Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
'Battered pets': features that raise suspicion of non-accidental injury.
- Journal:
- The Journal of small animal practice
- Year:
- 2001
- Authors:
- Munro, H M & Thrusfield, M V
- Affiliation:
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Studies · United Kingdom
Plain-English summary
A study looked at how veterinarians in the UK recognize cases of non-accidental injury (NAI), which means injuries that are not caused by accidents but rather by abuse. Out of 404 veterinarians who responded to a survey, a large majority acknowledged that they had seen or suspected NAI in pets. The study documented 448 cases, mostly involving dogs and cats. Factors that helped veterinarians identify these cases included the behavior of the pet and owner, the type of injuries, and the background of the owners. The findings also noted instances of sexual abuse and cases where a caregiver might be harming a pet to gain attention, known as Munchausen syndrome by proxy.
Abstract
A study of veterinarians' perceptions, and experience, of non-accidental injury (NAI) to pets was undertaken using an anonymous questionnaire distributed to a random sample of 1000 small animal practitioners in the UK. NAI was acknowledged by 91.3 per cent (95 per cent confidence interval, 88.2 to 93.9 per cent) of the 404 respondents who returned questionnaires, of whom 48.3 per cent (95 per cent confidence interval, 43.4 to 53.1 per cent) had either suspected or seen NAI. Four hundred and forty-eight cases were documented, predominantly in dogs (243) and cats (182). Factors either raising suspicion, or facilitating recognition, of NAI included: implication of a particular person, features of the history, referral agency involvement, behaviour of the owner and/or the animal, nature of the injuries, and socioeconomic class of owners. Additionally, sexual abuse and suspected cases of Munchausen syndrome by proxy were recorded.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11380013/