Abstract
Forensic veterinary medicine can be understood as the application of scientific knowledge related to animal health. In the event of death, whether natural, intentional, or due to negligence, thanatology is employed, a branch of pathology that deals with somatic death and postmortem changes. Identifying whether a injury was accidental or non-accidental, indicating abuse, requires the integrated analysis of all examination results, considering the context of the history, the incident scene, and the investigation conclusions resulting from veterinary medical examinations. In this context, the present report describes a case of forensic examination conducted by veterinarians in collaboration with the civil police, related to a mixed-breed dog suspected of being a victim of abuse. The owner suspected that the animal had been criminally incinerated. Throughout the comprehensive forensic examination, including a physical examination, virtopsy, and forensic necropsy, some suspicions were raised and ruled out. The complete evaluation of organs was hindered due to the advanced state of decomposition, but it was sufficient to rule out the possibility of the animal being incinerated. No signs of firearm shots, mechanical trauma, or evidence of burns were found. However, the detection of the toxic substance Aldicarb in the gastrointestinal tract suggests that the cause of death was exogenous intoxication. Therefore, the performance of the necropsy examination, even in corpses in an advanced state of autolysis, is crucial for investigating the circumstances of death and providing essential information in the elucidation of crimes.