Background: Pet therapy has existed as a concept since 1964 when the American child psychologist Boris Levinson coined the term. Nowadays Animal Assisted Activity (AAA) and Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) are both recognized concepts, and with progressed research the science of pet therapy increases.Purpose: To summate the most recent science in pet therapy (therapy dog) research with focus on physical, psychical, and social effects.Methods: Literature study/review with descriptive design, research on 21 articles published from year 2003 and onward. Articles used in the study were chosen through beforehand decided criteria, subject to quality rating, and summated in an overview. The main results were summated and presented in similarities and differences.Results: The main result of the summation was that important results could be measured in each of the three fields of research. Physical/physiological effects: pain relief, differentiated results on vital signs, and increased activity.

Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka hur djur, med fokus på hundar, används som hjälpmedel i behandlingsarbete samt vilka effekter användningen av hundar anses ha. Vi fördjupade oss i de metoder som finns med djur som hjälpmedel samt studerade ett exempel på ett behandlingshem där hundar används i vård- och terapisyfte. Genom en litteraturstudie och en kvalitativ intervjuundersökning har vi fått svar på följande frågeställningar: Hur kan hundar användas som hjälpmedel i behandlingsarbete och vilka arbetsmetoder finns? Vilka fysiska och psykiska effekter kan användningen av hundar som ett hjälpmedel i vård- och terapisyfte ha? Vad gör en hund till en bra vård- och terapihund? Hur används hundar på en missbruksinstitution för äldre män? Resultatet pekar på att hundar kan användas i vård- och terapisyfte genom användning av de metoder som finns, det vill säga Animal-Assisted Activity, Animal-Assisted Therapy samt Animal-Assisted Therapy in Counseling. Vad som gör en hund till en bra vård- och terapihund är att den tränas på adekvat sätt, har ett bra temperament samt har en hundförare som ser till klientens och hundens bästa.

Cattle production systems are changing to bigger intensified systems with larger numbers of animals per farm and more free range systems while at the same time employing fewer people. Aversive handling has been known to affect cattle production negatively for many years, but lately scientists have started to focus more on what positive effects gentle handling and positive human-cattle interactions may have on beef and dairy production. Fear can cause high stress in production animals and this can contribute to not only reduced production within beef and dairy cattle, but also increased risks for accidents and decreased animal welfare. Therefore, by reducing the fear cattle experience of humans, it could be possible to increase production, decrease accidents and increase the welfare of the animals. Reducing the animals fear and stress can be done by simple means, such as walking and talking calmly around the cattle, associating humans to positive feelings (such as feed) and stroking the cattle?s body regions associated with social grooming.

To ensure that animals are treated well and kept in environments fitted for them, Sweden has animal welfare legislation. One of the requirements in the legislation is that horses are kept in spaces that has a ceiling height that measures at least 1,5 * the height at the withers of the horse, but always a minimum of 2,2 m. But a minor derivation can be accepted from these measurements if certain criteria are fulfilled. If the ceiling height is to low the ventilation in the stable can be negatively affected. It can also affect the posture of the horse and may increase the risk of the horse being injured.

Bakgrund och syfte: Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) står för en direkt och målinriktad intervention där hunden stimulerar till en fysisk, social, emotionell och/eller kognitiv funktionsutveckling hos patienten. Det är en dokumenterad och utvärderad process i USA som används av många professioner. Syftet med studien är att undersöka vad hunden kan tillföra den sjukgymnastiska rehabiliteringen i Sverige. Metod: En enkät med öppna frågor skickades ut till två sjukgymnaster, en rekreationsterapeut och en omsorgspedagog för att undersöka hur de använder hunden i aktivitet med rehabilitering av patienter. Resultat: Inom AAT brukas hunden främst som en motivations höjande faktor inom geriatrik, barnhabilitering, neurologiska sjukdomar samt vid traumatiska hjärnskador.

The purpose of this retrospective study was to investigate the prescription of antibiotics to dogs at the small animal clinic at Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire, Nantes, France. The purpose was also to compare the possible prescription patterns in France with those seen in a similar study by Petersson (2003) at the small animal clinic at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala. Antibiotics are very important in veterinary medicine and are used both to treat infections and to prevent them. The use of antibiotics however is not without complications and the risk of developing antimicrobial resistance is of most concern. Resistance has been shown to exist against all currently known antibiotics and potentially all pathogenic bacteria could develop resistance to one or more antibiotics. This study analysed the case records for all dogs presented to the small animal clinic at Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire, Nantes, France during October 2001 and March 2002 to identify patients which were treated with systemic antibiotics. For these cases the antibiotic used, classified according to the ATCvet system, and the indication for use was noted. A total of 292 cases (146 per month) resulted in administration of systemic antibiotics.

There are about 700 000 dogs in Sweden. Roughly 70 % of the dogs are purebred and registered in the database at the Swedish Kennel Club (SKC). The database includes records of birth date, pedigree, offspring and results from e.g. veterinary examinations related to genetic health programs.Every year approximately 10% of the dogs die; most are euthanized by a veterinarian. Dog mortality data is stored as digital medical records at animal clinics and in insurance databases.Dog owners tend to register their puppy in the SKC, but they rarely report that the dog has passed away.

Overweight and obesity is currently a major health problem in our dogs all around the world and it is becoming more common each year. There are few studies on the proportion of overweight dogs in Sweden, but it was estimated to be 33% in 2005. Studies in other countries report that between 25-40% of all dogs are overweight. The aim of this study was to survey the animal care for an overweight dog. It was also important to develop a scientifically based advice.

The background to this study is to find alternative ways of size rationalization. My vision is to take the basic conditions and make the best and most profitable of them. I have chosen press of rape oil because it?s interesting and the investment to get started is relative small. The opportunity to use outmoded and unrational buildings which often are found at many farms to something that gives money instead of costs money is also an argument.

The quality of health and care of our animals in the veterinary clinic is dependent on the veterinary nurse. Therefore it is important that the nurse has a good mental health and can provide this. Research shows that veterinarians are exposed to an elevated risk of suicide, moral stress, depression and anxiety. One of the factors contributing is believed to be exposure to euthanasia. The impact of euthanasia to veterinary nurses is yet unclear, as research focuses on veterinarians.

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.

Animal welfare is of increasing concern in present society. In commercial pig farming, animal welfare problems are common. One of the causes for these problems is the barren environment in which pigs are housed, which can cause oral manipulation of pen mates. Providing straw might be one solution to this problem. Another solution could be reached through genetic selection.

The relationship between the pet and it's owner is a very important and interesting issue. Unfortunately there is not so much research on this and in addition to that Swedish veterinarian education does not put much emphasis on pet's role in society or their pattern of behaviour nor treatment. This thesis is based on an opinion poll that 20 dog owners and 20 cat owners contributed. The main purpose of the thesis was to compare the relationships that the pet (dog or cat) and its owner can have. The issues such as the pet owner's attitude to his/her pet, how the pet owner percieves and interprets the signals from the animal, and what they think about the natural behaviours and needs that their pets (might) have. The results show that dog- and cat owners are people who generally love animals, that they used to have even other animal species in the past, but when it comes to choice between a new dog or a new cat they choose the one that they previously have had and that they are used to. Most of a dog owners choose the dog to be their pet because of the company while the majority of a cat owners choose cat because cats are independent and they are used to cats.

The standard model concerning the relationship between perception and motility is linear and one-way. It depicts the flow between the two as moving from sensation to perception to representation to computation, and finally, to motility and action. According to this model, animal being is basically a bundle of reflexes. But what can correctly be considered a bundle of reflexes from a natural science point of view, doesn't necessarily have to be true. This conception does not take into consideration the more complex interactions between motility and perception that constitutes, or generates, animal and human beings.

Microwave is a time- efficient device for heating and reheating of foods. Despite the fact that its effects on foods have been evaluated during a long period of time, without any more negative effects shown compared to conventional cooking, one third of the Swedish population believes (in 2010) it accounts for a higher loss of nutrition. This literature review aim to compile studies regarding how food is affected by cooking in microwave, with respect to cooking losses, nutrition, secondary metabolites as well as sensory and textural aspects and compare it with conventional cooking. The compilation shows that different combination of effect (W), time and amount of water during microwave cooking have different effects on foods. The contents of proteins, vitamin B and carbohydrates are generally higher after microwave cooking, while anti-nutritional substances are affected much less during conventional cooking. This also depends on if it is of animal or non-animal origin. However, for the majority of nutrition values the differences are quite small.