Changes in the relationships between dogs, owners and veterinarians in Norway and Iceland.

Norwegian and Icelandic dog owners were interviewed about aspects of their dog keeping and their attitudes to the veterinary profession. Dogs were found to play an important role in the lives of their owners, who had high expectations of their veterinarians, not only with respect to the treatment of their dogs but also with respect to themselves as clients. About one-third of owners reported problems related to a lack of trust and poor communications in encounters with their veterinarians.

Views on euthanasia and the rehoming of dogs in Norway and Iceland.

According to several previously published studies, large populations of dogs are sent to animal shelters in the UK and USA each year, and estimates indicate that a substantial percentage of the dogs in such shelters are euthanased annually. However, anecdotal evidence indicates a different situation in Norway and Iceland. This study explores the attitudes toward euthanasia of dogs in Norway and Iceland, and investigates the practice of rehoming of dogs in the two countries. A general reluctance toward euthanasia of dogs was expressed, and participants stressed the need to consider alternatives such as rehoming. Rehoming of dogs was found to be negligible in Norway relative to international trends, and less than 10 per cent of the dogs assigned for rehoming were euthanased. In Iceland, the rehoming of dogs is yet to reach levels that necessitate the setting up of animal shelters. There is, nevertheless, reason to continue to explore the attitudes toward euthanasia and rehoming of dogs in Norway and Iceland, because there is a lack of statistical data on the reasons behind the owners' decisions to give away or euthanase their dogs.

Diagnostic considerations of tongue-base malignancies.

Forty-two patients with malignancies localized to the base of the tongue were treated at Sahlgrenska Hospital between 1971 and 1980. These patients were re-analyzed with respect to symptomatology and clinical outcome. Pain in the mouth, throat, and ears as well as swallowing difficulties were the most frequent overt symptoms of disease. In general, patients experienced symptoms for at least 3 months before a positive tumor diagnosis was made. In all, 75% of the patients were found to have large tumors which extended beyond the base of the tongue. Most of the patients were treated with irradiation. The overall 3-year survival rate was 28%, while individual patient survival was related to the size of the primary tumor and to the occurrence of lymph node metastases. Careful attention to symptomatology may reduce delays in establishing an accurate diagnosis and consequently improve the prognosis for patients with these cancers.