What is forensic veterinary medicine? Its relevance to the modern exotic animal practice

There has been an exponential increase in litigation relating to birds and other exotic species over the past few years. Legal cases mainly concern such issues as provenance, aging and parentage, causes of death, and hearth and welfare. Protected species are often involved. Forensic veterinary medicine can be defined as the application of veterinary knowledge to the purpose of the law: it can also be relevant to insurance claims and allegations of professional misconduct. Certain aspects of forensic work are the responsibility of the specialist pathologist, toxicologist, or DNA technologist, but veterinary practitioners also need to have some familiarity with the subject. Important requirements summarized in this article and discussed in detail elsewhere in this issue are the use of standard techniques, meticulous investigations, proper labeling and storage of samples, and detailed record keeping. Forensic work offers a challenge to practicing veterinarians and is particularly relevant to those who work with exotic species. Copyright (C) 1998 by W. B. Saunders Company.