BACKGROUND Until 1988, it was forbidden to neuter male dogs in Sweden without a veterinary medical cause, so there is clearly no long tradition of this procedure in healthy dogs. According to the website of The Swedish Kennel Club (SKK), February 11, 2011, there has been an increase of castrated male dogs in Sweden. They see this increase as worrying, especially in cases of the less common breeds, where it is most important to maintain the gene pool. The SKK expresses concern that castration is used as a tool to influence the personality of dogs, instead of training and education of the dog. They write that castration should be preceded by a discussion initiated by the veterinarian, where the pros and cons of castration are weighed against each other.

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.

Fetma hos hund är ett ökande problem med flera allvarliga hälsoaspekter. Det finns ett flertal sätt att mäta andelen kroppsfett, men ingen metod som inte kan kritiseras på en eller flera punkter. De metoder som tas upp i denna studie är exempelvis morfometriska tekniker, ultraljud och absorptiometriska metoder. Predisponerande faktorer till fetma, bland annat överkonsumtion av energi, brist på fysisk stimulans, ålder, kastration och interaktion mellan djur och ägare diskuteras också. Slutligen ges förslag på möjligheter att behandla fetma hos hund med en praktisk handledning till veterinärer och djurkliniker. Syftet med denna studie var att kartlägga svenska hundars hull samt studera deras utfodrings- och motionsvanor i form av en enkätstudie.

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.

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.

The aim was to identify if the veterinary nurse is as competent as the veterinaian in placing a nasoesophageal feeding tube. The aim was also to identify the complications with malnutrition and the advantage and disadvantage of the procedure. This essay is based on several interviews with both veterinary nurses and veterinaries. 16 persons were asked 4 short questions in conjunction with an intensive care/emergency and surgery congress in Gothenburg in February 2013. In addition 4 major hospitals that provided intensive care were asked to answer 5 more detailed questions, one answer from a veterinary and one answer from a veterinary nurse was requested.

We have made a litterature study about pain in animals. In this studie we have brought up areas like sign of pains in animals, pain relief and the care perspective. Pain is perceived when body tissue is damaged or nearly damaged by stimuli. Nociceptors, which are receptors placed at nerve endings, responds to a provocation of pain and transmit an impulse along the nerve to the brain via the spinal cord. Pain is urgent or chronic, and can be divided into nociceptive pain (somatic pain and visceral pain) and neuropathic pain. Different pain mechanisms can arise, such as referred pain, which is when signals of pain are referred to other parts of the body.

The incidence of many of the most common diseases in dairy cattle has been proven to be highest during the time closest to calving. It is possible that the current breeding strategy with 12 month calving intervals increases the risk for disease in dairy cattle, which is problematic concerning both animal welfare and for economic reasons. The economic incentives behind a calving interval of 12 to 13 months have mainly been based on milk- and feed- costs and no costs due to diseases or fertility disturbances have been included.The aim of this study was to see if a lengthening of the calving interval would result in lower disease frequency. The hypothesis is that cows with a planned calving interval of 15 months have a lower disease incidence than cows with a calving interval of 12 months due to less number of calvings. Therefore the difference in disease frequency should be larger when compared over a long period of time, such as over lifetime, since cows with a longer calving interval experience fewer calvings.The study was performed between August 17th, 1994, and January 24th, 2007.

Feline asthma is a condition very similar to the respiratory disease affecting humans. It is causing, among other things, a constriction of the bronchial airways, an increase of mucus production and damage to, or erosion of, the epithelial membrane. The symptoms occur intermittently and do, in most cases, evolve during a long period of time. The aim of this essay was to investigate whether there are any nursing routines for feline patients with asthma in animal clinics and animal hospitals in Sweden, and if so, to compare similarities and differences. A literary study of research material also led to a suggestion of how to form a nursing routine for this type of patient.

Q-feber är en endemisk zoonossjukdom som förekommer i hela världen med undantag av Nya Zeeland. Sjukdomen orsakas av den gramnegativa intracellulära bakterien Coxiella burnetii som är mycket motståndskraftig i miljön och kan spridas i aerosoler via vind och damm. Flera olika djurslag kan drabbas av Q-feber men nötkreatur, får och getter samt husdjur som hund och katt är de främsta källorna till humana infektioner. C. burnetii kan hos djur ge upphov till reproduktionsstörningar som t.ex.

The calf extrator?s function has been studied, through measuring traction and how this varies in different situations, in comparison with corresponding manual traction situations. This was done against the background that excessive force at assisted calvings at dystocia can mean life threatening damages on the calf such as grave acidosis, vertebral fractures, femur fractures and rib fractures. The calf extractor has earlier been measured to pull with greater force than the established maximum force of ?two strong men?.

Distillers? grain is a by-product of ethanol production. Corn, wheat and barley are the grains that are generally used in the distillery process. Distillers? grain is rich in protein and phosphorus.