'Battered pets': non-accidental physical injuries found in dogs and cats

Records of 243 cases of non-accidental injury (NAI) in dogs, and 182 cases in cats, submitted by a sample of small animal practitioners in the UK, rev ealed a wide range of injuries, These included bruises, fractures, repetiti ve injuries, burns and scalds, stab and incised wounds, poisoning, asphyxia tion and drowning (which showed remarkable similarities to NAI in children) , as well as sexual abuse and injuries specifically caused by firearms, Tra umatic skeletal injuries in the dogs were more commonly found in the anteri or part of the skeleton, in comparison with those resulting from road traff ic accidents. Young male dogs and young cats were particularly at risk of N AI, A moderately increased risk was identified in the Staffordshire bull te rrier, cross-breed dogs and the domestic shorthaired cat, whereas the Labra dor retriever showed a decreased risk. No single injury or group of injurie s, when divorced from the circumstances surrounding a suspect case, could b e considered to indicate, conclusively, NAI, Repetitive injuries, however, were highly suggestive of NAI.