It?s been noted that cows held at the section of ruminant medicine and epidemiology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (IME), used for the education of veterinary students, have a lower Heart rate than what is considered normal for ruminants. In this investigation the Heart rates of seven lactating cows were recorded continuously during the period around drying off. The first recording took place at the farm from where the cows were bought, and then their Heart rate was monitored after their arrival at IME and further on until they were completely dried off. The results were then compared to the Heart rate of seven already dried off cows from the same farm.

The milk production per cow has increased considerably during the last 50 years and due to the breeding for higher milk production also brings decreased reproduction efficiency. In a Swedish study 1996 it was shown that on average only half of all estruses were detected. Every time a farmer fails to detect oestrus it costs the farmer about 1200 Swedish crones and the need of means of detecting oestrus is therofore large. With this study we wanted to investigate if Heart rate respectively crystallisation of vaginal mucus (arborisation) could be useful means of detecting oestrus. We monitored two oestrus cycles in four heifers.

In healthy dogs, Heart rate fluctuates during the day. Heart rate variability (HRV) reflects the autonomic nervous system´s regulation of the cardiovascular unit. Heart rate variability shows the balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system, also called sympathovagal balance. Heart rate variability can be measured by time domain - and frequency domain analysis. In a time domain analysis you study the beat-to-beat-interval (RR-interval) in an electrocardiogram (ECG), while a frequency domain analysis can be used to determine the size of the variability.

The aim of this study was to determine a method to habituate treadmill-naive Labrador Retrievers to walk and trot on a treadmill. 17 Labradors was equipped with reflective markers glued to the skin. Their motions were captured with six 240 Hz infra-red cameras as they walked and trotted on a treadmill three times a day for two days. Also the heart-rate was recorded. We then used QTM and custom built software to analyze the measurements.

SAMMANFATTNING Denna litteraturstudie syftar till att utvärdera hjärtfrekvens och hjärtfrekvensvariabilitet som fysiologiska mått på mental stress hos häst. För att utvärdera detta har olika artiklar studerats. Artiklarna redovisar studier där hästar utsätts för framför allt mentala stressmoment. Under stressmomenten har antingen hjärtfrekvens (HR) eller hjärtfrekvens och hjärtfrekvensvariabilitet (HRV) registrerats. Hjärtfrekvensvariabiliteten kan omvandlas till ett antal parametrar, bland annat lågfrekvensband (LF) och högfrekvensband (HF).

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.

The aim of this study was to find possible relations between behaviour and physiology for puppies during different parts of a puppy test. This work deals mainly with the physiological part of the study. Thirtysix puppies, från five litters, were tested in a behaviour test where Heart rate was measured and saliva samples were collected before and after each part in the test. Saliva and urine samples were analyzed for corisol concentration as an indicatior of stress. The tests were performed during two consecutive days in the breeders' home when the puppies were seven weeks old. In addition, Heart rate and cortisol levels were also measured in the bitch since we were interested in finding out if there were any relations between physiological levels in bitches and puppies.

IntroductionSuccessful training is a key for athletes to make progress in their development. Training must not just involve overload, but also must prevent the combination of excessive overload plus inadequate recovery. Athletes can experience short-term performance decrement without severe psychological or lasting other negative symptoms. Too much hard exercise or too little sleep can cause overtraining, a condition in which the subject can prevent to be away from the sport for several weeks or months. Previous studies have detected that it is important to avoid overtraining.

This project was initiated by a desire to improve our knowledge about animal welfare. It is a part of a series of projects involving the way dogs are kept in today?s society. The aim of this project was to investigate the dog?s behaviour when left alone in a parked car.

When performing studies that test the reactions of horses in different situations, important information may be available about the horse?s reactivity level. With information from these tests, accidents and dangerous situations may be prevented. When the behaviours from tests are compared with race performance it may be possible to evaluate if some behaviours are more desirable at the race track than others. The aim of this study was to see if behavioural responses correlated with physiological parameters (Heart rate, cortisol), the trainer?s opinions and actual race performance.

With increased milkproduction in our dairy cattle, comes a risk for a reduced fertility. Studies performed on animals and humans have shown that it is possible to manipulate the oestrous cycle through exposure to pheromones. This means that pheromones could potentionally be used to make reproduction more efficient. To evaluate the bioactivity of the substances in question, there is need for a bioassay. In insects, pheromones can induce a changed cardiac activity.

Sport horses are widely used for performance in jumping, dressage, endurance etc. To enable comparisons of horses, training facilities, programs or physical status, an exercise test can be used. Exercise tests are also important to increase knowledge about exercise physiology of the horse considering different ways of training to compare training methods or individual qualities, development of an individual or other investigations of equine exercise physiology. Since several investigations are done on standard- and thoroughbred horses but less on sport horses, it is of great importance to get an overview of the investigations done. Most common is to investigate Heart rate and lactate concentration.

During the last 50 years the production of milk per cow has increased. This has, however, been followed by a decreased reproductive performance. Shorter and more indistinct signs of oestrus make it harder for the Swedish farmers to discover when the cows are in oestrus. There is a need for ways to control reproduction. The use of pheromones could possibly provide means to satisfy this need.

Heart failure is the most common reason to hospitalization among persons over 65 years old. Self-care is an important part in the treatment of heart failure, but poor information and knowledge limits the ability of self-care and increases the risk of admission to hospital.The aim of the study was to investigate what information patients with heart failure describes that they receive from health care personal, how information is perceived, who provides the information, and on what occasions it is given. The aim was also to investigate whether patients' perception of knowledge about heart failure increased after hospitalization.The study is cross-sectional study with a descriptive design. A consecutive selection was used. A questionnaire was filled in by 28 participants.The study has shown that patients with heart failure largely experience information about heart failure inadequate.

Background:Chronic heart failure (CHF) is a complex clinical condition. The higher survival rate after heart attack and other heart diseases, plus aging population, has led to more CHF patients. Symptoms can have negative impact on exercise capacity, ability to perform activities of daily living and quality of life. Heart failure clinics have been established to help better quality of life. Helping to stabilize and maintain patients´ health can reduce the need of hospital admission.