{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,9]],"date-time":"2025-10-09T17:10:14Z","timestamp":1760029814688,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":16,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,19]],"date-time":"2025-03-19T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1742342400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Italian Ministry of Health","award":["RC IZS ME 05\/22"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["RC IZS ME 05\/22"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Animals"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The term \u201coverkilling\u201d in forensic medicine is not clearly defined and is used to refer to homicides involving unusually massive injuries, far exceeding those necessary to kill the victim. This is the clinical case of a dog found in February 2023 in a town near Naples, with a rope around its neck and the metacarpal region of its forelimbs. The dog was taken to the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno (IZSM, Portici, Southern Italy), where it underwent a total body radiographic study performed using the \u201cPhilosophy HF400\u201d X-ray device (Pan Vet, Kildare Town, Ireland). Subsequently, a full autopsy was performed, and samples of the injured organs were analyzed by accredited in-house laboratories for microbiological, histological and toxicological analyses. The autopsy revealed anatomopathological lesions compatible with strangulation, which were confirmed by histological examination. The autopsy also reported serosanguineous chest effusion, food material mixed with blackish microgranules and harmful substances in the stomach and, finally, uncoagulated blood in the atrioventricular chambers of the heart. These findings raised the suspicion of poisoning, which was confirmed by the positive outcome of toxicological tests.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ani15060884","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,20]],"date-time":"2025-03-20T09:17:39Z","timestamp":1742462259000},"page":"884","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Overkilling in a Dog: A Case Report"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0000-0585-8151","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Federica","family":"Pesce","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Animal Health, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno, 80055 Portici, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6267-5925","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Emanuela","family":"Sannino","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Animal Health, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno, 80055 Portici, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Enza","family":"Ragosta","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Animal Health, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno, 80055 Portici, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Laura","family":"Marigliano","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Chemistry, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno, 80055 Portici, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Giuseppe","family":"Picazio","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Chemistry, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno, 80055 Portici, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0558-0185","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mauro","family":"Esposito","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Chemistry, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno, 80055 Portici, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0000-7425-4589","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maria","family":"Dimatteo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Animal Health, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno, 80055 Portici, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Barbara","family":"Degli Uberti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Animal Health, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno, 80055 Portici, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Susanna","family":"De Luca","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Prevention Department Asl Napoli 3 Sud, 80053 Castellammare di Stabia, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Noemi","family":"Di Caprio","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Prevention Department Asl Napoli 3 Sud, 80053 Castellammare di Stabia, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Domenico","family":"Citarella","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Prevention Department Asl Napoli 3 Sud, 80053 Castellammare di Stabia, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Renato","family":"Pinto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Prevention Department Asl Napoli 3 Sud, 80053 Castellammare di Stabia, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3139-7672","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Giovanna","family":"Fusco","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Animal Health, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno, 80055 Portici, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7883-1283","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Esterina","family":"De Carlo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"National Reference Centre for Hygiene and Technologies of Water Buffalo Farming and Productions, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Mezzogiorno, 84131 Salerno, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6351-6168","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Gianluca","family":"Miletti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Animal Health, Istituto Zooprofilattico 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