Necropsy is the systematic dissection and examination of an animal carcass to search for abnormal anatomical changes (lesions) in tissues. In veterinary practice, it is used to confirm a previously diagnosed condition and/or for professional curiosity and education. When the animalŐs death may present legal complications (either to the veterinarian or client), a professional necropsy can make a more precise determination of the cause of death, and serve as legal documentation.

A professional necropsy requires taking steps to ensure detailed examination of the carcass and proper documentation of the findings. Key elements include: pertinent historical information, use of proper equipment and dissection techniques, collection of specimens for ancillary tests, and proper documentation of the final report. To minimize postmortem changes and maximize the finding of significant gross lesions, the necropsy should be performed as soon after death as possible. When a necropsy has to be delayed, the carcass should be refrigerated, but never frozen. Freezing damages the tissues at the microscopic level, making subsequent histopathology difficult.

Equipment necessary for necropsy depends on size of the animal, type of examination requested, and individual preferences of the examiner. Most small animal necropsies should require:

• Protective clothing and gloves
• Sharp boning knife and/or scalpel
• One or more pairs of specialized scissors and forceps
• Ruler, ink/marking pen, and notepaper
• Plastic cutting board
• Means of cutting bone; either manual hacksaw, bone shears, or a Stryker saw
• Formalin-filled container for collection of tissues for histopathology
• Multiple, variably sized Whirl-Pak or Ziploc bags for fresh tissue collection

When the prosector is the primary clinical veterinarian, he/she will know all the important history of the case. However, when an outside service is used, the importance of a good history cannot be overemphasized. Arriving at a proper diagnosis and/or cause of death often depends strongly on information gathered from the clinical history. The history gives clues about which organ systems might be more important in the disease process, thereby warranting greater scrutiny. It may suggest the need to examine tissues other than those routinely examined (spinal cord, inner ear, sinus cavities, etc.), as well as collection of certain tissues for ancillary tests not normally collected (toxicology, microbiology, etc.). While repeating the entire case report in communicating the history is not necessary, of particular importance are the suspected diagnosis, current treatments and medication, and any clinical signs and symptoms which were apparent minutes or hours prior to death.