Forensic veterinary diagnosis of dog’s fatal poisoning with anticoagulant rodenticide – bromadiolone

Abstract

One of the objects of the forensic veterinary examination is the animal’s corpses, the death of which occurred suddenly, or from violent actions, including cruel treatment. A variation of the manifestation of cruelty to animals is their deliberate poisoning. Among the wide variety of toxic substances, pesticides, including rodenticides, occupy a significant place. The aim of the study was to develop an algorithm for forensic veterinary diagnostics and evaluation of dog corpses in case of their sudden death from poisoning with anticoagulant rodenticide – bromadiolone. The objects of the study were the seven dog’s corpses, on which a forensic veterinary examination was carried out for the period from 2010 to 2021 with a clinical diagnosis of acute poisoning with lethal fleeting consequences from poisoning with anticoagulant rodenticide – bromadiolone, established during life. The article shows that the general algorithm for the forensic veterinary examination of the corpse of an animal whose death occurred from poisoning includes the following steps: establishing a list of objects provided for research and information about their condition, conditions for conducting forensic veterinary research, applied methods of studies, their registration numbers (if any); study of the case and the animal’s death anamnesis circumstances; study of veterinary documents and individual case materials related to the examination or provided to the expert additionally at his request; forensic veterinary examination of an animal corpse; study of registration data; external examination of the corpse of an animal; internal examination of an animal corpse; additional studies of the corpse: chemical-toxicological, histological (cytological), microbiological, etc.; forensic veterinary diagnosis; synthesizing research; formulation of conclusions (results); formulation an expert opinion. The forensic veterinary diagnosis, established on the basis of the results of a forensic veterinary examination of the corpses of the dogs under examination, is formulated according to the established rubric structure: the main nosologicalunit and its fatal complication(internal bleeding – hematoperitoneum, hemothorax, bilateral pulmonary edema); accompanying nosological units (acute hemorrhagic gastroenterocolitis, acute hemorrhagic endocarditis, general anemia, congestive venous hyperemia of the kidneys, liver and spleen); background nosological units (undifferentiated hepatopathy and nephropathy, chronic pancreatitis, polyarthritis). The positions of the formulated forensic veterinary diagnosis indicate that they are generally characteristic of acute poisoning. The cytogram data analyzed in the article coincide with the data obtained during the forensic veterinary autopsy of animal corpses, indicating that the poison, from which the death of the dogs under examination occurred, belongs to the group of hemolytic toxins. A chemical-toxicological investigation of the contents of the stomach of the corpses of the dogs under expert identified the poisonous substance of the second generation of rodenticides – bromadiolone at a concentration of 10 mg/kg. A complex of investigations has proved that there is a direct necessary causal relationship between the dog’s death and the nature of the poisoning. Key words: forensic veterinary examination, animals, intoxication, poisonous substances, autopsy, chemical and toxicological research, algorithm.