Thanatognomonic substantiation of the forensic veterinary diagnosis in the death of dogs and cats due to haemodynamic disorders and hypoxaemia

Abstract

At present, there are no legally consolidated, regulated procedures for conducting forensic veterinary examination of animal cadavers in Ukraine, which makes it difficult for law enforcement agencies to objectively qualify forms of administrative and criminal offences within the framework of pre-trial investigations. Therefore, scientifically sound research results in the field of animal treatment are of particular relevance. The purpose of this study was to substantiate the cause-and-effect relationships in the genesis of violent death of animals caused by mechanical injuries, thermal trauma, and mechanical asphyxiation with the identification of thanatognomonic patterns according to a two-level system of evidence. Methods of comprehensive forensic veterinary examination of animal cadavers were employed, followed by logical and epistemological processing of the results. It was argued that the main links of thanatogenesis in the case of death of animals from these species are irreversible haemodynamic disorders and acute hypoxemia. Based on this approach, an estimate of the area of pathological damage to internal organs incompatible with life is proposed, followed by an “expert hypothesis” regarding the determining cause of the animal’s death. The morphological positions of the forensic veterinary diagnosis in the form of thanatognomonic positions inherent in a certain subspecies of violent animal death were distinguished by two levels of evidence and their criterion informativeness was proved. Patterns of rapid death of animals of the first level of evidence common to the fatal consequences of mechanical and thermal trauma and mechanical asphyxiation were established: “asphyxiated heart”, congestive venous hyperaemia of internal organs, Tardieu’s spots, alveolar emphysema of the lungs. Patterns of the second level of evidence were selectively randomised and their species specificity was presented. The circumstances under which animals suffer fatal mechanical and thermal injuries and asphyxiation were detailed, and the mechanisms of death were substantiated. The study focused on the specific features of argumentation in concluding the necessary direct causal link between the genesis of violent death and the cause of death. The findings obtained following the standard of evidentiality “study of the object of forensic veterinary examination at different morphological levels” are recommended for implementation in the practice of forensic veterinary examination of animal cadavers