The danger and vulnerability associated with a preterm birth seem to be closely correlated with a dysfunction of the fetal hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, whose maturation in the foal is without a doubt as delicate as it is important. Not only is this endocrine cascade vital for the foal in order to cope with neonatal stress, it also appears to be fundamental for the final fetal intrauterine maturation, as well as for the onset of foaling. Equine gestation exhibits some rather unique features, indicating a somewhat different significance of the endocrine changes associated with HPA maturation, compared to many other species. This hormonal cascade is rapid and confined to a narrow time during late gestation in the horse, and the risk of the foal completely missing it therefore becomes prominent. Induced parturition in the mare may be operated through uterotonic agents, which occasionally bring about premature foals. Desirable seems the ability to initiate equine labour while simultaneously enhancing fetal HPA maturation, as in humans and ruminants through perinatal glucocorticoid administration. However, similar treatment in the horse has resulted in various, sometimes fatal, outcomes. In the light of the distinctive features of equine gestation, difficulties are encountered following such administration of glucocorticoids and ACTH.

It is a well known fact today that suffering due to skin disorders is one of the most common causes to veterinary calls. For the Doberman breed included in the group of working dogs, the frequency and distribution of the different skinrelated diagnoses that causes visits to the veterinary clinics remains undocumented. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the frequency of skinrelated problems causing veterinary visits of Doberman at four different veterinaryclinics in Sweden retrospectively, and compare these results with dogs in general and three other working dog breeds with the help of information collected from Agria - a Swedish animal insurance company. The total amount of veterinary calls that were registered at the clinics in question during the time of the study was 2460 visits. From these, 658 visits were due to skinrelated disorders, which amount to 27%. The most frequent cause to skinsuffering was injury caused by trauma, 15,7% of the Dobermans that were included in the study were affected, the second most frequent cause was inflammatory and infectious skin problems with 12,3% followed by neoplastic changes in the skin with 7% of the Dobermans affected.

The purpose of this literature study was to describe the seasonal reproduction in sheep and the presence of genetic variation in fertility traits. Methods to induce oestrus are described and the possibilities to change the reproduction season through breeding are discussed. Sheep have a pronounced seasonality in their reproduction. Mating season starts in the fall and the lambs are born during the spring because this is the most beneficial time. The market request for lamb meat has increased and therefore it is desirable with ewes that could get pregnant all year round.

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Today therapy dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) service people more than ever and different categories of work places use therapy dogs to help their caretakers. Many studies have been made on the positive effects in patients when they are given contact with a dog, but very little have been done on how the dog experience its situation and what kind of behaviour a therapy dog shows during its working days. This work was made to investigate the behaviours that educated therapy dogs in Sweden showed when they were in contact with a caretaker and to find out if the dogs showed any signs of stress or some other kind of discomfort. To do this a survey was sent out to 17 educated therapy dog handlers in Sweden that together had 18 educated therapy dogs. The survey contained 39 questions about the daily work of the therapy dogs when they were together with caretakers and some questions about the therapy dogs spare time. A question about what kind of dog breed the therapy dog handlers had were also in the survey to investigate if some breeds were more usual as therapy dogs.

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.

This paper deals with an object donated by a group of members of the public to the Royal Armoury in Stockholm, Sweden. The donators claimed to own a horse bit that had been used by King Gustav II Adolf's mount in the battle of Lützen, where the King was killed. The bit was a gift to the donators' ancestor, the farmer and politician Petter Jönsson, from the King of Sweden, Oscar I, in the 1850's. In this paper, the donated bit is examined and found unlikely to be the bit used at Lützen. The examination also revealed that the bit now worn by the horse in its display is a prop, included in the group of objects in the 19th century, and that the original bit probably was lost in a fire in 1648.

SUMMARYThe first and most basic skill a rider needs to learn is how to sit correctly in the saddle. This decides whether or not the rider will be able to follow the horse?s movements and use her riding aids in an efficient way. This correct seat is based on a straight line between the axis of the hip and heel. The seat must rest against the saddle with equal weight on both buttocks and the inside of the thighs.

Immune-mediated haemolytic anaemia (IMHA) is an immune-mediated destruction of erythrocytes and is one of the most common haematological diseases diagnosed in dogs. The haemolysis is a type II immunoreaction and is initiated by IgG or IgM antibodies or complements. This retrospective study includes 63 dogs suffering from primary IMHA. The study was based on information from records from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences in Uppsala and from the Animal Hospital in Strömsholm. The aim of the study was to evaluate the progress of the disease, treatment and the prognostic factors in different breeds, gender and age. Following criteria were used for the dogs to be allowed in the study: the dogs were diagnosed with anaemia, the anaemia was regenerative and autoagglutination and/or spherocytes were seen in the blood. About 50 % of the dogs in the study were diagnosed with IMHA within 2-6 years of age. Wire-haired dachshund was remarkably one of the most common breeds in this study together with Cocker and Springer spaniel.

Almost for as long as there has been breeding on bovine species, there has been a wish to have a higher proportion of offspring of either one or the other gender. In dairy cattle, heifers are more valuable, while in beef stock bulls are preferred. Semen is sorted based on the difference in DNA content between the X- and Y-chromosome in the genome of the sperm. X-chromosomes contain on average between 3,70 to 4,22% more genetic material than the Y-chromosome. Commercially it is the method of flow cytometry that is being used, which is always under improvement.

In the latest edition of NRC (2007) the feeding recommendations for Ca and P to growing horses were increased with 35 and 25 %, respectively, based on results from a Canadian study showing that daily endogenous fecal losses of Ca and P were greater than previously suggested. A Ca absorption efficiency of 50 % is used for all horses. However, the true absorption efficiency might be as high as 70 % in young horses. P absorption efficiency is assumed to be higher for growing horses because their diets are often supplemented with inorganic P. Thus, an efficiency of 45 % is used for growing horses as compared to 35 % for mature horses.

Laminitis is a common but devastating condition, and affected horses are often euthanized or influenced a very long time. Many horses never return to their original capacity. Laminitis is often associated with severe pain and a long time of convalescence. Symthoms includes lameness, hoof hyperthermia, strenghthened digital pulse and pain. The horse often tries to move the body weight away from the forelegs which are often more severly affected than the hindlimbs.

The purpose of this study was to compare less experienced veterinarians? subjective assessments of lameness in horses on the lunge. Previous studies on subjective lameness evaluation have mainly focused on horses trotting in a straight line and the results have shown generally low compliance. With a web-based questionnaire, 43 veterinarians assessed 60 recordings that showed both fore- and hindlimb lameness, interspersed with sound horses that were trotting on the lunge in one direction. The horses showed mild to moderate lameness.

The purpose of this essay is to examine formations of gender and class of so called horse girls in a riding school located in Stockholm, Sweden. The essay is based on interviews with six girls in the ages between fifthteen and eighteen. Through the theoretical framework of Judith Butler and Beverley Skeggs, I examine how the girls negotiate the boundaries and probabilities within doing gender in an upper and middleclass associated area. As a result of its female domination, the stable functions as a place where the girls can dislocate themselves from otherwise normative feminine practises. This is possible since the premises of the stable are constructed in the light of the heterosexual matrix, where the girls organise themselves within the heterosexual girl collective.

The purpose of this trial was to evaluate the possibility to use sampling of faeces, urine and plasma, and measurements of blood pressure as methods of discovering hypomagnesemia in horses, as well as the application handiness of these methods. The most commonly used method of checking the magnesium status of a horse is to analyze samples of serum or plasma. The trial was of a switch-back design, in which the horses were used as their own controls. The animal material was five Swedish warm blooded trotters between six to ten years old, and weighing between 485-620 kg. The trial consisted of three periods that were two months each.