Cruelty toward Dogs and Cats in the Republic of Serbia during a 10-Year Period
Jelena Aleksic Radojkovic,
Vladimir Nesic,
Anja Ilic Bozovic,
Darko Davitkov,
Milos Djuric,
Vanja Krstic,
Dajana Davitkov
Affiliations
Jelena Aleksic Radojkovic
Department of Forensic Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Belgrade, Bulevar oslobodjenja 18, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Vladimir Nesic
Department of Forensic Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Belgrade, Bulevar oslobodjenja 18, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Anja Ilic Bozovic
Department of Equine, Small Animal, Poultry and Wild Animal Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Belgrade, Bulevar oslobodjenja 18, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Darko Davitkov
Department of Equine, Small Animal, Poultry and Wild Animal Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Belgrade, Bulevar oslobodjenja 18, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Milos Djuric
Department of Equine, Small Animal, Poultry and Wild Animal Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Belgrade, Bulevar oslobodjenja 18, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Vanja Krstic
Department of Equine, Small Animal, Poultry and Wild Animal Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Belgrade, Bulevar oslobodjenja 18, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Dajana Davitkov
Department of Forensic Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Belgrade, Bulevar oslobodjenja 18, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
The aim of the study was to point out the importance of recognizing non-accidental injuries (NAI) and to highlight the importance of reporting such cases, as well as prosecuting the perpetrators, in order to detect potentially existing violence or prevent future violence in society. A total of 338 dogs and 54 cats were submitted for necropsy. Out of 338 dogs examined, 175 (51.8%) died due to non-natural cause of death, 122 from natural causes (36.1%), and 35 (10.3%) due to accidental injuries, and in 6 cases (1.8%) the cause and manner of death were undetermined due to advanced post-mortal changes. Out of 54 examined cats, 21 died due to non-natural causes (38.9%) and the same number of cats died due to natural causes. The prevalence of accidental injuries resulting in death were 20.4% (n = 11) and in 1.8% (n = 1) the manner of death remained indeterminate. The high number of animals confirmed to have died from unnatural causes in this study highlights the need for greater involvement from the police, prosecution, and society as a whole to reduce the number of violent animal deaths in the future.
