So sorry for your bad experience and awful guests.
Going forward my advice would be to install CCTV or similar so you can ensure only guests who have booked stay at your place (human and animal).
You also need to ensure you send reminders of your check in process the day before check out and have someone at your place close to your check out time so guests can't overstay.
Yes guests can retaliate by leaving a bad review but that is not a reason not to pursue your claim/leave an honest review.
Good luck with your claim I would have also charged for additional cleaning needed.
Going forward I would also suggest you ask some vetting questions to try and ensure guests are a good fit for your property. You could only accept bookings from guests with positive reviews while you become familiar with Airbnb. Get them to confirm they have read your house rules; particularly around no pets, no extra guests not on the booking, no smoking etc