Burn-, Electrical-, and Fire-Related Injuries

Thermal Injuries in Veterinary Forensic Pathology

“…Exposure to open fire may cause a wide distribution of separate burns where the fur acts as a wick for the fire to reach the skin. 45 …”

“…43 A deliberated infliction of thermal injuries on an animal has to be considered when the history mismatches with the actual circumstances at the scene of the accident and/or the pattern and location of lesions; for example, when a protected body area is damaged, an intentional injury is likely. 45 Intentional local dry heat injury also occurs in animals, such as hot branding of horses and cattle, resulting in third-degree burns. 4 …”

“…Because fur and skin may contain residues of fire accelerants, chemicals, or other offending substances, samples of swabs, hair, and skin should be taken close to the burnt area before cleaning the lesions (for further details, see section ''Smoke-and Gas-Associated and Toxicological Findings in Fire Victims''). 45 Soot is commonly found in fire victims on the mucous membranes of the oral and nasal cavities, the upper and lower respiratory tract, and after swallowing in the upper digestive tract and the stomach. With absorbent cotton stuffed into the mouth or larynx, contamination of soot particle droppings can be avoided.…”

“…41,43,45,48 The relationship of temperature and time is important because even relatively low temperatures may be harmful; for example, skin exposed to water of 44 C causes scalds after an exposure time of 6 hours. 48 It has been shown on shaved skin of guinea pigs and rats that contact to a heated iron item for 60 seconds results in transient erythema at 50 C and a crust at 55 C. At 60-65 C, the epidermis is easily separated from the dermis, and at [70][71][72][73][74][75][76][77][78][79][80] C, heat coagulation induces a stiff yellow eschar representing dead tissue that sheds or falls off of healthy skin.…”

“…20 Such heat sources include flames of open fires (eg, house, stable, zoo, laboratory, bush and grass, and vehicle fires; candles; fireplaces; burning cigarettes; and others), hot items (eg, hot stoves, electric heating pads, hotplate, electric irons, car engines, mufflers or heating pipes, and others), hot air (eg, hair dryer, clothes dryer), or radiant heat in form of a near-contact exposure (eg, overexposure to open fires, heat lamps, oven, radiators, sunlight, or artificial sun-lamps) with conversion of infrared frequencies into thermal heat at the skin surface. 12,41,43,56 Heat damage has to be differentiated from electrothermal and chemical burns (eg, unslaked lime), 20,43,45 radiation injuries, and mechanically induced lesions and alterations of nonphysicochemical origin.…”