Records of P III fractures from 235 horses, 71 of them were standardbreds, treated at 3 major Swedish equine hospitals (Strömsholm, SLU and Mälaren hästklinik) between 1994 and 2004 were evaluated for information such as the patients age, sex, breed, type of fracture, affected leg, time and place of the injury, treatment and, if possible, result of treatment. For the standardbreds, result of treatment was also followed up through written correspondence with owners and by screening AB Trav och Galopp racing-results. Moreover, results of horses with type II and III-fractures treated with rest and therapeutic shooing only were compared to horses in which lag screw fixation were added to achieve interfragmental compression. Compared to the rest of the Swedish horse population, P III fractures were slightly more common among standardbred horses. The mean age of the affected standardbred was 5,8 years, compared to 7,9 years in the rest of the horse-population. Most horses injured themselves in the paddock.

Several bulls in Sweden are culled because of lameness. Studies of beef bulls have shown that osteochondrosis is an important underlying cause of hind limb problems (Persson, 2003; Dutra, 1998). Osteochondrosis in horses, dogs, swine, poultry and man are well documentated in the literature, but there are few studies in cattle. The prevalence of osteochondrosis in dairy bulls in Sweden is unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence and localisation of osteochondrosis in the hindlimbs of dairy bulls. This study consists of 48 one-year-old bulls divided into four groups related to which farm they came from.

The aetiology of osteochondrosis (OC) is known to be complex and multifactorial. The occurrence of bone fragments in joints and their connection to osteochondral disease are no exception. In the hock and stifle joint of the horse this type of lesion has generally been considered to be of osteochondral origin, while the process behind these fragments in the fetlock joint has been up for discussion. The objective of this study was to determine the frequency and the localisation of OC in Swedish warmblooded horses. In order to do so all radiographs of stifle, hock and fetlock joints performed on Swedish warmblooded horses during the period of 1992-1999 at Regiondjursjukhuset in Helsingborg were examined and the material was divided into two groups.

The horse has been domesticated for several thousand years. It has gone from being used primarily for food and transportation, to become one of the most popular pets in Sweden. With over 150,000 practitioners, horseback riding is one of the biggest sports in Sweden and there is a variety of specializations to choose from. One orientation is western riding which is a broad sport with several disciplines where most originate in cattle work and other ranch tasks. Western riding is a growing sport in Sweden with an increasing number of practitioners and with many different organizations and associations, it is important that the correct knowledge of the equipment used is disseminated. Artificial aids are available in a variety of designs and the most common variants used by western riders in Sweden is draw reins or some forms of martingale.

The horse's motivations to forage and eat are behaviors that horse owners should take into consideration when designing the horse's living environment. In today?s housing of horses, horses are often kept alone in boxes and paddocks and are fed with small amounts of energy-rich roughage. Problems that can arise with a shortened feeding-time and long periods of fasting are behavioral changes like stereotypic behaviors and an increased risk for ulcers. A solution to the short feeding-time is that you are feeding roughage in a small mesh hay net, or a so-called Slow-feed net.

In Peru guinea pigs are raised for meat production and salmonellosis is considered as a major problem. Studies have detected salmonella in animals with enteritis and pneumonia. Salmonellosis exists both in an acute and a chronic form. In the rural areas the diagnosis is made according to clinical signs and macro pathological findings at autopsy. The major systems applied for the guinea pig production are often classified as family, family-commercial and commercial. These systems differ in number of animals and how industrialised they are.

Today dairy farmers in Sweden are obligated to have lights turned on during night time in addition to the mandatory daylight inlet. This presents a cost for the production but many argue that it can be economically beneficial, especially in loose housing of dairy cows. In loose housing and even more so in herds with automatic milking, well functioning cow traffic during all hours of the day is crucial to optimise production. In order to keep the cow traffic flowing, lights may be an important management tool. It is also perceived among farmers with tied up stall that night light decreases the incidents of cows accidental stepping on their own or neighbours udders.

This study was conducted at VikingGenetics' bull breeding station in Falkenberg, Sweden. The bulls waiting for the results of their progeny testing at this station are either kept in group housing or individual housing. Since both of these housing systems have advantages and disadvantages, it was in the interest of VikingGenetics to know which of these housing systems is the best. The aim of this study was to investigate the welfare of the bulls in these two housing systems through behavioural observations and the use of activity monitors. In the preparations for the study 16 bulls, 8 in each housing system, were chosen.

This study was conducted at VikingGenetics' bull breeding station in Falkenberg, Sweden. The bulls waiting for the results of their progeny testing at this station are either kept in group housing or individual housing. Since both of these housing systems have advantages and disadvantages, it was in the interest of VikingGenetics to know which of these housing systems is the best. The aim of this study was to investigate the welfare of the bulls in these two housing systems through behavioural observations and the use of activity monitors. In the preparations for the study 16 bulls, 8 in each housing system, were chosen.

The aim of this study was to compare activity, lying down and getting up behaviour, weight gain and cleanliness in heifers in cubicles versus on deep-litter. The study was conducted from autumn of 2005 until autumn of 2006 in a commercial organic dairy herd with 340 cows. In 2005 the farm rebuilt half of the young stock accommodation from deep-litter pens to cubicles. The experiment used 150 heifers of the breeds Swedish Red, Swedish Holstein and crossbreeds between these, all born on the farm. The animals were divided into three blocks based on breed and within each block they were sorted after increasing age. The youngest heifer in each block was randomly allocated to one of two groups, cubicle or deep-litter pen.

Since long, Sweden has had exceptionally low calf mortality compared to most other countries. The tradition has been to keep calves in individual pens. With increasing number of cows per herd there is now a larger interest in more efficient and economical group systems for housing calves. However it has been noticed that bigger herds have more health problems and higher calf mortality than smaller herds. The early signs of disease are harder to detect when the animals are not fed manually.

The aim of these two studies was to investigate the possible physiological, behavioural and emotional changes that appear after human-horse interactions and also to find an explanation to why they occur. One aspect that is discussed is whether the wellbeing of humans can be coupled to interacting with horses and of how the animals respond to the interaction. The first study was performed on 9 horses and their owners, both parts being subjects to registrations during 4 different interaction treatments. The second study was performed on 6 horses with registrations only being performed on the horses during 2 different treatments. Nine horses underwent 3 different treatments all performed by their owners (H = stroking of the horses forehead, B = brushing and M = stimulation of the withers) in addition to a control round (K). Each treatment lasted for 4 minutes but observations were performed until after 45 minutes from start.

The modern veterinarian in horse practice is often consulted by horse owners concerning riding problems. These problems are more complex and show other characteristics than traditional lameness. For the diagnostic process and to give adequate advice the veterinarians need an understanding of riding terminology and problems related to riding. It is also of high importance that riders, trainers and veterinarians increase the knowledge of equine biomechanics and how these are influenced by the rider. Collection is an important concept in the riding terminology.

Working as a veterinary nurse includes advising animal owners, helping them to make discisions through well-based facts and experience. Preemptive spaying of the healthy bitch brings many advantages and disadvantages. It leads to cessation of gonadal hormone production, and how the exact extent the surgery affects the dog is not yet fully understood. The sex hormones mainly control the reproductive system, but receptors of these hormones are found in many tissues of the body, and have complex relationships with other hormone systems. Spaying decreases the metabolism although the bitch gets an increased appetite, which enhance the risk of obesity, unless the owner restricts food intake.

SammanfattningBakgrundDet är i Sverige svårt att tillgodose behovet av cirka 450 tjänstehundar och gällande hälsa är uppfattningen bland användarna att hundarnas fysiska hållbarhet blivit sämre. Med hänsyn till att det lider brist på tjänstehundar och att de tas ur tjänst tidigare än önskat vore det av stort värde att kunna förlänga en polishunds tjänstgöringstid. Ett sätt att förverkliga detta kan vara att använda undersökningstekniker vilka tidigt kan fånga upp lindriga förändringar i rörelsesymmetri, förändringar som kan vara ett första tecken på smärta. En tryckmätningsmatta kan registrera små förändringar i hur hunden belastar sina ben, förändringar som är svåra att se med blotta ögat. Det kan därför vara av intresse att ta fram ett normalmaterial för tjänstehundar så att det med tryckmätningsmattans hjälp tidigt går att upptäcka om en stoisk tjänstehund har ett förändrat rörelsemönster.Syfte & hypotesSyftet var att använda en tryckmätningsmatta för att skapa ett normalmaterial för en tjänstehundspopulation gällande parametrar registrerade med tryckmätnings-mattan.