Veterinary Forensics

Veterinary forensics is the intersection of veterinary medicine and the law. It takes the education and skills of veterinary medicine and applies it to answering legal questions.  

• What is animal abuse, cruelty, and neglect from a medical and a legal viewpoint and how do these differ?
• What are the signs and red flags for animal abuse, cruelty, and neglect?
• How are animal abuse cases adequately and correctly documented?
• What are the different organizational roles in an animal abuse case?
• How are animal abuse and interpersonal violence such as domestic violence, child abuse, and elder abuse connected?
• Who, if anyone, is a mandatory reporter of animal abuse in my state and what does this mean?

Any organization or business that comes into contact with animals might be witness to or have knowledge of animal abuse. This could include:

• Veterinary hospitals
• Animal shelters and rescue organizations
• Wildlife organizations
• Attorneys
• Law enforcement
• Code enforcement
• Firefighters
• Social workers
• In-home service providers

Woolf Veterinary Forensics Consulting, Inc.

Woolf Veterinary Forensics Consulting, Inc. is here to help. Many veterinarians learn little, if anything, about animal cruelty during veterinary school, and few states, if any, require education in animal abuse recognition, documentation, and evidence collection for their licensed veterinarians.  Without this, many veterinarians may be uncomfortable dealing with animal cruelty cases.  Unfortunately, this could lead to cases being missed or improperly handled.  We can provide education to help you and your organization better understand animal abuse, why it is important to society as a whole, how to recognize it, and how to document it.  We can also provide consultation on specific cases.  And if your organization does not have a veterinarian able or willing to investigate a potential abuse case or needs assistance with a large intake, we may be able to provide a veterinarian for that as well.  Please contact us to discuss your needs.

"Worth every penny."

-- Ben Winkleblack, Assistant to the Director, Oakland Animal Services

 "What a fantastic presentation!  Great information and handling of such a difficult subject.  You did an excellent job of covering so many bases and details. Thank you, this will be of great assistance to our officers, agencies and the animals in California."

 -- Jan Glick, Program Manager, CalAnimals, the California Animal Welfare Association

Click to play Dr. Woolf’s interview with the VIN Foundation:Veterinary Pulse podcast

For the full interview Click Here.