BATTERED CHILD SYNDROME – SIMILAR SYMPTOMES FOR A BATTERED DOG?

Diagnosis
Battered child syndrome is most often diagnosed by an emergency room physician or pediatrician, or by teachers or social workers.

Physical examination will detect injuries such as bruises, burns, swelling, retinal hemorrhages (bleeding in the back of the eye), internal damage such as bleeding or rupture of an organ, fractures of long bones ore spiral-type fractures that result from twisting, and fractured ribs or skull. X rays , and other imaging techniques, such as MRI or scans, may confirm or reveal other internal injuries.

The presence of injuries at different stages of healing (i.e., having occurred at different times) is nearly always indicative of BCS.

Establishing the diagnosis is often hindered by the excessive cautiousness of caregivers or by actual concealment of the true origin of the child’s injuries, as a result of fear, shame and avoidance or denial mechanisms

SIMILAR SYMPTOMES FOR A BATTERED DOG  

Animal Abuse and Unlawful Killing is the essential definitive reference text for veterinary and legal professionals engaged in forensic cases involving animals and the source of reference for others who wish to understand the issues surrounding animal abuse cases.
Covers all aspects of the forensic post-mortem including cause and time of death Features the fundamentals of abuse and neglect and allows rapid access to descriptions of different types of injuries and gives essential guidance on their interpretation.
Helen M.C. Munro
Royal School of Veterinary Studies, Edinburgh, UK.