Page 560 - The Veterinary Laboratory and Field Manual 3rd Edition

Necropsy guidelines 497

In addition, the exact necropsy procedure comparison of organ weights, particularly heart
including the order in which organs are removed and liver, to the total body weight can pro-
and sampled will be governed by many factors. vide useful information about the size of these
In cases where a specific syndrome is suspected organs.
examination and sample collection can be
directed toward the organs or systems involved.
This of importance when investigating diarrheic 3 external examination
illness especially if moribund animals have been
euthanized specifically for necropsy. In these The necropsy should begin with a careful exami-
cases, it is imperative to remove and sample the nation of the external appearance of the animal.
GI tract as soon as the carcass is opened to pre- Proceed in a logical order to ensure nothing is
serve mucosal lesions which can be masked very missed or not examined. Particular areas to note
rapidly by autolysis. include the following.

Body condition
1 clinical history
• Semi-quantitative body condition scoring
A full history should be acquired from animal (that is, on a point scale out of five or nine)
husbandry personnel including: as performed in live animals is not validated
for post-mortem specimens, but body condi-
• number of sick/number of dead animals tion can still be estimated by palpation of the
(morbidity and mortality) ribs and bony prominences of the lumbar ver-
• species, age, sex of affected animals tebrae and pelvis (see section on estimating
• duration and nature of clinical signs nutritional condition).
• location of affected animals
• details of husbandry (feeding, housing, recent Hair coat and skin
movement and so on) particularly if any fac-
tors have recently changed. • What is the quality of the hair coat? Are there
any areas in which pigmentation is reduced?
All details should be included on submission Is the hair easily broken or epilated?
forms if samples are to be sent to a diagnos- • Are there any areas of hair loss? If yes, is
tic laboratory. This information is invaluable the hair completely absent (true alopecia) or
in helping lab personnel decide on appropriate have the hair shafts been broken (possible
testing and to understand your concerns and evidence of self-trauma, which may be indica-
questions as the submitter and ensure that these tive of pruritus)?
are addressed satisfactorily. • Skin should be pale pink: common abnormal
colours include red (haemorrhage, con-
gestion, inflammation), yellow (jaundice/
2 weigh the carcass icterus), black (hyperpigmentation/mela-
nocytic neoplasia), blue (cyanosis/vascular
If a scale is available this is a very useful piece malformation).
of information. Body weight can be compared • Are there any areas of surface exudate, ulcer-
to published normal values for the age and ation or trauma?
species of the animal in question. In addition, • Are any ectoparasites noted?

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