Veterinary Forensic Pathology: Forensic Necropsy, Animal Cruelty Investigations and Applications in Animal Welfare
A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Veterinary Clinical Studies".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2026 | Viewed by 164
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Veterinary forensic pathology is a young and growing discipline within anatomic veterinary pathology that not only focuses on determining the causes of death but also the circumstances under which death has occurred with the goal to assist the courts in determining whether a crime has been committed or not. Law enforcement, animal control officers, lawyers, prosecutors and judges have often very little experience in processing cases of suspected animal cruelty, as the necessary medical expertise has mostly been unavailable to assist the process. Increasing numbers of anatomic pathologists and forensic veterinarians are seeking training and acquiring expertise is filling this gap to provide expertise and help the investigators.
The Special Issue, titled “Veterinary Forensic Pathology: Forensic Necropsy, Animal Cruelty Investigations and Applications in Animal Welfare”, seeks to advance the knowledge in animal forensics pathology. We encourage the submission of original studies, case reports, and comprehensive reviews addressing key dimensions of forensic veterinary pathology, structures around forensic necropsy and its assistance in the investigation of cruelty cases, novel diagnostic approaches and methods in forensic pathology.
In addition to applied research in veterinary forensic pathology, we strongly welcome contributions that focus on ancillary veterinary forensic disciplines including veterinary forensic radiology–toxicology–entomology–osteology and genetics.
Through this multidisciplinary collection, we aim to foster scientific innovation and improve the diagnostic ability of forensic pathology that can aid investigators and courts in the investigation and prosecution of animal cruelty.
Dr. Nanny Wenzlow
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- forensics
- veterinary pathology
- cruelty
- legal
- abuse
- forensic pathology
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
