Necropsy Flashcards
Necropsy
Exam of animal after its death to determine any disease that were present during life
Histopathology
Microscopic eval of tissue disease
Pathology
Study of disease
Lesion
Any abnormality of tissue
Pathogenesis
Sequence of events that leads to disease
Necropsy purpose (4)
- Determine the disease process or processes that led to the animals death
- Eval the accuracy of clinical diagnosis
- Eval the effectiveness or conseq of therapeutic measures
- Diag for herd health; prevention of herd disease
Effective necropsy
- Knowledge of anatomy
- Systematic eval
- Sample collection
- Hx of live animal and necropsy findings
- Images of findings
- Proper prep (shipping etc)
Collection of samples
- Histopath
- Cystology
- Microbio
- Bacteria
- Virus
- Fungal - Toxicology
- Parasitology
Collection of samples
Cult samples
intesintal eval
contact lab
- Preservation of & shipping od samples is essential
- Cult samples should be collected rapidly after necropsy
Biohazard concerns
- Large amounts of body fluids and blood
- Personnel should always consider biohaz to themselves and lab personnel
- rabies
- mycobacterium
- lepto
- aspergillosis - label all potential biohaz clearly!!
rabies, in the event…
- Head needs to be immediately submitted to the state diagnostic laboratory (within 24hrs of death) with appropriate forms
- Essential that the head be kept chilled, not frozen
- Necropsy on body should not be done until results in
- Techs should not preform decapitation of rabies sus unless trained!!
Toxicology
If suspected for poisoning…
Body preservation
- Should be preformed ASAP after death
- If delay, body should be refrigerated & rapidly cooled
- ASAP after death, tissue decay begins in delicate tissues
- If body is frozen then thawed,
Equipment
PPE
- PPE
- Apron or dispo gown
3.
Instruments
Sx
- Dispo: scalpels, scissors, forceps, bone cutters
Other
- Saws
- Necropsy knives
- Sharpeners
Necropsy Reports
- Signalments
- Hx
- Lesion descriptions
- Location
- Number
- Colo, size, shape
necropsy procedure
- external exam:
- Before dissection the external should be examined
- images as needed - internal
- must be systematic so no abnormalities are missed
+ thorax
+ abdomen
+ throat/mouth/nose
+ neurologic system
T/F: Intestinal tract can be opened at any time
False! It should be last
Formalin of samples
- Tissues should be <1cm thick for correct fixing
- Ample formalin must be used (10x vol tissue)
- Handled w gloves in a ventilated area
Internal exam
- midline incision of skin is made length o entire body
- limbs are reflected by cutting attachments
- Samples of joints, skin, lymphnodes, masses, testes, eyes, sciatic nerve and muscles are collected as indicated
- Abdominal wall muscles are reflected
ribs are cut along the costalchondral junction so that ribcage can be removed in one section
Thorax
inspect first
