Practical veterinary forensics

General practitioner veterinarians often come into contact with the law in cases of animal cruelty, domestic animal and wildlife crimes, and human crimes with an animal element. An area of veterinary practice for which there is no formal training and few resources, this book provides practical information and training on how to operate within a crime scene and the tests that may need to be performed, including collecting evidence, preparing reports, and giving evidence in court as an expert witness. The book concentrates on the basic principles and background knowledge needed, including hair, DNA, blood, and bite mark analysis as well as an overview of firearms injury. It explores wider concepts such as the human-animal bond and one health, going on to give practical guidance and numerous case studies which bring the book to life and into the real world of the busy crime scene. Veterinarians often come into contact with the law in cases of animal cruelty, domestic animal and wildlife crimes, and human crimes with an animal element. This book provides practical information and training on how to operate within a crime scene. It covers the tests that may need to be carried out, collecting evidence, preparing reports and giving evidence in court as an expert witness. Concentrating on the basic principles and background knowledge needed, the book includes hair, blood and bite mark analysis as well as an overview of firearms injury. It explores wider concepts such as the human-animal bond and one health, going on to give practical guidance and numerous case studies, which bring the book to life and into the real world of the busy crime scene. Practical Veterinary Forensics is an indispensable guide to all veterinarians working in cases of animal cruelty, abuse and crimes against animals. It is essential for welfare organizations, animal shelters and those requiring an introduction to veterinary forensic science. Content: Introduction : what is veterinary forensics? / David Bailey -- Forensic philosophy / Karl Harrison and David Bailey -- Law and animals / Deborah Rook and Pippa Swann -- Forensic science and applications to one health / Lloyd Reeve-Johnson and David Bailey -- Evidence collection and gathering : the living evidence / David Bailey -- Forensic examination of animal hair / Claire Gwinnett -- Firearms and ballistics / Rachel Bolton-King and Johan Schulze -- Blood and blood pattern analysis / David Bailey -- Understanding the nature of documentary evidence / Nikolaos Kalantzis -- Forensic toxicology / Enest Rogers -- Bitemark analysis / David Bailey, Jenny Hamilton-Ible, Lucy Leicester, Louise Macleod and Adele Wharton -- Report writing / David Bailey -- The human-animal relationship / Pippa Swann. The book serves as a reference for the reader to appreciate the current workload of a forensic vet and to provide an insight into the scale and complexity of the specialism that is veterinary forensics. Topics discussed are: introduction to veterinary forensics; forensic philosophy; law and animals; forensic science and applications to One Health; evidence collection and gathering about the living evidence; forensic examination of animal hair; firearms and ballistics; blood and blood pattern analysis; understanding the nature of document evidence; forensic toxicology; bitemark analysis; report writing; and the human-animal interaction. This book is intended for veterinarians and students interested in the field of forensics Veterinarians often come into contact with the law in cases of animal cruelty, domestic animal and wildlife crimes, and human crimes with an animal element. This book provides practical training, covering how to operate in a crime scene, work with emergency service personnel, collect evidence, prepare reports and provide evidence in court.