Post-mortem Changes

Question 1

Autolysis

Answer 1

-self decomposition
>animal dies and begins to decompose

Question 2

How to tell apart necrosis vs autolysis?

Answer 2

-looking for inflammation which would indicate necrosis, otherwise would predict autolysis

Question 3

Rigor mortis

Answer 3

-animal becomes fixed after death
**if you flex animal, rigor mortis will go away.
>pigs: malignant hypothermia- pig will be completely stiff and flexion will not go away

Question 4

Livor mortis

Answer 4

-blood pooling after the death of an animal. Gravity pulls it towards whatever side is down

Question 5

Post mortem clots

Answer 5

-animal blood should clot post mortem
>chicken fat clots: yellow and red
»red cells sediment out quickly and parts without red cells are slower. Normal in horses, not normal in other animals.

Question 6

Imbibition

Answer 6

• Bits of the body are stained by something else
• Ex. heart valve typically pale. If RBCs are lysed, they will stain the valve and it will appear red
• **no significance

Question 7

How to tell apart imbibition and lesion?

Answer 7

-hemorrhage -will take up place (jelly stuck to the wall)
-imbibition- just a colour change (paint on a wall)

Question 8

Pseudomelanosis

Answer 8

-melanin pigmentation occurring because of bacterial interactions with tissue post mortem
**no significance

Question 9

Bloating

Answer 9

-bacteria within the animals,
-during post mortem, bacteria release gas and appear bloated
**insignificant