Table Of ContentJason W. Brooks
Editor
Veterinary
Forensic
Pathology
Volume 2
Veterinary Forensic Pathology, Volume 2
Jason W. Brooks
Editor
Veterinary Forensic
Pathology, Volume 2
Editor
Jason W. Brooks
Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences
The Pennsylvania State University
University Park
Pennsylvania
USA
ISBN 978-3-319-67173-4 ISBN 978-3-319-67175-8 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-67175-8
Library of Congress Control Number: 2018930341
© Springer International Publishing AG 2018
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For my Family, and for those who cannot speak for themselves
Speravit anima mea…exaudi vocem meam
Preface
What is truth? This fundamental concept has inspired me since childhood.
The quest for truth has been a continual motivation through a lifelong jour-
ney in search of answers to questions that others would not ask. Truth, at
times, can be humbling, unwelcome, and disconcerting to the unprepared
mind. Truth can be foul and offensive, surprising and spectacular, dirty and
horrific, but it remains truth nonetheless. Both liberating and incriminating,
it cannot be defiled or adulterated. Truth is what is. This is its simple elegant
beauty.
Forensic pathology is, at its core, a quest for the discovery of truth. The
recognition and development of the subdiscipline of veterinary forensic
pathology within the broader field of veterinary pathology seemed almost an
impossibility only a decade ago. Yet today there is more interest and demand
than ever for such expertise, and requests for forensic necropsy are increasing
at an unprecedented rate. Yet, despite the apparent need and the interest of a
small passionate segment of veterinary pathologists, there is a paucity of
training courses and reference materials in the field. This textbook is an ear-
nest effort to not only fill the void in reference materials but also pioneer a
new era in veterinary medicine and pathology—an era in which the truth can
be brought to light through science, and the voices of the victims may finally
speak through those who understand.
I am proud to be breaking new ground with the publication of the first
textbook solely dedicated to veterinary forensic pathology. With expertise
ranging from animal fighting and hoarding to ballistics, toxicology, thanatol-
ogy, entomology, and a variety of traumatic injuries, this group of contribut-
ing authors represents a veritable force in the quest for truth through the
investigation of animal crimes. These contributors are among the most tal-
ented and seasoned experts in the discipline, and I am honored and humbled
to have each of them as a part of this team.
While no single resource alone can transform a professional into a compe-
tent veterinary forensic pathologist, this textbook will assist the properly
trained veterinary pathologist, forensic veterinarian, or other veterinary pro-
fessional as they attempt to interpret the tangled web of clues left among the
dead. It is my sincere hope that this textbook will serve as a useful and practi-
cal reference for the forensic necropsy of the many unfortunate animal
vii
viii Preface
victims and that within its pages will be found some wisdom that will aid in
the investigation and resolution of animal crimes.
The truth remains to be told to us if we are only wise enough to know how
to listen.
Quid est veritas?
University Park, PA, USA Jason W. Brooks
Contents
1 Drowning and Bodies Recovered from Water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Beverly J. McEwen and Jodie A. Gerdin
2 Thermal/Electrical Injuries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Tabitha C. Viner
3 Neglect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
N. Bradley-Siemens, A.I. Brower, and R. Reisman
4 Environmental Injuries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Doris M. Miller
5 Poisoning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Lisa A. Murphy and Rebecca Kagan
6 Anesthesia-Related Deaths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Josepha DeLay
7 Animal Fighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Rachel Touroo and Robert Reisman
8 Animal Sexual Abuse Investigations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Adam W. Stern
9 Ritualistic Animal Killing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Sean P. McDonough and Brian Holoyda
10 Writing the Necropsy Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Gregory J. Davis and Sean P. McDonough
11 Age Determination in Dogs and Cats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Lerah K. Sutton, Jason H. Byrd, and Jason W. Brooks
Index � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 165
ix
1
Drowning and Bodies Recovered
from Water
Beverly J. McEwen and Jodie A. Gerdin
1.1 Introduction entire body is under water, whereas immersion
refers to the body being partly covered with
Determining the cause of death in animals recov- water, although the airway must be immersed for
ered from bodies of water, swimming pools, or drowning to occur [8]. Terminology prior to 2002
other water-containing vessels is challenging. was confusing: “near-drowning” was used if the
The key question is “Was the animal alive when person survived even temporarily and “drown-
it entered the water?” [1]. Animals recovered ing” if it was fatal; both were then divided into
from water may had drowned, died from other those cases in which aspiration of water was
causes in water, died on land, and either have present or absent [7]. The following adjectives
fallen into water or have been disposed of in describing drowning outcomes are no longer
water (Fig. 1.1). Animals that have drowned may recommended: passive, silent, wet, dry, active,
be translocated to other sites, including land, by secondary drowning [7, 8] or near-drowning [9].
tides, currents, people, or other animals (Fig. 1.1). In 2002, the definitions of drowning and its pos-
Postmortem changes due to submersion, injuries, sible outcomes were decided by an international
or scavengers introduce artifacts and obscure group of experts: “Drowning is the process of
lesions. The diagnosis of drowning in animals experiencing respiratory impairment from sub-
and people is usually one of exclusion, requiring mersion/immersion in liquid” with outcomes of
information from the crime scene, recovery “death, morbidity or no morbidity” [7]. The
scene, the medical history, or reliable witness revised terminology is used in at least one review
accounts [2–5]. of canine drowning [10], and we recommend that
The definition and terminology associated it be adopted by veterinarians [11].
with drowning, as with other types of asphyxia, An estimated 388,000 people drown annually,
are varied [6, 7]. Submersion signifies that the and it is the third leading cause of accidental death
worldwide [12]. The frequency of drowning in
animals is unknown, although a website that tracks
B.J. McEwen, DVM, MSc, PhD, DACVP (*)
Animal Health Laboratory, Ontario Veterinary animal abuse (pet-abuse.com) listed 205 drowning
College, University of Guelph, 419 Gordon Street, cases out of 19,464 cases (1.05%) in its database
Building 89, Guelph, ON, Canada, N1G 2W1 (October 20, 2016). The accuracy of this statistic is
e-mail: [email protected]
not known as there is no mandatory reporting of
J.A. Gerdin, DVM, DACVP animal drowning or cruelty in most jurisdictions,
Antech Diagnostics, 9 Schilling Road, Suite 211,
although databases such as the newly implemented
Hunt Valley, MD 21031, USA
e-mail: [email protected] National Incident-Based Reporting System at the
© Springer International Publishing AG 2018 1
J.W. Brooks (ed.), Veterinary Forensic Pathology, Volume 2,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-67175-8_1
2 B.J. McEwen and J.A. Gerdin
Animal suspected of drowning Died from
accidental or non-
accidental injury
while in water
Was the animal alive Why did the animal not exit the Died due to natural
when it entered the water? Yes water? causes while in
Why did it not survive in the water? water
No
Survival
Fell into the water
Disposal after death
after death
Morbidity No morbidity
Death Disabled or
comatose
Fig. 1.1 Possible scenarios of bodies recovered from water
Federal Bureau of Investigation should provide review the mechanisms, lesions, and diagnostic
improved estimates [13]. issues associated with drowning in nonaquatic
The peer-reviewed veterinary literature on companion animals.
accidental and non-accidental drowning in ani-
mals is scarce [1, 10, 14–17], although the topic
is covered briefly in several veterinary forensic 1.2 The Process and Mechanism
textbooks [18–20]. Reports of accidental drown- of Drowning
ing in animals include situations involving elec-
trical shock, entrapment, entanglement, or The central mechanism of drowning is rapid and
victims with pre-existent medical conditions persistent hypoxemia following the introduction
such as ataxia and epilepsy [14, 21]. Experiments of liquid at the entrance of the airway [23, 25,
in which dogs or other animals were drowned to 34, 36–38]. The drowning process (Fig. 1.2),
determine physiological and biochemical reviewed extensively in the medical literature
responses to various volumes, temperatures, and [2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 36, 37, 39, 40], is largely based on
salinity of water or other liquids provide informa- experiments in dogs and incorporates behavioral
tion into the drowning process [22–35]. The lack and biological responses to drowning [23, 29, 30,
of consideration for the welfare of animals used 34, 38, 41]. This has been categorized into the
in these experiments, performed between five phases of drowning (Fig. 1.3) [42].
20–200 years ago, is disturbing. We recognize, The drowning process is complex, involv-
however, useful information can be gained from ing sequential and overlapping cardiorespiratory
these experiments and applied to veterinary reflexes, electrolyte and blood gas abnormalities,
forensic pathology for the benefit of animals aspiration and swallowing of liquid, vomition, strug-
today [1, 11]. The objective of this paper is to gling, involuntary movements, physical exhaustion,
