Denna uppsats är ett projekt där målet var att utveckla en beta-prototyp för en beteendeanalysanordning för hundar. Enheten använder rörelsespårningssensorer för att analysera och förutsäga dess beteende. Examensarbetet började med att analysera kundsegmentet och definiera designriktningen baserat på den grunden. Detta följdes sedan av konceptutveckling, realisering och utvärdering. Detta inkluderade traditionella designmetoder och designförfaranden där designerna utvärderades och modellerades. Detta var en mycket iterativ designprocess som följdes av Moldflow-analyser. Prototyper gjordes vid KTH: s Prototypcenter, där olika versioner tillverkades i FDM-skrivare och validerades. Beta-prototypen producerades senare med SLA-skrivare och validerades med avseende på vattentäthet. Dropptest simulerades med ANSYS för att bestämma deformationen av enheten när de släpps och resultaten pekar på att enheten med god marginal befinner sig inom acceptabelt deformationsintervall. Moldflowanalyserna belyste aspekter av designen som krävde ytterligare modifieringar för att förbättra produktens tillverkningsbarhet. / This thesis is a project where the aim was to develop a beta prototype for a behaviour analysis device for dogs. The device uses motion tracking sensors to analyse and predict its behaviour. The thesis project started with understanding the customer segment and defining the design direction on that basis. This was then followed by concept generation, realisation and evaluation. This included traditional design methodologies and design procedures where the designs were evaluated and modelled. This was a highly iterative design process which was followed by FEA and Moldflow analyses. Prototypes were made at the KTH prototyping centre, where various versions were made in FDM printers and validated. The beta prototype was later produced using SLA printers and validated for waterproofing. Drop test was simulated with Ansys to determine the amount of deformation in the device when dropped, the results point out that the device is well within an acceptable deformation range. The Moldflow analyses highlighted aspects of the design that required further modifications to improve the manufacturability of the device.

Bakgrund: Djur har under väldigt många år varit en del av människans vardag från början i form av vakt och jaktdjur. Idag används djuren mer som sällskap och familjemedlemmar. Hundar och människor har genom århundradena tillsammans utvecklat ett samspel som gör att de kan kommunicera. Många äldre personer har idag husdjur som enda sällskap när barnen flyttat ut och make/maka gått bort. När personen måste flytta till ett vårdboende kan de bli tvungna att göra sig av med sitt djur för att många vårdboende idag inte tillåter djur där. Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka djurs betydelse för människor inom äldrevård och demensvård. Metoden är en litteraturstudie där 10 både kvalitativa och kvantitativa vetenskapliga artiklar är granskade och bearbetade. Resultaten visar att ha djur bland äldre har många fördelar, där ibland att djur väckte positiva känslor hos deltagarna och minnen från när de äldre var barn, minnen som aldrig tidigare talats om på vårdboendet. Även en del negativa aspekter framkom så som att den demenssjuka skulle falla eller snubbla på grund av djuret.Slutsats: Examensarbetet visade att många studier visade resultat som var förväntade att till exempel hundar och även andra djur förbättrar äldre personer och dementas livskvalitet så som ensamheten och sociala förhållande. Det var dock förvånande hur många positiva effekter som djur faktiskt ger en människa som tycker om djur. / Background: Animals have for many years been a part of human's life from the beginning as guard and hunting animals. Today the animals are more companion and family members. Dogs and humans have through the centuries in cooperation developed an interface that allows them to communicate. Many old people currently have pets for company when the children moved out and the spouse's passed away. When the person must move to a nursing home they can be forced to dispose their animals because many nursing homes do not allow animals. The purpose of this study is to investigate animal impact on people in elderly care and dementia care. The method of this study is a literature study in which 10 both qualitative and quantitative research articles are reviewed and processed. The results show that animal among the elderly has many advantages, where sometimes the animals aroused positive feelings among the participants and memories from when they were children, memories that have never before been mentioned in medical accommodation. Despite this, some negative aspects emerged as to the person with dementia would fall or stumble because of the animal. Conclusion: This study showed that dogs and other animals, improve the elderly and senile quality of life such as loneliness and social relationship witch in some extent was expected. However, it was surprising how many positive effects animals actually can give a person who is fond of animals.

I det här projektet har en produktutveckling gjorts av en befintlig konstruktion vid namn “Dog-bone”. Projektet har utförts i samarbete med Hitachi Energy AB vilket är ett världsledande företag inom kraft- och automationsteknik och som ligger beläget i Ludvika.  Konstruktioner som transporteras under en längre period riskerar att uppleva utmattningsskada. I detta fall sker leveransen till havs, vilket innebär att konstruktionen påverkas av accelerationer och krafter från havet. I dagsläget är fästet “Dog-bone” konstruerad för att klara av en veckas transport vilket motsvarar 70 000 cykler. Syftet med projektarbetet var att ta fram ett konceptförslag på den befintlig konstruktionen ”Dog-bone” samt förbättra dess utmattningsegenskaper för att kunna hantera tio veckors transport vilket motsvarar 700 000 cykler. Material som skulle kunna bidra till minskning av utmattningsbrott skulle även undersökas. ”Dog-bone” sitter på flertal ställen i en 25-ton tung HVDC-ventil och utsätts för höga utmattningsspänningar vid leverans av ventilen. Det finns fem olika lager på ventilen där en “Dog-bone” sitter vid varje lager för att spänna fast stativet på ventilen med lagret. Detta för att minska spänning i ventilen vid transport. HVDC-Ventilens ursprungliga syfte är att överföra stora mängder ström med en lång räckvidd till minimala förluster.  Projektet har följt en designprocess som består av en förstudie, analytisk fas, kreativ fas samt en genomförande fas. Projektet inleddes med en förstudie för att få en bättre förstålse om företagets arbete och problemställning, samt undersöka utmattning, spänningskoncentration och dess påverkan på konstruktioner. I den analytiska fasen upprättades kravspecifikation i samråd med handledaren på Hitachi energy. Efter den analytiska fasen påbörjades den kreativa fasen där tre olika koncept togs fram utifrån brainstorming. Dessa koncept ritades sedan upp som CAD-modeller i genomförandefasen. Sedan gjordes det en hållfasthetsanalys med av hjälp finita elementmetoden i programmet NX för att få en bild om hur spänningskoncentrationer lokaliserar sig. Av den maximala spänning som finita elementmetoden resulterar i gjordes ett S-N diagram med givna accelerationer vid givna antal cykler för att representera hur de koncept som tas fram förhåller sig till utmattning. Sedan utvärderades koncepten med hjälp av en elimineringsmatris för att se hur väl de uppnår kravspecifikationen. Det koncept som fick bäst resultat från utvärderingen blir det slutliga konceptet för projektet. Resultet blev ett koncept där storleken av radier ökades.  Det material som ansågs skulle öka utmattningsstyrkan i konstruktionen är ett utmattningståligare aluminium t.ex aw7075-t6 eller ett stål i kategorin “Low-carbon steel”. Dessa resultat känns rimliga eftersom de var faktabaserade lösningar men det hade varit intressant att implementera i verkligheten och se om det stämmer överens med det resultat som tagits fram.

<p dir="ltr">In the US, dogs are considered members of the family by many people. Dogs may be obtained from multiple sources, but many in the US originate from commercial breeding kennels (CBKs). Prioritizing adult dogs’ welfare while they are housed in these kennels is essential for their well-being not only while residing there, but throughout the rest of their lives in new environments for those who are rehomed after their breeding careers end. However, the research conducted in this population is scarce. Therefore, evaluating dogs’ overall welfare states and factors that may affect them in this population is crucial.</p><p dir="ltr">Maternal factors are one of many that may affect puppies’ welfare states. This topic has never been directly explored in US CBKs and has been understudied in all domestic dogs. Therefore, this dissertation sought to explore associations between maternal factors and puppy welfare indicators, and related topics.</p><p dir="ltr">Chapter 2 aimed to explore changes in indicators of dams’ welfare states (<i>n</i>= 74), such as behavioral responses to a mild stressor and stress-related physiology, throughout the peri-parturient period in 8 CBKs. The changes observed were most likely due to natural biological changes associated with the peri-parturient period, and no worrisome indicators of welfare were detected. Additionally, Chapter 3 sought to investigate the relationship between dams’ levels of fear and stress (<i>n</i>= 90), as indicated by behavior and stress-related physiology, and metrics indicative of their puppies’ welfare states (<i>n</i>= 390), such as behavior, stress-related physiology, and physical health, in 12 CBKs. Findings suggest some associations between dams’ fear and stress and their puppies’ behavioral responses to isolation, physiology, and physical health. To further explore these associations, Chapter 4 examined the relationships between dams’ (<i>n</i>= 79) and puppies’ (<i>n</i>= 291) behavioral responses to novel social and non-social stimuli in 11 CBKs. No significant associations between dams’ and puppies’ responses were discovered, and possible reasons such as kennel management practices, puppies’ mobility and hazard avoidance, and differences between dams’ and puppies’ early life experiences were discussed. Finally, as the type and level of maternal care dams provide may be indicative of their welfare and may also be related to puppy welfare, Chapter 5 aimed to characterize maternal behaviors in a CBK (<i>n</i>= 12) and working dog population focused on detection work (<i>n</i>= 8). This study uncovered common maternal behaviors in each population, such as nursing and licking puppies. It also revealed that the behaviors observed were consistent with those reported for other dog populations, and found that factors such as day, time of day, litter size, and whelping type may influence their expression.</p><p dir="ltr">Overall, results from these studies suggest that there were no worrisome changes in dams’ welfare states throughout the peri-parturient period. Additionally, dams’ levels of fear and stress may affect potential indicators of their puppies’ welfare states, such as stress-related physiology, behavioral responses to stressors, and physical health. Findings highlight the importance of closely monitoring dams throughout the peri-parturient period for consistent displays of fear and stress, and abnormal behaviors. Doing so may not only affect dams’ welfare but that of their puppies as well. Further, the characterization and exploration of factors that may affect maternal care in various populations provides the basis for future work to explore maternal care as a mechanism behind the significant associations between dam and puppy welfare. The results also provide a foundation for breeders and caretakers to monitor maternal care, and make breeding selection and management interventions as needed to best support dam and puppy welfare. Altogether, findings from this research may have salient implications for dam’s welfare states throughout the peri-parturient period, and puppies’ welfare states while housed with their dams and into adulthood.</p>

Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) virus is an emerging pathogen that causes severe infections in humans. Infection risk areas are mostly defined based on the incidence of human cases, a method which does not work well in areas with sporadic TBE cases. Thus, sentinel animals may help to better estimate the existing risk. Serological tests should be thoroughly evaluated for this purpose. Here, we tested three test formats to assess the use of dogs as sentinel animals. A total of 208 dog sera from a known endemic area in Southern Germany were tested in an All-Species-ELISA and indirect immunofluorescence assays (IIFA), according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Sensitivity and specificity for both were determined in comparison to the micro-neutralization test (NT) results. Of all 208 samples, 22.1% tested positive in the micro-NT. A total of 18.3% of the samples showed characteristic fluorescence in the IIFA and were, thus, judged positive. In comparison to the micro-NT, a sensitivity of 78.3% and a specificity of 98.8% was obtained. In the ELISA, 19.2% of samples tested positive, with a sensitivity of 84.8% and a specificity of 99.4%. The ELISA is a highly specific test for TBE-antibody detection in dogs and should be well suited for acute diagnostics. However, due to deficits in sensitivity, it cannot replace the NT, at least for epidemiological studies. With even lower specificity and sensitivity, the same applies to IIFA.

Bakgrund Artros är en av de vanligaste ortopediska sjukdomar som drabbar hundar, &gt; 90 % av hundar över 5 år uppskattas ha sjukdomen. Målet med behandlingen är att hämma progression, minska smärta och bibehålla/öka livskvalitet. Det görs genom multimodal rehabilitering där fysioterapeutiska rehabiliteringsinsatser är en viktig del av behandlingen. Syfte Syftet var att kartlägga vilka rehabiliteringsmetoder som används som behandling vid artros hos hund på olika djurkliniker i Sverige. Vidare var det att kartlägga skillnader i vilka rehabiliteringsmetoder som används mellan kliniker, avseende hur ofta hundar med artros behandlas per månad och om legitimerad fysioterapeut jobbar eller inte.  Metod En kvantitativ deskriptiv tvärsnittsstudie genomfördes och data samlades in via en egenkonstruerad enkät. Totalt svarade 64 individer från ett urval av rehabiliteringskliniker, djursjukhus samt veterinärkliniker. Data analyserades deskriptivt och gruppjämförelser med Chi2-test. Signifikansnivån sattes till p ≤ 0,05.  Resultat Vanligaste rehabiliteringsmetoderna vid besök på klinikerna var fysisk träning och som hemgångsråd viktnedgång. Kliniker som behandlade fler hundar använde oftare hydroterapi medan kliniker som behandlade färre hundar använde oftare massage. Kliniker som hade legitimerad fysioterapeut använde mer hydroterapi, akupunktur, hemträningsprogram, passiva rehabiliteringsmetoder och aktivitetsanpassning. Kliniker utan legitimerad fysioterapeut remitterade oftare. Konklusion Aktuell studie kartlägger vilka rehabiliteringsmetoder som används vid artros hos hund på svenska kliniker. Valet av metoder skiljer sig mellan kliniker som har legitimerad fysioterapeut anställda och beroende på hur många hundar med artros som behandlas på kliniken. Detta tyder på att djurägare som söker vård kan få olika rehabiliteringsinsatser beroende på val av klinik. / Background Osteoarthritis is a common orthopedic disease affecting dogs, &gt; 90% over 5 years are estimated to have the disease. The treatment goal is to inhibit progression, reduce pain and maintain/increase quality of life. Treatment is often multimodal where physiotherapeutic rehabilitation is important.   Objective The aim was to investigate which rehabilitation methods that are used for dogs with osteoarthritis at animal clinics in Sweden. Further was to investigate differences between clinics regarding how often dogs with osteoarthritis are treated and if a licensed physiotherapist work or not.  Method A quantitative descriptive comparative cross-sectional study was conducted, data was collected through a self-constructed survey. Total 64 respondents answered who represent a selection of rehabilitation clinics, animal hospitals and veterinary clinics. Data was analyzed descriptive and group comparison with Chi2-test. Significance level was set to p ≤ 0,05.  Result The most common rehabilitation method used in clinic was physical exercise and weight loss as take-home advice. Clinics that treated more dogs used hydrotherapy more often while clinics that treated fewer dogs used massage more often. Clinics with licensed physiotherapists used more hydrotherapy, acupuncture, home-exercises, passive rehabilitation methods and activity-adjustment, while clinics without remitted more often.   Conclusion Current study maps rehabilitation methods used for osteoarthritis in dogs at Swedish clinics. The chosen methods differ between clinics with licensed physiotherapist and depending on how many dogs are treated at the clinic. This suggests that owners who seek care may receive different interventions depending on the choice of clinic.

The longstanding companionship between humans and pets, particularly cats and dogs, has evolved to the point where they are considered integral members of the family. However, despite their elevated status in our lives, the legal classi- fication of pets as objects remains prevalent in insurance law. There is a certain dichotomy between the objectification of pets and the strong animal protection system we have in Sweden, which places a particularly high value on animal welfare. Swedish law regulates animal cruelty, emphasizing both prevention and punishment. Furthermore, the Swedish Supreme Court recognizes the justifica- tion of receiving compensation exceeding an animal's economic value for its care, distinguishing pets from mere material possessions.  In Sweden, we have a high rate of insured pets, and pet insurance policies differ significantly from other types of insurance. This divergence presents challenges for consumers in comprehending the coverage provided. With the insurance comes both terms and conditions that tell you what is and isn’t cov- ered by the insurance. The insurance has certain limitations, and for the set price you get just a certain amount of coverage. In recent years, rising veterinary costs have contributed to increased pet insurance premiums, leaving consumers with questions about pricing structures. The complexity of pricing extends to veterinary clinics offering advanced care and insurance companies responsible for covering these expenses. However, the absence of legal price limitations hampers transparency and hinders consumer understanding. Customers strug- gle to ascertain veterinary costs in advance and often question the reasons be- hind specific pet insurance prices, necessitating clearer communication from insurance providers regarding coverage and significant limitations.  This study delves into the associated problems and proposes potential solu- tions. Despite improvements in clarity over the past decade, challenges persist regarding pricing and the correlation between price and coverage. The study reveals weaknesses in consumer protection within the realm of pet insurance, even though consumers typically warrant protection as contracting parties. Non-functioning contractual obligations hinder free competition in the market, despite its foundational principles in the insurance sector. According to a report by the Swedish Competition Agency, addressing the limited opportunities for consumers to switch insurance providers, given the exclusion of pre-existing conditions, would alleviate some issues. The resulting market inefficiency arises from the fact that switching companies leads to reduced coverage compared to staying with the same provider. Despite its foundational principles in the insur- ance sector, addressing the limited opportunities for consumers to switch insurance providers, given the exclusion of pre-existing conditions, would alleviate some issues, as highlighted in a report by the Swedish Competition Agency. The resulting market inefficiency arises from the fact that switching companies leads to reduced coverage compared to staying with the same provider.  Additionally, the paper explores the intricate nature of pet insurance, with its numerous distinctive features, emphasizing the need for changes in the best interests of consumers. Certain insurance companies have already begun em- bracing digitalisation, offering free veterinary consultations to alleviate the bur- den on physical animal care. However, further initiatives and legislative amendments are likely necessary to address the challenges comprehensively.

Humans and animals have a widely varying relationship which has been studied at length. Examining our interactions with animals in negative contexts can help us further understand the factors that’s influence the nature of the human-animal relationship, particularly with our most popular companion animals. This study continues the use of a jury design, previously used in studies regarding animal abuse, to examine responses to a scenario of an altercation resulting in a dog biting a person. In this study, 243 undergraduate students read the scenario presented to them and completed a survey examining their judgements of blame and punishment for the incident. In the interest of examining the effects of different variables, participants were randomly presented with 1 of 18 potential scenarios in which the role of the human in potentially provoking the dog, the breed of the dog involved, and the degree of damage inflicted were manipulated. Results showed an avoidance toward making any judgements on the dog’s disposition, neither positively nor negatively. Additionally, some gender differences were discovered in responses related to euthanasia, blame on the owner, and the promotion of an obedience training program. Surprisingly, degree of damage did not have significant effects on responses, while dog breed differences revealed that participants placed greater blame and responsibility on owners of Pit bulls rather than the dog itself, which is potentially explained by the sample’s age demographics. The manipulation of human provocation of the incident proved to have the most significant effect of participant responses of blame and punishment, affecting perceptions of blame attributed to the dog and the victim, as well as the punishments and protections deemed appropriate. The results suggest an emphasis on human component in the perceptions of the human-animal relationship and provide insight on the variables relevant to the relationship.

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