Event Date
Despite what many may believe, animal cruelty is not necessarily something you will recognize when you see it. Without training to better understand signs of potential abuse and how to document those signs, animal cruelty is likely to be missed by veterinarians. Furthermore, if you are uncertain what to do with a nagging feeling you may be looking at abuse, you are very unlikely to report it. In this lecture, Dr. Woolf will discuss the Link between animal abuse and other crimes, mandatory reporting, signs of various types of abuse and neglect, and how to document them.
Dr. Woolf is a veterinarian with a Master of Science degree concentrated in Veterinary Forensics. Over the years, she has worked in private practices and animal welfare organizations as well as owning her own relief veterinary services business for many years. In 2014 she founded Woolf Veterinary Forensics Consulting where she lectures internationally on animal abuse, the Link, and veterinary forensics, as well as investigating and consulting on individual cases. She also works for Veterinary Information Network (VIN). There, she works behind the scenes and upfront, including developing materials and webinars on animal abuse and veterinary forensics for VIN members, and writing articles for the public. Dr. Woolf has published numerous articles and a book chapter on animal cruelty topics and was a 2018-2019 Don Low-CVMA Practitioner Fellow at the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine in the Anatomic Pathology Department. Previously, she was an instructor in the University of Florida Veterinary Forensic Sciences Online Graduate Program.