Forensic evaluation of tail-bite wounds in pigs in Denmark

Abstract

In Denmark, 32% of forensic porcine cases are due to skin lesions of which 8.1% are located at the tail. We investigated 67 pigs that had been delivered to an abattoir with tail-bite wounds considered to be a violation of the law and consequently submitted for forensic examination. The objective was to scrutinize if gross morphological characteristics could be used to allocate tails into four severity groups reflecting the degree of underlying pathology. The group allocation was based on the length and thickness of the tails: (A) almost total lack of tail; (B) short (<6 cm) and thickened tail; (C) long (>6 cm) and thickened tail; and (D) tail with no or minimal thickening. Selected tails were also examined histopathologically and radiologically in order to evaluate the impact of the three methods on the evaluation. Underlying pathological manifestations were similar in almost all tails, although there was a substantial difference in the extent of proliferative changes. In all tails, chronic changes including formation of granulation tissue were seen. Lesions that were not identified grossly (eg, osteomyelitis) were more often diagnosed radiologically, while soft tissue proliferation was more often disclosed histologically. Therefore, all three methods should be applied when performing a forensic evaluation of porcine tail-bite wounds.