Veterinary Forensic Pathology of Animal Sexual Abuse

Adam W. Stern · Martha Smith‐Blackmore

39 citations0/0 files storedVeterinary Pathology

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Animal Law and Welfare Veterinary Medicine and Surgery Child Abuse and Related Trauma

Abstract

Animal sexual abuse (ASA) involves harm inflicted on animals for the purposes of human sexual gratification and includes such terms as bestiality, zoophilia, zoosadism, animal sexual assault, and others. The prevalence of ASA is not known, although it may be more common than is currently perceived. Veterinarians have the skills required to identify and document cases of ASA. This article reviews the terminology, legal definitions and forms of ASA, and its social and psychological context. An investigative approach is outlined, including an alternate light source examination; collection of swabs for DNA analysis; sampling vaginal washes, rectal washes, and toenails for trace evidence and biologic analyses; radiographic studies; and a complete forensic necropsy, including histopathology. Gross lesions identified in ASA victims include injuries to the anus, rectum, penis, scrotum, nipples, and vagina; the presence of foreign bodies; and abrasions, bruising, and other evidence of nonaccidental injury. Specialized procedures, including examination using alternate light sources and screening tests to identify human seminal fluid within samples from ASA victims, are of potential value but have not been validated for use in animals.

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References

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2019Childhood and adolescent animal cruelty and subsequent interpersonal violence in adulthood: A review of the literature 2017Eternally Vulnerable: The Pathology of Abuse in Domestic Animals 2018The relations among animal abuse, psychological disorders, and crime: Implications for forensic assessment 2020Two case studies in veterinary forensic imaging and a brief literature review

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