Forensic veterinary diagnosis of systemic hemostatic disorders and sudden death in cats and dogs: Thanatogenetic aspect of critical conditions

During the forensic veterinary examination of corpses of dogs and cats that died suddenly due to myocardial dystrophy, in refractory critical conditions, and as a result of systemic coagulopathy, Simpson's principle and Sutton's rule were adapted in compliance with the standard of "object examination at different structural levels" of evidence-based veterinary medicine. The corresponding thanatogenetic models were experimentally, clinically, and laboratory-instrumentally substantiated. To achieve the research goal, the corpses of dogs and cats of various ages were grouped into cohorts, and autopsy, laboratory-instrumental, and philosophical-gnoseological research methods were applied. It was proven that among the morphological criteria determining the cause of death in animals, it is advisable to distinguish specific patterns, which are reflected when substantiating a forensic veterinary diagnosis. It was shown that in cases of "acute cardiac death" in animals, myocardial fiber contracture deformation, hemocapillary hyperemia, erythrocyte stasis, vascular spasm, and plasma imbibition of the walls of microcirculatory vessels in the myocardium were observed. Together, these can be considered morphological criteria for cardiac death resulting from chronic heart hypoxia. It was argued that in cases of systemic coagulopathy, animal death occurs directly as a result of hemorrhagic hypovolemia against the background of distributive shock, which is confirmed by Minakov's sign. It was proven that the micromorphological patterns of sepsis are focal lesions of the microcirculatory vessels of the kidneys, providing diagnostically informative morphological criteria for the probability of a systemic inflammatory response. It was argued that the application of clinical logic concepts narrows the differential diagnostic scope in cases of death due to refractory terminal conditions. Future research prospects include a comprehensive forensic veterinary assessment of the diagnostic informativeness of biotransformation phenomena in dog and cat corpses in various conditions.