The Veterinarian’s Role in Small Animal Cruelty

Presented byShirene Cece DVM

Michigan Humane Society Detroit Center for Animal Care

7401 Chrysler DriveDetroit, Michigan

48211

• "Anyone who has accustomed himself to regard the life of any living creature as worthless is in danger of arriving also at the idea of worthless human lives."

• - Albert Schweitzer, Humanitarian

• cru·el         ˈkru əl/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[kroo-uh l] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation

• –adjective, -er, -est. 1.willfully or knowingly causing pain or distress to others.

State Cruelty Laws Vary

• New York-” A person is guilty of aggravated cruelty to animals when with no justifiable purpose, he or she intentionally kill or intentionally causes serious physical injury to a companion animal with aggravated cruelty ( conduct which is intended to cause extreme physical pain or is carried out in an especially depraved or sadistic manner)

Michigan’s cruelty laws• [A] … person having the charge or custody• of an animal shall not do any of the following: (a)• Fail to provide an animal with adequate care. (b)• Cruelly drive, work, or beat an animal, or cause• an animal to be cruelly driven, worked, or beaten.• (c) Carry or cause to be carried in or upon a• vehicle or otherwise any live animal having the• feet or legs tied together…. (d) Carry or cause to• be carried a live animal in or upon a vehicle or• otherwise without providing a secure space, rack,• car, crate, or cage….

Michigan’s Cruelty Laws• (e) Abandon an animal or• cause an animal to be abandoned … without• making provisions for the animal’s adequate• care…. (f) Willfully or negligently allow any animal• … to suffer unnecessary neglect, torture, or• pain. (g) Tether a dog unless the tether is at least• 3 times the length of the dog as measured from• the tip of its nose to the base of its tail and is• attached to a harness or non-choke collar• designed for tethering• It is important for veterinarians to be familiar with their state

laws

Pet-abuse.com

• ://www.pet-abuse.com• Voluntary reporting of cases• Interactive map of cruelty cases• Search for current cruelty cases which give an

accused, outcome and location

Why worry about Cruelty?

• Views regarding animal cruelty are changing; people are becoming more award of cruelty through the media

• Some states have mandatory reporting • It is the ethical duty of the veterinarian• There is a link between animal cruelty and

human violence

Animal Cruelty and human violence

• “Animal cruelty can be linked to the vast majority of serial killers, many habitual offenders, and most children and teens who kill” Joshua K. Marquis District Attorney (Oregon) Vice President NDAA

Examples of the link

• School shootings 1997-2001 MS,KY,AK,OR,GA,CA all these boys performed acts of cruelty on animals such as shooting dogs, burning cats, blowing up cows

• Boston Strangler killed 13 women, shot arrows into dogs and cats as a boy

• Ted Bundy killed 30 women, as a boy tortured animals

Examples of the link

• Jeffery Dahmer killed 17 people, as a boy he killed and impaled the heads of dogs and cats on sticks

• Dennis Rader, the BTK Killer Wichita KS, practiced killing animals before killing 10 people

Facts about Animal Abuse and Domestic ViolenceAmerican Humane

• 71% of pet-owning women entering women’s shelters reported that their batterer had injured, maimed , killed or threatened family pets for revenge or to psychologically control victims; 32% reported their children had hurt or killed animals

• Abusers kill, harm , or threaten children’s pets to coerce them into sexual abuse or to force them to remain silent about abuse. Disturbed children kill or harm animals to emulate their parents’ conduct, to prevent the abuser from killing the pet, or to take out their aggressions on another victim.

• Investigation of animal abuse is often the first point of social services intervention for a family in trouble

animal abusers were twice as likely to commit a violent offense such as assault or possession of a weapon

SOURCES: Becker, K. Journal of the American Academy

of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, July 2004;

• Supervisory Special agent Allen Brantley of the FBI was quoted as saying “Animal cruelty …is not a harmless venting of emotion in a healthy individual; this is a warning sign…”

Animal Abuse and Human ViolenceRandall Lockwood

• Lecture given in 2001 at the World Small Animal Veterinary Association World Congress in Vancouver

• Landau (1999) surveyed the deans of 31 American and Canadian schools of veterinary medicine

• 97% agreed that veterinarians would encounter instances of intentional animal abuse

• 63% agreed that veterinary professionals would encounter cases of animal cruelty associated with family violence

• 17% of deans reported that students are explicitly made aware of policies on responding to suspected abuse

• The average veterinary curriculum spends only 8 minutes on the issue of animal cruelty and human violence

• Many veterinary students feel that the issue is inadequately addressed in their training

• Sharpe(1999) survey of small animal practitioners estimated that the average practitioner saw 5.6 cases of animal abuse per 1,000 patients

• rural., urban or suburban• Only 8% of respondents felt that they had

received adequate training in general abuse

• No widely agreed upon standard for identifying an injury or condition in a veterinary patient as being the result of intentional abuse or extreme neglect (this is changing as evidenced by the new textbooks and on veterinary forensics)

• Veterinarians seem reluctant to believe that a client that who intentionally harmed an animal would seek medical attention

• Fear for safety, losing a client, reputation in the community, possible litigation

Other Veterinary Concerns

• Does the veterinarian feel confident regarding his/her ability to recognize cruelty?

• Does the veterinarian feel confident to write medicals, and perform necropsies?

• Does the veterinarian feel confident to testify in court?

• “One of the most dangerous things that can happen to a child is to kill or torture an animal and get away with it”             Margaret Mead 

Reporting Animal Cruelty

• Eleven states have laws that require veterinary reporting of cruelty and animal fighting

• Five states’ practice acts require that a veterinarian report animal cruelty and animal fighting

• Michigan has no law that requires reporting animal cruelty

Reporting Animal Cruelty

• AVMA states that the veterinarian has an ethical duty to report cases of animal cruelty and animal fighting

• Veterinarians in Michigan are protected from violating the confidentiality of a client if they report animal abuse or neglect by the confidentiality statute.

Roles that veterinarians may take in cruelty investigations

• Complainant• Interpret lab test• Answer the question “Is it cruelty?”• Perform necropsy• Perform examination and write medical• Testify in court• Visit locations• Education

Veterinary roles con’t

• Examination of a crime scene• Maintain the chain of custody of evidence• Advise on the care of any survivors• May provide medical care and housing for survivors• Advise the investigator and prosecutor• May do media interviews• Provide euthanasia for severely injured victims

Complainant

• Private veterinarian that may suspect abuse• May be a client that is involved• May be neighbor • May be a stranger

Reluctance to be complainant

• Affect on practice; possible negative media• What about personal safety• What time commitment is involved• What financial commitment• Concern about client confidentiality• Is there immunity from liability?• Is it easier just to look the other way?

Is it cruelty?

• Disease emaciation vs. starvation• Breed of dog or large animal variations in

body score• Length of time of disease or trauma induced

lesion

Animal risk factors

• Cats and dogs under 2 years of age• Pit bulls and related breeds• Male dogs more than females

Risk factors for NAIMunro and Thrusfield (2001)

• Vague explanation for injuries• Unable to explain injuries• Different stories, stories change• Multiple fractures of different ages in the same

animal• Multiple animals in the household injured • Repetitive history of accidents/deaths• Personal awareness of violence in the household

British Vet Pharmaceutical firm Intervet UK (2003)

• Conditions suggestive of animal abuse• Poor physical condition• Absence of food• Abandonment• Collar too tight• Lack of medical care• Excessive matting• Parasitic infestation• Lack of sanitation, presence or urine, feces• Presence of dead animals• Inadequate ventilation and lighting• Excessive numbers of animals, overcrowding

Signs suggestive of animal abuse con’t

• Owner lives in isolation• Physical injuries to animals such as bruising,

fractures, repetitive injuries, lesions, burns, gunshot wounds, malnourishment, untreated diseases, drowning, asphyxiation, evidence of animal fighting, bestiality or ritualistic sacrifice

• Owner unable to afford food both for themselves and their animals

• Owner unable or unwilling to tell how many animals he/she has

Interpreting tests

• Blood tests• X-Rays• Necropsies• Drugs or other objects found at the location

Necropsies

•May give clues to cause of death•May give clues to time of death•May help answer the question of whether or not it is a cruelty case.

Medical exams

• Consistent form• Identify the animal• Pictures are “worth a thousand words”• Photographs identify the victim and document

the victim’s physical condition

Testify in Court

• Why Veterinarians may be reluctant to testify– Court can be intimidating– Fear of the unknown– Fear of reprisal – Good preparation helpful

• Payment for testifying

Visiting locations

• Stables and barns• Collectors

Veterinarians involved in cases

• Private veterinarians• Shelter veterinarians• University pathologist

Aiding the Investigators

• Exam the animal early in the investigation• Attempt to determine length of time• Use language that the investigator

understands • Communicate both with the investigator and

the prosecutor • Offer referral to pathologist

Cruelty case categories

• Starvation/ emaciation• Traumatic injuries• Lack of medical treatment• Unsuitable living conditions• Dog fighting/ cock fighting

Inadequate food and water

Inadequate food and water or poor body weight

• Can be the result of an insufficient quantity of food

• Can be the result of an insufficient quality of food

• Can be the result of a medical condition

Starvation/emaciation

• What is the current weight of the dog?• What should a dog of that breed age and size

weigh?• What percentage is the dog underweight?• Are skeletal bones prominent?• Does the dog show muscle atrophy?

Starvation/emaciation con’t

• Is the dog weak or showing any other physical abnormalities due to its lack of weight?

• Does the dog have internal parasites?• Does the dog have other abnormalities not

related to its lack of weight?• Opinion as to cause of low weight

Starvation/emaciation con’t

• Approximately how long would it take for a dog to get to this state if started from a normal weight?

• Use a consistent scale such as the Tuft’s Animal Care and Condition scale (TACC)

Inadequate Food and Water or Low Body Weight

• If the animal is deceased and underweight do no assume that it died because nobody fed it– Request a necropsy ask the veterinarian tocheck for;

-internal body fat-food in the stomach-blockages-contents of the bowel and intestines

Follow up Medicals

• Usually done after 3 weeks or until a certain percentage of weight is gained

• How much weight has been gained and in what time frame

• Have other abnormalities improved?• Does the dog have the normal ability to gain

weight?

Traumatic Injuries

• Gunshot wounds• Embedded collars• Stabbing• Fractures• Blunt trauma• Throwing animal• Burning

Traumatic Injury Medicals

• Description of the wound including location, size and depth

• Length of time the wound has been present• Cause of the injury if possible• Did the injury cause suffering?• Was the injury evident?

Embedded Collars

• Take photos with the collar and without the collar off

• Note any odors associated with the injury• Describe the injury as you first saw it

Follow up Medical

• Description of the injury now• Has the wound/injury improved with proper

medical treatment?

Lack of medical attention

Lack of Medical

• Describe the medical condition• Estimate the length of time the condition has

been present• If describing a traumatic injury, what is its

most likely cause• Did the medical condition cause suffering?

Lack of Medical con’t

• Is the medical problem evident to a lay person?

• In the veterinarian’s opinion, was there any evidence that medical treatment was given?

Lack of Medical Follow up Medical

• Describe the medical problem now• Has the medical problem improved with

proper treatment?

Unsuitable Living Conditions

• Unsanitary conditions• Inadequate shelter• Stressful conditions such as overcrowding• Tethering improperly

Unsuitable Living Conditions

• Describe the conditions• Estimate how long these conditions have been

present• What physical or psychological problems have

or could result from these conditions• Are the animals suffering?

Follow up Medical Unsuitable Living Conditions

• What are the conditions now?• If the conditions have improved or the animals

have been removed, are their physical and /or psychological conditions improved?

Dog Fighting

• Describe the dogs and identify breed• Are the breeds a known fighting breed• Describe any wounds found on the dogs and

give opinion as to cause• Evaluate the temperament of the dog

especially as it relates to dog to dog aggression

Animal Hoarding

• More than the typical number of companion animals • Inability to provide even minimal standards of

nutrition, sanitation, shelter, and veterinary care, with this neglect often resulting in starvation, illness, and death

• Denial of the inability to provide this minimum care and the impact of that failure on the animals, the household, and human occupants of the dwelling

Veterinarians may know the hoarders

• As clients • As staff members or volunteers • As colleagues (HARC is aware of at least 5 full-blown

hoarding cases involving veterinarians in active clinical practice)

• Through their associations with rescue groups and shelters

• Through law enforcement when asked to evaluate animals

• As a participant in a rescue or rehabilitation effort

Signs of animal hoardingKeystone Veterinarian by Anne Irwin

• constantly changing parade of pets, most seen once and not again

• • visits for problems not usually seen in good preventive health care like trauma or infectious disease

• • rarely see the same animal for diseases of old age like cancer or heart disease

• • may travel great distances to the practice, come at odd hours and use multiple vets so as not to tip them off about the number of animals

• • may seek heroic and futile care for animals they have recently found

• being unwilling or unable to say how many animals they have

Miscellaneous

• Severe matting• Psychological cruelty• Maggot infestation

The future of animal cruelty

• Dr. Melinda Merck, the nation’s premier forensic veterinarian and animal CSI, at the wheel, the vehicle will be available to travel to assist national and local law enforcement in their efforts to build cases against and prosecute animal cruelty offenders:

Veterinary Forensics Seminar

• 1st Annual held in Florida Spring 2008• Veterinarians from around the world• Information on various forensics subjects

including entomology, blood spatters, stains, botanical evidence, gunshot wounds, clandestine grave site analysis

• Now a yearly seminar and organized group of forensic veterinarians that can share information

• University of Florida announced today that they are partnering with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to form the first Veterinary Forensic Sciences Program dedicated to the teaching, research and application of forensic science in the investigation and prosecution of crimes against animals. The program will handle cases from around the country — possibly up to 200 within the first two years — and provide consultancy and training (2009)

• The University of Florida is home to the new ASPCA Veterinary Forensic Sciences Program and Maddie's® Shelter Medicine Program at the College of Veterinary Medicine.  Together, these programs are advancing the science of cruelty investigation and emphasizing the vital role of the veterinarian and first responders in making successful cases.

Veterinary roles

• Participate in community response teams• Provide medical care for abused pets• Provide educational support for at risk youths

and convicted animal abusers• Be an expert witness• Assist shelters and ACO’s with investigations• Cross train to help humane and human

services better recognize animal abuse

Veterinary roles con’t

• Alert staff to be aware of family violence signs and provide appropriate resource materials

• discuss welfare concerns with clients• refer cases of abuse to appropriate

authorities

Mahatma Gandhi

• “the greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way it treats it animals”

Embedded Collars

• Take photos with the collar and without the collar off

• Note any odors associated with the injury• Describe the injury as you first saw it