Veterinary Forensic Pathology, Volume 2 PDF
Preview Veterinary Forensic Pathology, Volume 2
Jason 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 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Printed on acid-free paper This Springer imprint is published by Springer Nature The registered company is Springer International Publishing AG The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland 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,
The list of books you might like
