Top Veterinary Schools Teach Students How to Spot and Report Abuse

It’s anticipated that at some point in their career, as many as 90% of all veterinarians in Canada will treat patients that bear the signs of animal cruelty or neglect. Across North America, those numbers may be greater. So, it was with this statistic in mind that the country’s oldest and most esteemed veterinary college – Guelph’s Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) – decided to better equip graduating students when it came to identifying and reporting signs of abuse.

The program is called Forensic Science, and it’s offered to fourth-year students as an elective that builds on their previously learned skills – anatomy, pathology and behavior. And it does more than just help them recognize the telltale signs of an abusive situation.

Throughout the week-long rotation, students learn how to spot non-accidental injury, animal hoarding, puppy mills, and even animal fighting or sexual abuse. In addition to identifying the signs of this type of crime, including crime scene investigation, examination of animal remains, evidence collection and preservation, they learn how to clearly and professionally document what they see, as well as the legal system surrounding these types of cases and how to deliver expert testimony.

Dr. Shane Bateman, an OVC professor in emergency and critical care medicine, comments,"Our patients don't speak. We can't ask them what's happened to them. So, we rely very much on what a client is telling us." However, what the vet is being told by an owner versus what the physical or emotional state of the animal tells them can differ greatly – especially when cruelty is in play.

The challenge to date has been that not all veterinarians have the skillset needed to diagnose an abusive situation. And that means many lack the confidence needed to officially report what they may consider suspicious.

However, while routine visits can often miss signs of neglect, once trained to spot irregularities and red flags, the guesswork is eliminated, and vets can take appropriate measures.

Per Dr. Jill Kirk, chief veterinary officer for the Ontario SPCA and Humane Society, "It's not our job as veterinarians to prove that abuse or neglect exists. It's our job to report it." And in Ontario, reporting suspected cases of animal abuse goes to the Provincial Animal Welfare Services (PAWS), a government agency that falls under the Ontario Ministry of the Solicitor General.

At the University of Florida’s Veterinary Forensic Sciences Laboratory, virtual talks are conducted by veterinary forensic specialists from a range of universities, agencies, and private practices that are open to veterinary and law students. While not as hands-on as the OVC training, the knowledge opens the door to a wider audience who are keen to learn more and gain expertise in an area that, to date, has been sorely lacking.