Efterlevnad av beslut om djurförbud hos hållare av sällskapsdjur och lantbruksdjur i Västra Götalands län

Denna studie riktar sig främst till länsstyrelsen i Västra Götalands län, som var frågeställare, men också till de andra länsstyrelserna i landet. Syftet var att undersöka hur de personer som på något sätt orsakat lidande hos djur och därför blivit belagda med djurförbud, efterlever dessa förbud, dvs. om de bryter mot sina förbud eller om de följer förbuden. Syftet var också att undersöka om efterlevnaden av förbudet skiljde sig mellan personer som höll sällskapsdjur och personer som höll lantbruksdjur. Om resultatet visade en trovärdig signifikant skillnad mellan dessa hållare, skulle länsstyrelsen kunna utföra kontroller av personer utefter vilken prioritet de har, beroende på om de tillhör den grupp där risken för bristande efterlevnad av förbudet är störst. Djurförbud innebär att en person har förbud att hålla ett visst slags djur, en djurgrupp eller samtliga djurslag, enligt 29 § Djurskyddslagen (1988:534). Förbudet kan också fattas enligt 26 § Djurskyddslagen (1988:534) och då innebär det i denna studie att en person har förbud att hålla mer än ett visst antal djur, t.ex. max fem katter. Information om 84 av totalt 307 personer med djurförbud inom Västra Götalands län kunde användas som underlag för studien. Jämförelser gjordes mellan hållare av lantbruksdjur och sällskapsdjur men det fanns även en grupp personer som höll både sällskapsdjur och lantbruksdjur; dessa förekommer i tabeller men har inte räknats med i några jämförelser. Det var flest hållare av sällskapsdjur som vid tidpunkten och i detta urval var belagda med djurförbud. De var även dessa hållare som oftast hade förbud att hålla djur alls, medan lantbrukshållare oftast hade förbud att hålla enbart en viss typ av djur. Sällskapshållarna var också den grupp som var mest benägna att bryta mot djurförbudet inom olika långa tidsperioder från förbudsbeslutet. Lantbrukshållarna var den grupp som i störst utsträckning efterlevde beslutet och i de fall där någon lantbrukshållare bröt mot förbudet, skedde detta inom en kort tidsperiod mellan förbud och kontroll av förbudet. Förklaringar till dessa resultat kan vara att det är vanligare att personer håller sällskapsdjur och att de oftare blir anmälda, än hållare av lantbruksdjur. Anledningar till att sällskapshållare var en större riskgrupp kan också vara att det är lättare att skaffa sig en ny katt än ett antal nötkreatur och det kan förklara varför efterlevnaden bland lantbrukshållare var så hög som den var. En slutsats som kunde dras var att efterlevnaden skiljde sig mellan olika kategorier av hållare. Efterlevnaden var dessutom generellt sett dålig i länet, då 47,6 % av de 84 observerade djurhållarna efterlevde förbudet och hela 52,4 % bröt mot djurförbudet. Arbetet kan vara användbart för länsstyrelsen då det ger en viss uppfattning om hur efterlevnaden ser ut i länet vid denna tidpunkt och i detta urval. Länsstyrelsen kan ha viss användning för denna studie när prioritering av kontroller ska ske.This study is aimed primarily at the County Administrative Board in the county of Västra Götaland, who initiated the study, but also to the other county administrative boards in Sweden. The aim was to examine how people, who in any way caused suffering to animals and, therefore, were prohibited to keep animals, complied with these prohibitions. The aim was also to investigate whether compliance with the prohibition differed between pet owners and farm animal owners. If the result showed a significant difference between these groups, the county administrative board could carry out inspections on people along what priority they have, depending on whether they belong to the group where the risk of non-compliance with the prohibition is greatest. Prohibition of keeping animals means that a person is prohibited to keep a certain kind of animal, a group of animals or all animals, according to § 29 Animal Welfare Act (1988:534). The prohibition may also be decided according to § 26 Animal Welfare Act (1988:534) and in this study it meant that a person was prohibited to hold more than a certain number of animals. Information on 84 of a total of 307 people with prohibition of keeping animals in the county of Västra Götaland could be used in the study. Comparisons were made between holders of pets and farm animals, but there was also a group of people who held both pets and farm animals, they occur in the tables but were not included in any comparisons. Pet owners were at the time and in this sample the ones who most often were prohibited to keep animals. They were also the ones who usually had a prohibition to keep animals at all, while agricultural holders usually had a prohibition to keep only a certain type of animal. Pet holders were also the group that was most likely to violate the prohibition and farm holders were the group that most complied with the decision. The explanation of these results could be that it is common that people keep pets and that they can more easily be notified, than holders of farm animals. It is also easier to get a new cat than a number of cattle and that may be one of the reasons why compliance among agricultural holders was as high as it was. One conclusion that could be drawn was that compliance differed between different categories of holders, but compliance was generally low in the county, where only 47.6% of the 84 observed keepers complied with the prohibition. This study can be useful for the County Administrative Board because it gives some idea of how compliance looks like in the county at this time and in this selection. The County Administrative Board may have some use for this study when prioritizing inspections

The welfare of homeless owners and their dogs : the impact of societal norms on the welfare of homeless owners and their dogs

Dogs owned by people who do not own a home, is a topic that has not been greatly studied. The companionship humans have to their animal may differ when the owner is homeless. The purpose of this study was to get an insight into the welfare of homeless dog owners and their dogs, how their attachments affect each other as well as how societal norms affect their welfare. In addition to that the study explored how the covid-19 pandemic affected the human and dog dynamic in isolation. The results showed that the welfare of people living in homelessness can be improved through owning and creating a bond with a dog. There is evidence that the negative aspects of homelessness decrease such as substance abuse and criminal activity through the companionship of a dog. Despite the fact that evidence shows that the welfare of dogs owned by a homeless owner is not inferior to a dog living in a conventional home, there is not as much evidence that the welfare improves for dogs. This is due to numerous factors, such as the impact of societal norms and prejudice as well as an unsuitable living situation. Considering that there is limited of research in this subject, this study can illustrate the potential benefits of homeless owners owning a dog and how making it more accessible can improve the welfare of both the owner and its dog. Furthermore, this study can hopefully encourage further research about this subject, that can potentially reduce prejudice and instead help to improve the living situation for people living in homelessness with their dog

The welfare problems of small and exotics pets at Swedish veterinary clinics

Small and exotic pets (MES) have become more common in Sweden and the demand for veterinary care for these pets has therefore also increased. There are concerns regarding potential welfare risks due to a lack of knowledge about proper husbandry practices amongst these pet owners. Previous studies in different countries have shown that there is indeed a lack of knowledge and that it can have severe welfare consequences for MES. The aim of this study was to investigate the most common health and welfare issues that these pets face within Swedish husbandry, as well as the availability of veterinary care. Data was gathered via two methods: 1) Small animal veterinary clinics were contacted individually and asked to contribute with data regarding if they received MES as patients, to what extent they offer care, and data regarding the diagnoses given to their MES patients. 2) A survey regarding opinions on, as well as expertise, regarding MES was sent out via The Swedish Veterinary Association’s newsletter. A total of 83 veterinary clinics participated in the study. A majority (43,4 %) of clinics did not accept MES as patients, and a minority (26,5 %) accepted MES for general care. Results showed that, in 178 rabbits, diagnoses regarding changes in general condition (17,1 %), ocular injury and disease (13,7 %), as well as gastrointestinal issues (9,1 %) were the most common. Of the 96 rodents included in the study the most common diagnoses concerned issues regarding the circulatory- and respiratory systems (17,5 %), skin and fur conditions (17,5 %), changes in general condition (12,6 %), and neoplasia (12,6 %). Insufficient data was gathered regarding pet birds and reptiles. Swedish veterinarians in this study were most knowledgeable regarding rabbits and rodents and least knowledgeable regarding reptiles. It was concluded that veterinary care is less accessible for MES in Sweden compared to other pets and that many health issues that have been found in previous studies, also pose potential welfare risks in Swedish husbandry of small and exotic pets

Populationen av frilevande och herrelösa hundar i Europa, bakgrund och lämpliga åtgärder

Dogs play an important role in many aspects of our society, they are used to keep us company and for practical reasons. The number of dogs in Europe is increasing and in 2019 it was estimated that it existed 87 510 000 dogs and that 24 % of all households in Europe owned a dog. It is not clear how many stray dogs that it exists in Europe but several countries report that the problem with stray dogs still exist and some countries are experiencing an increase in the stray dog population. Dogs can potentially spread virus and cause discomfort for people living in their vicinity. The dog is the underlying cause to of the deaths caused by rabies in 99 % of all cases in humans. The purpose of this study was to investigate the underlying factors for the existence increase of free-living and stray dogs in Europe and to look closer at what measures that can be taken to improve the situation with both long-term and short-term solutions in mind. Information was gathered through existing literature. The results indicate that there are several reasons behind the population increasing of stray dogs in Europe. The country’s economy and the lack of knowledge among the authorities about the problem are underlying reasons as well as the knowledge and economy of dog owners. There are several solutions to the problem, such as castration, education and promoting responsible ownership to mention some. Cultural differences and economy are two aspects that need to be taken in consideration when choosing an appropriate strategy

Animal protection of reptiles and birds in captivity. Can the inspector do a proper assessment?

Reptiles and birds are animals that many people don’t have much experience of, so it can be difficult to do a proper animal protection assessment of these animals. It’s hard to determine if these animals is skinny, fat or in good shape, to do that it demands handling of the animal and not many inspectors that works with animal protection have experience of handling reptiles and birds. To see if a reptile or a bird is ill is difficult, when the bird or reptile looking sick it’s often too late to do something. www.blocket.se is a sell and buy page on the internet there many animals switch owner. During this paper it was discovered that in many advertisements of reptiles and birds, especially turtles, it didn’t say what species the animal was. Lack of that sort of information can create many serious problems if the animal gets the wrong diet, living environment and care. Animal protector inspectors in different counties work different. In some counties the inspectors is responsible for a group of animals while in other counties the inspectors are doing controls on every group of animals

Effekterna av mer utbildning om djur i grundskolan

In today’s society, we use animals for many different purposes and the needs of these animals vary greatly. In recent years, the public concern for animals and their welfare has increased. Several factors contribute to the public’s concern, where increased knowledge leads to higher concern. In the Swedish elementary school curriculum, the topics animal empathy, welfare, ethics, and ethology are not included. This study examines, through a literature review, what the effects of including these topics could be. Results indicate that education focused on improving children’s empathic ability can lead to improved empathy in the children. The results also showed a difference in how much the empathy of the children improved depending on gender, where boys’ empathy improved more than girls’. Education within animal welfare led to an increased knowledge of animal behaviour, cognition, and welfare needs. There was not enough evidence to show the effects of ethics education. Ethological education provided children with an increased knowledge of animal behaviour, a better understanding of human-animal interactions and communication. There seems to be a relation between empathy for humans and animals where higher empathy for one predicts a higher empathy for the other, however it is not yet known whether this relation is causal or not. If there is a causal link between the empathy for humans and animals, education to heighten empathy for animals could also heighten the empathy for humans, which could have large societal effects such as decreased crime. There is not enough evidence to conclusively say what the effects of including the studied topics are. However, education about three out of the four topics have potential positive effects for the welfare of animals and humans

Animals in the curriculum : a questionnaire to elementary school biology teachers

The usage of animals for different purposes in today’s society is widespread, and animal welfare has become a public concern. In order to secure good welfare for these animals it is of great importance to gain knowledge about ethology and animal protection legislation early in life. Improved knowledge regarding animal welfare has been stated as an important key in the European Commission’s strategy for protection and increased welfare of animals. The children are our future population and have the possibility to change the welfare standards of many animals with their consuming habits and contribute to a general increased welfare by tending to animals needs and behaviour. To gain this knowledge children need adequate education, and preferable already at an early age. Several earlier studies have confirmed the positive effects of education on knowledge and attitudes towards different kind of animals. Despite this matter, the elementary schools are not promoting this knowledge and the words ethology, animal welfare and animal protection are completely absent in the primary school biology curricula. This study’s aim was to investigate if, and to what extent, teachers are implementing these subjects in their biology lessons. Data was collected through a questionnaire and distributed via groups for teachers on social media. Although a small sample size was obtained in this study, the result indicated that neither animal welfare, ethology nor animal protection is implemented in the biology lessons to any greater extent. In order to change this matter, the teachers imply that the subjects must be described in the curriculum for them to include them in their teaching. These results could indicate that the biology curricula need to reform to promote the teaching of these subjects in school. Future studies ought to investigate a greater sample size and an evaluation of what kind of knowledge and attitudes towards animals the present biology curricula is promoting would also be beneficial. Keywords: Curriculum, biology, education, animal welfare, ethology, animal protectio

Hur mår minigrisen?

The available research on miniature pet pigs and their behavior is scarce. This study aims to investigate housing and whether the living conditions of miniature pet pigs is on a par with Swedish animal-welfare legislation. The study has also pinpointed some frequently encountered problems in owning miniature pet pigs, according to the pig/let owners. The study was conducted by a questionnaire that was sent to miniature pet pig owners, a literature study was conducted and case studies from the Swedish County Administrative Board were investigated. Results from the survey included 166 miniature pet pigs. Survey results indicated that most of the questioned households followed or housed the animals above the required legal level. However, there were two parts that stood out as concerning: socialization and weaning. 13.5% of the studied miniature pet pigs were housed without physical contact with other pigs and 12.5% were weaned earlier than 10 weeks. For a third of the reported cases, the owners were unaware of at what age the piglets were weaned. The legislation regarding socialization and weaning is unclear, which may result in different interpretation. A third of the households experienced unwanted behavior to some degree in their miniature pet pigs. The most frequently reported unwanted behavior was aggression towards other pigs (20%), followed by stress or anxiety (10%). Almost a third of the participating households experienced issues regarding claw health with at least one of their pigs. The survey also found that almost 40% of the responding households housed a rehomed pig. The fact that miniature pet pigs live without a conspecific, are weaned too early from the sow, show aggression and anxiety, have problems with their claws and change home often can lead to negative welfare. Therefore, these topics need to be further examined to gain more knowledge that could potentially increase the welfare for miniature pet pigs

Man's acceptance of radical surgical procedures and medical treatments for dogs : comparative questionnaire study of two health-oriented professions

Syftet med examensarbetet var att undersöka hur olika yrkesgrupper skiljer sig i acceptans inför olika radikala operativa ingrepp och sjukdomsbehandlingar på hund närmare bestämt tumörbehandlingar, pacemakeroperationer och amputationer/rullstolsanvändning. Data samlades in genom en enkät som delades ut till sjuksköterskor och djursjukvårdare i sydvästra Sverige och svarsfrekvensen blev 80 % respektive 57 %. Enkäten bestod av fem allmänna frågor och tre frågor som illustrerade foton med olika ingrepp på hund. VAS- skala (Visuell Analog Skala) användes för att bedöma graden av acceptans på respektive ingrepp då den var lämplig vid beskrivning av känslor. Acceptansvärdena bearbetades som kontinuerliga värden mellan 0 (inte alls acceptabla) och 1 (helt acceptabla). Data analyserades med t-test för att se om det fanns någon signifikant skillnad i acceptans för de tre typerna av ingrepp mellan yrken, mellan hög och låg ålder och mellan lång och kort erfarenhet. Resultatet visade signifikant skillnad när det gällde amputation både mellan yrken (p-värde 0,034) och mellan hög och låg ålder (p-värde 0,004). Ingen signifikant skillnad fanns mellan lång och kort erfarenhet. Sjuksköterskor stod för den högre acceptansen vid jämförelse mellan yrken. Möjligtvis beror detta på att amputation kan antas vara betydligt vanligare hos människor än hos hundar. De som sett att dessa ingrepp och hjälpmedel fungerar bra för människor kanske också drar slutsatsen att det kan fungera även på hundar. Yngre personer hade högre acceptans när det gäller amputation jämfört med äldre personer. Detta kan handla om en generationsfråga. Troligtvis är de yngre i vårdyrkena relativt nyutbildade och de får med sig den nyaste tekniken och forskningen som utvecklingen gett respektive vårdinriktning. Därför kanske man är lite mer öppen för den avancerade vård som faktiskt utövas inom djursjukvården idag

Marsvin (Cavia) som djurunderstödda insatser till äldre människor med demens

Guinea pigs are used as Animal Assisted Interventions (AAI) to people with different disabilities and are often used in healthcare environments. There are studies made that highlight guinea pigs as AAI for children with autism and the results show that there are plenty of positive effects for the children, but there are not a lot of studies on the effects for the animals. There are studies that have come to the conclusion that dogs show positive effects on humans when used in AAI. This study is made as a literature study that aimed to answer the following questions: 1) Could Guinea pigs be used as animal assisted interventions for people with dementia? 2) Are guinea pigs’ natural behaviours catered to when being used as animal assisted interventions to people with dementia? 3) Is there anything to suggest that people with dementia get positive or negative effects of having guinea pigs as animal assisted interventions? The information was collected from different articles, books and scientific studies from Primo (SLU-university library search engine), PubMed and Google Scholar. The results show that guinea pigs are social animals that have been domesticated by humans to have more social interactions and vocalisations that make them the pets they are today. Used in AAI guinea pigs have positive effects on children with autism, such as the children got less aggressive, more social towards other children and calmer. In some studies with guinea pigs in AAI, the results have shown that the guinea pigs’ natural behaviours are not met, as they are stressed by being restrained, however if these are taken into account AAI can provide as a kind of enrichment for the guinea pigs. However, there are not any studies on guinea pigs and dementia. To conclude, there need to be more research on guinea pigs’ effect on people with dementia. Also, there is need for more information on the effects on the animals used in animal assisted interventions