When a dog or cat is found dead or dying on the side of the road, many people assume the animal was hit by a vehicle. Without investigating, however, there is no way to really determine the cause of death or injury.

Learning what really happened to these animals and bringing justice to possible animal abusers is a focus of Adam Stern, D.V.M., a forensic pathologist in the UF College of Veterinary Medicine. Two new programs Stern started last year aim to do just that.

Stern’s “A Dog Has No Name” and “A Cat Has No Name” projects are collaborations with law enforcement authorities and forensic specialists at the UF Maples Center for Forensic Medicine to provide a way to identify and document the deaths of unclaimed dogs and cats. If a questionable animal death is suspected, cases findings are provided to the appropriate authorities, with the goal of prosecuting animal abuse perpetrators and bringing justice to the animals that were harmed.

“I’ve seen maybe a half-dozen cases where others have actually seen people dump dogs on the side of the road,” Stern said. “Some of them were abused. But no one really knows unless we look at them.”

With the recent COVID-19 pandemic, some areas have seen an increase in dumped animals, both alive and deceased, he added.

Stern examines unowned animals brought to the UF Small Animal Hospital that are either dead or needing to be euthanized. Anatomic pathology residents assist Stern, simultaneously learning how to perform forensic autopsies, and in some cases, other services, such as diagnostic imaging.

Underused techniques such as postmortem CT scans and even serology can be used to assess the possible presence of infectious diseases and could help correlate autopsy findings, he added.

“These animals all have an identity, and the premise behind this program and having it as a part of the forensic pathology service is that if we do find a case in which we strongly suspect animal abuse, the evidence will have been collected and can be used in a potential prosecution,” Stern said.

In addition to cases from the small animal hospital, Stern has also received animals from law enforcement or animal control services around Florida. To date, more than 100 dogs and cats have been examined, some from as far away as California.

These services are provided free of charge as the programs rely on financial support from donors to cover costs.