Denna litteraturstudie omfattar tidig (före 12 v ålder) och prepubertal (före könsmognad) kastration av katt, med fokus på effekter till följd av ingreppet. Då den nuvarande åldersrekommendationen om sex månader för kastration av katt står under revidering sedan september 2013 är syftet med denna uppsats att identifiera och redogöra för de reservationer som föreligger med tidig respektive prepubertal kastration. De aspekter som framhålls i studien som problematiska är bl.a. tillväxtstörningar, epifysfrakturer, övervikt, tumörer, narkosrisk, beteenderelaterade problem etc. Med hjälp av genomförda studier i ämnet kan många av de reservationer som förknippats med ett tidigarelagt ingrepp dementeras, samtidigt som flertalet av riskerna i samband med ingreppet kan konfirmeras. Den huvudsakliga frågeställningen i studien är huruvida fördelarna med en sänkt kastrationsålder överväger de eventuella riskerna. Internationellt har metoden redan fått fäste och används främst i avseende att få kontroll över och begränsa den viltlevande kattpopulationens utbredning.

This student report is about neutering male and female cats and compares early ageneutering to neutering at the traditional age of 6 months.The main focus in this report is early age neutering, which means that neutering isperformed when the kittens are between 6 and 16 weeks of age. This technique has beenused by shelters in the United States for a long time, to prevent the adopted cats fromreproduce and contribute to the problem of overpopulation.Two different surgical methods are also addressed; the ventral midline incision and thelateral flank approach. Ovariohysterectomy and ovariectomy are also compared.I also address which drugs are preferable when kittens are neutered and some importantguidelines where you have to be extra careful when dealing with kittens.These guidelines are the preanesthetic evaluation, calculating drug dosages and preventinghypothermia, hypoglycaemia and stress.The report also has a summary of the concerns regarding early age neutering such asanaesthetic risks, growth disorders and growth plate fractures, urologic diseases andimmune system dysfunction, obesity, altered metabolism and behavioural changes.The sex hormones and how they change after neutering is also included.At the end of the report there is a compilation of a questionnaire that consists of eightquestions that I sent out to various animal hospitals and veterinary clinics in Sweden..

Today there are over 100 000 stray cats in Sweden and of these 10 000 are found in Gothenburg. There are several instances that try to reduce the number of stray cats. The problem for stray cats is primarily the suffering they may face in hunger, cold, predators, diseases, parasites, accidents, etc. The cats receive no veterinary care and may die from a simple infection that easily can be cured with antibiotics. Stray cats also can spread diseases to domestic cats, be a sanitary problem and compete with other small predators on prey. Authorities working with stray cats are the Country Administrative Board and the police authority.

Too many dogs are euthanized because of different kind of behaviour problems today. Is it really necessary? Who has the main responsibility for this action? Do breed differences matter when it comes to increased risk of euthanasia of the dog? The purpose of this piece of work is to find the answers to these questions and also to find out what kind of behaviour problems that can lead to euthanasia of dogs in general. The most common reason for dogs being euthanized is aggression. The aggression can be directed toward humans or other animals, mostly other dogs. There are some important factors of the dog that increases the risk of being euthanized, and these are the breed, the gender and sexual status and also the size of the dog.

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.