title: Veterinary Forensic Pathology: Drowning and Bodies Recovered From Water.
abstract: Determining the cause of death in animals recovered from bodies of water, swimming pools, or other water-containing vessels is challenging. Animals recovered from water may or may not have drowned. The diagnosis of drowning is usually one of exclusion, requiring information from the crime scene, recovery scene, the medical history or reliable witness accounts. While there are characteristic macroscopic and microscopic lesions of drowning, none are specific and are dependent on the volume and tonicity of the drowning medium. Beyond interpreting the postmortem findings, the court may ask pathologists to comment on the behavioral and welfare implications of drowning. This requires an understanding of the drowning process, which is a complex series of sequential, concurrent, and overlapping cardiorespiratory reflexes, electrolyte and blood gas abnormalities, aspiration, physical exhaustion, and breathlessness eventually culminating in death. This review addresses the mechanisms, lesions, and diagnostic issues associated with drowning in nonaquatic companion animals.
authors.affiliation: Animal Health Laboratory, Laboratory Services Division, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada bmcewen@uoguelph.ca.
authors.forename: B J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: McEwen
authors.affiliation: Antech Diagnostics, Hunt Valley, MD, USA.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gerdin
mesh_terms: D000827:Animal Welfare; D000818:Animals; D002423:Cause of Death; D004332:Drowning / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D049429:Forensic Pathology / Q000379:methods; D007101:Immersion; D010341:Pathology, Veterinary / Q000379:methods
keywords: accidents; animal welfare; anoxia; asphyxia; aspiration; drowning; forensic pathology; veterinary