VMD 511: Animal Welfare, Ethics and Jurisprudence (2+0)

PM – artifacts Classification

PM ARTIFCATS - CLASSIFICATION

• Putrefication
• Environmental artifacts
• Burning
• Corrosion
• Maceration
• Third party artifacts
• Animals, birds, insects, maggots etc.
• Emergency treatment just prior to death and after death
• Deliberate mutilation
• Miscellaneous artifacts

Putrefaction: kept under sunlight < 2 hour - severe decomposition takes place.

• Example
  • Distension of abdomen, and thorax
  • Profusion of tongue
  • Buldging of eye balls.
  • Swelling of lips, nose, eyelids, vulvar lips, udder etc.
  • Presence of sero sanguineous fluid in and around.
  • Mouth, nose, vulvar opening etc.
  • PM – vomition of ruminal contents
  • PM – defecation and urination

Environmental artifacts

• Postmortem burning: unusual places affected, no tissue reaction.
• Post – mortem corrosion: Acids, caustic soda, industrial effluent etc. and seen on body surface touching ground.
• PM – maceration: Prolonged physical contact of the body parts and bones with water, mud, etc.

Third party artifacts

• Birds ants, flies, etc - Ears, eyes, nose, mouth, anus, vulva, udder.
  • Example
    • Haematoma around jugular vein, sub-cutaneous fluid accumulation at the sites of injection, laceration and obstetrical handling marks in urogenital tract, rumen puncture wound etc. are some of the marks left after emergency treatment.
• Deliberate mutilation of body – to mask the identify of the animal.
  • Example
    • Cutting ear bearing tattoo mark / tag.
    • Cutting of tail.
    • Damage of scar mark etc.

Miscellaneous

• Dragging marks on the lower surface of the body.
• Rope marks on the fetlock region around horns, neck etc.