, men också på en förbättrad välfärd för individerna. I USA finns det kliniker som arbetar mycket eller enbart med dessa patienter. Dessa blir finansierade genom statliga bidrag, privatpersoners donationer, samt fri-villig arbetskraft. Lämpliga anestesipreparat har utvärderats till just dessa patienter, och rikt-linjer för hantering av icke hanterbara individer finns dokumenterade i flera studier. I Sverige uppskattas antalet hemlösa katter till cirka 100 000, men problematiken kring dessa individer sköts i stort sett av privatpersoner och katthem.

We know that more than 2/3 of insured dogs in Sweden are put to death by a veterinarian, which means that almost one third are killed in trauma, lost or die in some other way. An unknown number of these are killed by their owner with no veterinarian involved. This graduate thesis contains a specification of the laws that control euthanasia of dogs and Cats in Sweden, and the veterinary medical basics on how to perform euthanasia. The objective is also to give understanding on how pet owners choose to put their animal to death and why, and to discuss whether that is an animal welfare problem. It is legal to kill dogs and Cats by shooting, using a sporting gun, provided that it is done according to laws and regulations.

Pets like dogs and Cats have a considerable importance for humans and research demonstrate a variety of positive economic and social effects in society due to our pet companions. The presences of pets are increasing on a global scale with correlation to economic development in low- and middle income countries. For example dogs have doubled in India over a five year period. The feed industry for dogs and Cats is also the fastest growing sector in the food industry and certain pets have a significant animal protein intake which, depending on the choice of resources may provide a high ecological footprint. Examples of environmental effects with distribution and manufacturing of pet food are increased greenhouse gas emissions, waste, use of water and energy.

The cat is one of our most common pets. Understanding the reproductive physiology of the queen is important, not only for the knowledge of our domestic Cats but also for wild undomesticated feline species, many of which have been reported endangered. Understanding the mechanisms behind the estrous cycle, ovulation and pregnancy is also important for handling the feral cat populations that are a problem in several countries. The purpose of this literature study is to look into the hormonal patterns of the reproductive physiology of the female cat, with focus on ovulation, pregnancy and pseudo-pregnancy, and from this information determine in which fields more research would be needed. The female cat is seasonally polyestrous in Sweden, meaning that she can have several estrous cycles during the breeding season but goes through a long period of reproductive dormancy during the darker months of the year. The queen is considered an induced ovulator, with copulation triggering the release of luteinizing hormone (LH) from the pituitary gland needed for ovulation.

Two haematological instruments intended for small animal clinic use were evaluated at the Department of Clinical Chemistry, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Uppsala, Sweden. The QBC-V and Vet abc were compared to a reference instrument, the Cell-Dyn 3500. Fresh blood samples were obtained from canine and feline patients from the University Veterinary Hospital, SLU. The QBC-V was used for 111 canine samples and 78 canine blood samples were analysed with Vet abc. From Cats, 23 samples were analysed with both instruments.

This report includes common helminths, symtoms, routes of infection, diagnostic laboratory techniques and prophylactic methods to prevent infection. We have pointed out where there is a risk of zoonotic transmission and how to avoid contamination and infection. We have restricted the number of species to the most common helminths. Some of these helminths do not naturally occur in Sweden (yet) but are nevertheless of current interest when we travel across borders with our horses, dogs and Cats. The diagnostic part of our report tells about different techniques to find an occurance of helminths in samples of faeces, blood, urine or saliva from a horse, dog or cat. We also write about some recommendations on treating parasitic infections and the development of anthelmintic resistant helminths that originates from incorrect use of anthelmintic drugs .

During one week (9-13 May, 2005) the use of veterinary diets for the hospitalised patients att the University clinic was registered. The animal owners were interviewed by telephone six months later about the feeding after coming home. Four out of ten animal owners answered yes to the question if the veterinarian had asked what food their animal normally consumed. Out of 35 animals, 15 (43%) were prescribed to a veterinary diet. Among Cats it was 8 out of 14 (57%) and among dogs it was 7 out of 21 (33%). Four animals out of ten were recommended a veterinary diet when going home, but 20% did not follow the recommendation all the way through and stopped feeding their animal the veterinary diet. Reasons that were given was that the diet didn't last the entire period, that the animal didn't need the diet anymore according to the owner and one dog that became to lean when fed the diet. The diagnosis for these three dogs was vomiting, foreign body in the digestive system and bloody diarrhoea.

Individual identification of pigs could be used in commercial herds for production monitoring, disease monitoring and breeding evaluation. This study investigates the possibility of using microchips designed for dogs and Cats to identify individual pigs from birth, through rearing to carcass at the slaughter plant. Two different sizes of microchips, and two different ages of the pigs at injection were tested. Castrates and gilts from ten litters were evenly distributed between chip sizes and injection ages. All pigs were identity marked with both electronic ear tags and injected with microchips.

FLUTD - Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease ? is a complex disease and a common sight in the veterinary setting. Although FLUTD excluding urethral obstruction may be discomforting for the cat and its owner due to symptoms such as periuria, stranguria, hematuria, dysuria and pollakiuria, obstruction presents an acute and potentially lethal form of the disease as a result of uremia and disturbances in fluids, electrolytes and acid-base balances. A study of literature has been performed to investigate the causes of FLUTD with urethral obstruction and the actions available to the owner to avert them. Potential causes of obstructive and non-obstructive FLUTD have been found to include infections, uroliths, urethral plugs, neoplasia, anatomic abnormalities, trauma, neurogenic or iatrogenic causes. Most commonly a cause cannot be identified and the terms idiopathic FLUTD or feline idiopathic cystitis are used. As the mortality rate due to urethral obstruction likely is somewhere around 5.8-8.9% and FLUTD including and excluding urethral obstruction constitute great inconveniences, precautionary measures are warranted.

The term euthanasia is derived from the Greek terms eu meaning good and thanatos meaning death, "good death". The penetrating captive bolt is an effective method of euthanasia, when use of drugs is inappropriate. The horse becomes immediately unconscious and falls to the ground. First after the blood is emptied from the body the horse is dead. The use of injectable euthanasia agents is a rapid and reliable method of performing euthanasia. The aim is to stop the flow of oxygenated blood to vital organs and tissues. The muscle relaxants may be used either in combination wih or following an anaesthetic dose of barbiturate, their use use as a sole agent is totally inhumane.

Itraconazole is a third generation azol, a fungicide which acts by inhibiting ergerosterol synthesis in the fungal cell membrane, and thereby disturbing fungal regeneration. It has proven to be less toxic, to have a broader spectrum of activity and to be more potent than its predecessor ketoconazole. Itraconazole is only available in therapheutics approved for human use. Pharmacokinetic studies has been performed in humans, dogs, Cats and laboratory animals. Although itraconazole has been used tentatively with good effect against fungal infections in horses, no pharmacokinetic studies have yet been done.

The problem with keeping horses with to little social contact has come to attention in a new regulation that comes into effect august 1st 2009. It states that horses? need of social contact has to be accommodated. That?s why it feels important to try to survey the horse owners? awareness about the regulation and its present fulfillment.

The intention of this study is to investigate possible excitation on dogs due to buprenorphine treatment. The reason for it to be about buprenorphine and not any other opioid is due to its relevance being one of the most popular opioids in animal care, as well as the authors own experience with what seems to be buprenorphine induced excitation in her own dog. The study consists of a literature review and an internet based survey containing thirty questions sent out to twelve animal clinics and animal hospitals. Significant agitative effects on behavior has been found in studies on horses, sheep, goats, rats and mice, but no one shows the effects of buprenorphine on dogs. The literature on opiod effects on dog behavior seems sparse.