This work is about euthanasia and how to use it on horses, dogs and cats. A description for each animal is done, about when it is time, why, which methods can be used and who is allowed to use them, how and where it shall be done. The methods we have concentrated on are: - Chemical destruction and the most common drugs for euthanatize horses, dogs and cats. - Physical disruption of the brain activity by a captive bolt, only for horses. The captive bolt only makes the horse unconscious and must always be followed by cutting off the vena jugularis. Then the horse dies because of loss of blood. No matter which method used for euthanizing, the animal must be declared to be dead by the operator before other measures. The testing criteria for death: muscle relaxation and cyanosis, cessation of reflex activity and pupillary dilatation, cessation of respiratory activity and cessation of all cardiac activity.

Africa is expected to go through a rapid urbanization over the next four decades and the demand for food is increasing in the rapidly growing urban and peri-urban (UPU) areas. Keeping livestock in urban areas is in particular associated with health hazards. This is due to close interaction between humans and animals, and it has been shown that zoonotic diseases are increasing in urban areas. The benefits of urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) are related to improved food security, in particular among low-income groups. Apart from the negative public health impact of zoonotic diseases, animal disease could have a devastating impact on the economy and food security of many households in these areas. In the present study, three important endemic diseases, including brucellosis, salmonellosis and Bovine viral diarrhea (BVD), were analyzed in regard to seroprevalence and risk factors.

Reasons for performing this study: Colic has for a long time been seen as a serious health problem in the equine population. Even so, the knowledge of colic seems to differ a great deal among the people interacting with horses. A large number of studies have for several years looked at risk factors that cause colic, in order to provide knowledge about them. The knowledge can then be used as tools for developing prophylactic methods in order to reduce the number of horses that develop colic. Objectives The aim with this study was to investigate if people have the correct knowledge about colic in horses, which risk factors that cause colic today and describe prophylactic methods that can result in avoidance of colic in horses. Method Eleven veterinary practices were contacted in order to send out two questionnaires for a study of six weeks.

This study is a discourse analyse of texts concerning the criminalizing of bestiality andonthological questions around it. This essay has been written as an qualitative analyse of three media texts: Swedish and Danish animal protection laws, interpellation of criminalizing bestiality in Swedish Parliament as well as the discussion forum, "Nordisk Zoofil Forum".The study indicates that bestiality can be understood as inacceptable through discourses about normality, naturalness, moral, sexual pleasure or discourses which comprehend sexual abnormalities as a consequence of each other. On the other side bestiality can be understood as unaccebtable through discourses about sexual needs, sexual identities, love or sexual pleasure. Also the idea about one practising bestiality seems to be gendered as a male person..

There is no clear connection between cutaneous adverse reactions and atopic dermatitis in dogs, however, reports show a prevalence of cutaneous adverse reactions in 2-30% of atopic dogs. The purpose of this study was to record how many atopic dogs that also were diagnosed with cutaneous adverse reactions. Journals of atopic dogs in two Swedish animal hospitals, diagnosed between 1995 and June 2003, were examined. In the two animal hospitals, 188 journals were selected to match the criteria of atopic dermatitis according to this study. Of these dogs, 86 were put on a strict food elimination dietary trial.

This study focusses on how people in Sweden commemorate their dogs and handle their demise. By examining memorial texts for dogs that are presented by their owners on internet forums, memorial texts that are used on gravestones on an animal cemetery as well as an interview with an animal nurse, the study examines how dogs are humanized and treated in human-like ways. With theories about new animism, social acceptance (nomos) and ontology as the theoretical framework, the study provides an analysis of strategies by which people tend to humanize dogs in ways that are often similar to the handling and mourning of human deceased.                                               The empirical data illustrate how dog owners in Swedish society who have lost their beloved pet express themselves in terms of religious terminology. According to memorial texts, the dogs go to heaven, where they may be reunited with their owners, become free from their diseases, and in some cases they are buried in separate graves in animal cemeteries. The study also illustrates how dogs in Sweden today have almost equal opportunities and access to medical care as human beings.

In this work we have compiled results from various studies concerning medical conditions that may possibly be avoided by castration and the effects that may occur after castration of the healthy bitch. The work is a literature review but it also includes a summary on the age recommendations for castration of the healthy bitch, castration before or after the first heat and the castration method most commonly used of ovariohysterectomy and ovariectomy. The summary is based on a questionnaire answered by personnel from 20 veterinary clinics and animal hospitals evenly distributed throughout Sweden.The summary showed that ovariohysterectomy was the most common method of castration and the recommendation in age ranged from 6-12 months. Regarding castration before or after the first heat 75% of the veterinary clinics and animal hospitals answered that they recommended castration after the first heat. Literature study shows that there are both advantages and disadvantages of castration of the healthy bitch and that it therefore is important that each bitch get a personal and individual evaluation before a decision is taken concerning a castration..

Bakgrund: Äldre på boende idag kan känna att de saknar sociala interaktioner med vårdpersonal, familj eller vänner. För att uppleva god livskvalitet krävs bland annat trygghet, sociala interaktioner och aktiviteter. Djur kan användas som behandlingsmetod i vården i form av Animal-Assisted Activity (AAA) och Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT). Syfte: Syftet med litteraturstudien var att belysa sällskapsdjurs betydelse för äldres livskvalitet på äldreboende. Metod: Studien har genomförts som en allmän litteraturstudie.

Bakgrund: Idag lever minst 150 000 personer med demens i Sverige, år 2050 beräknas antalet ha fyrdubblats. Insatserna för personer med demens ska ge dem den hjälp de behöver i det sociala samspelet och ge dem en känsla av trygghet. Att som människa bli sedd och bekräftad ökar chansen för god hälsa, och eftersom hunden är expert på att tolka kroppsspråk och subtila signaler som människor lätt missar erbjuder den ett speciellt sällskap.Syfte: Beskriva hundens roll inom demenssjukvård.Frågeställningar: Hur kan hunden användas i omvårdnaden av personer med demenssjukdom? Vilka effekter har interventioner med hund på personer med demenssjukdom?Metod: Systematisk litteraturstudie.Resultat: Det finns i huvudsak två olika sätt att använda intervention med hund inom demenssjukvård, Animal Assisted Activity (AAA) och Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT). AAA fokuserar på trivsel och social samvaro medan AAT har fokus på individuell behandling.

The central part in all public health work is health promotion and disease preventing actions among the population. Since all public health work includes the whole population, the work has to embrace disabled people as well. Within the disability policies, participation and equality are important goals, which illustrate the importance of a job. In previous studies the positive effects of animal have been detected among persons with disabilities, by better balance, better mobility, larger social network, new knowledge and most of all happiness. The aim of this study was to investigate how people with disabilities experience their health when they are working with animal husbandry at daily activities.

In this final thesis a study about welfare indicators in the Swedish milk production has been carried out. The system Swedish Animal Welfare Monitoring Scheme developed by the Swedish Dairy Association has been used as a base and the EU project WELFARE QUALITY® has also been used as a source of information. Focus groups have been used as a qualitative investigating method. This included four focus groups, two with farm auditors from the two different dairies and two with dairy farmers. This method was chosen because in this way one can study how a conversation about a given subject takes form in a respectable way.

Swedish goats are mainly held for cheese production and therefore, both milk quality and composition are of great importance for dairymen. Today, only few data exists on milk composition from Swedish dairy goats and the casein content is still unknown. One way to reduce the work load for goat farmers and increase animal welfare can be to keep goats and kids together for longer periods. The aims of this study were to investigate how milk yield and composition were affected when kids suckled their dams during 8 weeks, and to measure the casein content on farm level by a mid-infrared spectroscopy method, previously calibrated for goat milk. Lactating goats were kept in two different MIX- systems where the dams are both suckled and milked.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to observe and describe the work environment of veterinary nurses, focused on fysical ergonomics, in a Small Animal hospital. Method: An observational study was made in the stationary ward in an animal hospital. The observation was based on a checklist from the Swedish Work Environment Authority. Six veterinary nurses was observed over three hours when they nursed the patients. The checklist contained paragraphs concerning work postures, manuell work, knowledge, competence and the design of the workplace. Result: The results was divided into three categories; red, yellow and green.

People in Sweden have more and more dogs in their care, and several of these dogs are kept in kennels in back yards for various reasons. According to Swedish animal welfare legislations the need for social contact for dogs has to be met. However, there are few details presented on how to meet the need and when it can be considered satisfied. Does the dog need human contact to fulfill the need, or is the company of other dogs enough? This study aims to specify what can be acceptable when it comes to fulfilling dogs? social needs in accordance with the Swedish animal welfare legislation.

In today?s archaeology there?s a growing need for non-invasive prospection methods. However there?s a methodological gap and what?s missing is a method for locating human bones. In this study a specially trained German shepherd is put through scientific tests determining how good the dog is at telling the different between the scent of human and animal bones.