ABSTRACT
Veterinary forensic radiology and imaging is a discipline of veterinary forensic medicine involved in the noninvasive acquisition and interpretation of radiographs and other imaging studies for legal documentation and use by the courts. The application of veterinary radiology and imaging to the law may include documentation of the health of an insured animal, determination of the appropriateness of veterinary medical treatment, cause of death determinations, and the investigation of animal abuse and neglect. The veterinary forensic radiology and imaging report will often include a “Summary” section, which answers specific questions for the court, clarifies medical terminology, or provides references. Postmortem individual animal identification is commonly performed in veterinary forensic radiology and imaging. Some skeletal features of the skull, spine, long bones, or thoracic cavity can indicate a general breed or body type, such as brachycephalic and chondrodystrophic dogs and brachycephalic cats.
