How To Necropsy A Mammal

Collection of Specimens / TAKING SAMPLES
A Field Manual for Collection of Specimens

to Enhance Diagnosis of Animal Diseases
2.1 HOW TO NECROPSY A MAMMAL
COPYRIGHT 2012
by Dr. Corrie Brown
University of Georgia
Department of Veterinary Pathology
Athens, Georgia
USA 30602-7388
ISBN: 978-0-9659583-9-4
Library of Congress Control Number: 2011944577
TAKING SAMPLES
This chapter will focus on how to best collect the samples in the field,
and so optimize the key element of sample collection, as seen in the
circle diagram below:
Treatment
Sick
animal
Visit by
animal
health
professional
Report back
to
veterinarian
Samples
taken
Laboratory
testing
Samples
submitted
Samples
to lab
submitted to
lab
There are seven sections in this chapter:

2.1 How to necropsy a mammal
2.2 How to necropsy a bird
2.3 How to use gross pathology to inform
diagnostics
2.4 How to take samples for toxicology
2.5 How to take samples from a live animal
2.6 How to take environmental and feed samples
2.7 Personal protection when sampling for disease
2.1
HOW TO NECROPSY A MAMMAL
Recognizing and recording abnormalities are enhanced by developing a

consistent routine in the dissection and collection of tissues. There is
often a tendency to move quickly to the suspected lesion or body system,
which risks missing important information. A good necropsy involves
paying attention to ALL the clues that can be provided, so the routine has
to be followed, with attention to detail at every step.
THE CONSISTENT ROUTINE ENTAILS 6 STEPS:

1.
2.
3.
4.
Obtain history
Examine the animal externally
Open the body
Remove the organs and set aside for detailed
examination and sampling
5. Examine and sample the organs
6. Write the report
1. Obtain the history

A complete individual animal and herd history should be obtained. This
history should include: age, breed, and sex of affected animals,
husbandry conditions (including housing, feed), clinical signs, and any
treatments administered and whether the animal died or was euthanized.
How many animals are affected? Have there been any recent additions
to the herd or flock?
2. External examination
Many people believe a necropsy begins when you start using the knife.
But if you neglect to look at many external aspects of the carcass, some
key findings can be missed.
Examine the site

where the animal was
found for clues:
predators (dogs),
lightning, poisons and
poisonous plants,
signs of trauma.
Evaluate the general

body nutritional and
hydration status.
Look at the external

orifices for any
discharges and for
color of mucous
membranes. Look at
teeth for age and
abnormal wear.
Are there any skin

lesions or external
parasites?
Sunken eyes are an

indication of dehydration.
Check the teeth to determine

the age of the animal.
Look carefully at the skin for any evidence

of skin lesions or external parasites.
Examine all mucous membranes - mouth, nares, conjunctiva, anus,

vulva or prepuce - for any discoloration or other abnormalities. What
is the color of the mucous membranes? Is there pallor? Icterus?
Congestion? Cyanosis? How are the teeth - determine age and wear.
Look in the external ears - any exudates? Parasites?
How are the joints? Are any swollen?
How about the feet - any lesions here? Look between the claws.
3. Open the body

The next step in the necropsy is to expose the internal organs. Place the
animal on its left side.
Pull the right front leg up, insert knife into skin in the axilla and cut from
the inside out to reflect the fore limb. For the hind limb, lift the limb,
insert knife, cut through soft tissues and then insert the knife at the
coxofemoral junction, cutting through the teres (or round) ligament, so
that the hind limb can be reflected also. It is always a good idea, when
cutting skin, to cut from the inside out because cutting through hair will
dull the knife very quickly. Dull knives make the necropsy more difficult
and also dangerous as you are more likely to cut yourself with a dull
knife because of the increased effort needed to cut. A stronger push will
cause the knife to go into your hand by accident much more easily.
Close-up of the cut

teres ligament, with
head of femur
exposed. You must
cut this ligament in
order to completely
reflect the hind limb.
Now connect the two

openings by slicing
along the ventrum
(once again from the
inside out) to cut
through the skin along
the ventral abdominal
wall.
Now it is time to complete the cut in the skin by extending it to the

ramus of the mandible. Insert knife and cut down to connect. Peel back
the skin.
Here is what the carcass looks like now. Ballotte the abdomen gently - is
there any fluid? How do the subcutaneous tissues feel? If they are a
little sticky, it means the animal is dehydrated.
Now that all the skin has been removed on this side of the body, the next
step is to expose the viscera. First, cut a window in the abdominal
musculature and remove the abdominal muscle. Begin by making a cut
that goes parallel to and just behind the last rib (see the arrows in the
lower left picture). It is a good idea to tent the muscle a little as you
make your first cut, to avoid cutting through the viscera beneath. Once
an opening is made, continue to pull the muscle away from the viscera as
you cut. If you nick the intestine, the peritoneal cavity can become a
mess and is harder to evaluate.
10
The peritoneal and pleural cavities are very separate spaces. The
pressure in the pleural cavity should be negative. To ensure that it
was still negative when the animal died, lift up the diaphragm and
insert your knife through. You should hear a slight whoosh of air
move into the pleural cavity. You may now cut more of the
diaphragm because you are about to open the pleural cavity by
cutting through the ribs.
11
Using rib cutters, cut through the ribs at both the ventral and dorsal
aspects, and remove the ribs. Alternatively, in young animals, the ribs
are soft enough that you can just cut through the ribs ventrally and then
push back the ribs, breaking them at the dorsal portions (photo at right).
Note the color, position, and size of all organs and look for any adhesions
or accumulations of fluid within cavities. In the case of exudates at any of
the surfaces, now is the time to take samples, using swabs or syringes.
12
4. Remove the organs

Examination of the organs within the body is not very efficient. The
following organs are removed and placed next to the carcass:
respiratory tract with heart, tongue and esophagus (pluck),
rumen/abomasum/intestines, liver, urogenital tract, reproductive tract,
brain.
Well go through how to remove each organ system.
First, the pluck -
Insert the knife between the tongue and the medial surfaces of the
mandible. Gently tug to pull the tongue ventrally. You will have to cut
some muscle attachments of the tongue to the area of the mandibular
symphysis. Once the tip of the tongue has been pulled through the
mandible insert pressure to pull the tongue backwards.
13
Cut the hyoid bones to free the caudal tongue, esophagus and trachea
from the pharynx. This is not as easy as it looks and you may have to
palpate a bit to find the hard hyoid connection. The hyoid makes an
inverted V from this perspective and it is best to cut through the very
top of that inverted V because this is cartilage and will cut more easily
than the rest of the structure which is bone. Connective tissue
surrounding the esophagus and trachea are teased away as the pluck is
pulled ventrally and caudally.
Pull the tongue/trachea/esophagus caudally and cut where the pericardium is attached to the ventral body wall.
14
While still applying gentle tension toward the thoracic inlet, the heart
and lungs are removed by severing or tearing all attachments holding
them in place.
At the level of the diaphragm, it is necessary to cut the three attachments
(aorta, esophagus, caudal vena cava.) holding the pluck to the abdominal
viscera.
Set the pluck tongue, esophagus, trachea, heart, and lungs aside, in
a clean area.
15
Now it is time to remove the intestinal tract

But this involves separating the liver from the intestines. So, before we
remove anything, lets make sure that the bile duct is patent. Make a
small slit in the duodenum, and then gently squeeze the gall bladder.
You should see bile move into the lumen of the duodenum.
Find the end of the colon and cut it.
16
Insert your hand up above the intestines and rumen to find the kidney
and the mesenteric attachments of the intestine. The right adrenal is also
in this location, so before you cut too much, see if you can identify the
right adrenal and sample it if needed.
Cut the intestines at their connections with the liver (bile duct) and pull
away from the body cavity.
17
Remove the rumen (spleen is tightly adherent to rumen). Cut the

attachments of the spleen to the rumen and set the spleen down in a clean
area.
Remove the liver and set aside.
18
Now that the abdominal cavity is free of the large digestive organs,
identify the left adrenal, remove it and set it aside.
Now it is time to remove the urogenital tract

You may remove it in its entirety, or remove it in pieces, i.e., kidneys,
then bladder, then uterus/ovaries (or testes), etc.
19
Now for the brain

Pull the head dorsally to extend the neck. Cut through the musculature
to expose the atlanto-occipital junction. Begin cutting through this
junction while moving the head back and forth to facilitate the knife
moving through the junction without having to cut through the cartilage.
After the head is disarticulated, peel the skin dorsocranially over the skull.
Once the calvarium is exposed, make three cuts with a saw. Then you can
pry the calvarium off to expose the brain.
20
Hold the skull upside down and gently tear (or cut) all the cranial nerves
that are attaching the brain through the floor of the skull.
21
The brain should fall into your hand. Look inside the skull - the pituitary
and some ganglia remain. Sample these if needed.
Before we are finished with the carcass, there are four more
tissues/organs to examine.
Cut through some skeletal muscle to examine color

and consistency.
22
Identify some peripheral lymph nodes and note size and color. Cut
through to see the inner surface - is there edema, reactivity? What is the
consistency?
How are the joints? Cut through some large joints - carpus, stifle - what
is the consistency of the fluid? Are the membranes clear?
23
Bone marrow is usually taken from the femur, as follows.
5. Examine and sample the organs
You should now

have a collection of
organs that might
look like this.
In examining and sampling, we usually go from the cleanest to the

dirtiest. Usually this order is: lymphoid tissue, brain, lungs, heart,
kidneys, reproductive tract, liver, intestinal tract. Note any abnormalities
for each (color, size, shape, consistency, exudates). Be sure to examine
both capsular and cut surface. Make several cuts in each organ. Collect
specimens for further diagnostic work.
24
A Note on Sampling of Tissues Tissues should be collected in duplicate, with half going into
10% formalin for histopathology and half as unfixed tissues
that will be used for bacterial culture, virus isolation,
fluorescent antibody testing, toxicology, etc.
The following tissues should be collected in all cases: lung,
liver, spleen, heart, brain, kidney, intestines. Additionally, any
other tissue that might have lesions (skin, adrenal, ovary,
etc.) should also be collected.
Crushing should be
avoided when taking
samples since this may
cause histological
artifacts. This can be
avoided by using a
sharp blade and a hard
surface.
When examining any organ with a mucosal surface (trachea,

esophagus, intestine, etc.) care should be taken not to
damage or destroy the mucosal surface by rubbing the
surface with fingers or instruments.
25
Lymphoid system
.
The spleen should be relatively flat, not turgid, and will not fracture
when folded. On cut surface, it should be uniform
Lymph nodes should not bulge on cut surface and

should have a uniform homogeneous, white-tan
appearance. An exception is the mesenteric lymph
nodes which usually have dark (brown-black)
pigment at their centers. This is normal in
ruminants.
26
Brain
Often the brain is
sliced down the
middle to create
symmetrical
halves for frozen
and formalin
specimens.
27
Heart
The heart can now be

examined. Identify the
heart within the pluck
and gently open the
pericardial sac to see the
fluid within. Then
remove the heart from
its attachments to the
rest of the pluck.
It is important to examine all chambers of the heart. This can be

confusing. The best way is to open the left ventricle first. You can
use a knife to make a vertical cut from apex to base over the left
ventricle, then use scissors or a knife to extend the cut up through the
left atrium and into the aorta. This will allow you to see both left
chambers and both left valves on the left side (left a-v valve and
aortic valve).
28
To open the right side of the heart, make a C-shaped cut, following
the outline of the right ventricle. Extend the cut so that all of the right
ventricle and right atrium are open and exposed. Now you can see
the inside of both right-sided chambers and both valves on the right
(right a-v valve and pulmonic valve).
29
Respiratory system
Begin by cutting down the trachea and into the bronchi, making
note of any mucus, froth, or petechiae.
Palpate all lobes of the lung. Lungs should be uniformly pink and
slightly spongy. Make several cuts through the lungs - be sure to look
in all lobes.
30
Before finishing with the pluck, be sure to examine the two digestive
system organs that are part of the pluck. Make several cuts through the
tongue to look at the musculature. Cut down the esophagus to see the
mucosa and look for abnormalities.
Urinary tract
For each kidney, peel the capsule back. It should peel easily. Slice
through the kidney to examine the cut surface.
Open the bladder. Examine the

mucosal surface. In this photo, you
can also see one horn of the uterus
and an ovary.
31
Reproductive tract
At left is the female
reproductive tract.
Slice through the
ovaries. Also cut into
the uterine horns,
uterine body, and
cervix, observing
mucosal surfaces.
Cut into the testes

to look at the
parenchyma.
32
Liver
The livers surface should be examined for any abnormalities. It should
be palpated for any nodules, friable areas, or other abnormal changes.
Several slices are made into the liver in order to examine the deeper
structure of the liver.
Open the gall bladder and look at the mucosal surface.
33
Intestinal tract
Spread out the intestines and
determine the various parts.
Begin with the duodenum and
follow down the jejunum, to
the ileum, which empties into
the cecum at the ileo-cecocolic junction. The large
intestine slowly narrows to
become the spiral colon,
which then progresses on
down to the terminal colon.
At this point, if you need to collect

feces, you can get them from the
terminal colon.
Also, now is the time to take a

segment of small intestine for
sampling. It is best to tie off a
loop to prevent intestinal contents
from contaminating your other
tissue samples.
34
Look at the mesenteric

lymph nodes. Cut
through several to see
the cut surface.
Open segments of
the intestinal tract,
beginning with the
duodenum and
working caudally.
Be sure to examine
the mucosal surface
carefully and open
numerous segments.
If the history indicates
an intestinal problem,
you may need to open
the entire intestinal
tract.
35
Now for the forestomachs

Because of the way you removed the tract, the abomasum is still attached
to the forestomachs. Open the abomasum first. Remember this is the
only glandular part of this mass. Look at the contents of the abomasum
and examine the mucosal surface. You may need to run some water
lightly over the mucosa to get a good view. Then open the reticulum and
the omasum.
Last will be the rumen itself.

Remove some of the contents and
look at the pillars and the
papillae. Also note the consistency of the contents.
36
A Note on Sampling of organs Tissues should be collected in duplicate, with half going into 10%
formalin for histopathology and half as unfixed tissues that will be used
for bacterial culture, virus isolation, fluorescent antibody testing, toxicology, etc.
As a review, the following tissues should be collected in all cases: lung,

liver, spleen, brain, kidney, intestines. Additionally, any other tissue that
might have lesions (skin, adrenal, ovary, etc.) should also be collected.
For specific problems, you may want to take additional samples from
key organs. For instance, if it is a skin disease, take more samples of skin
and draining lymph nodes. If the animal has pneumonia, take additional
lung samples and tracheobronchial lymph nodes.
37
6. Write the report.

No necropsy is complete until all findings have been recorded in written
form. The report should include at least the following information:
Species, breed
Age, sex
History
Died or euthanized?
Nutritional, hydration status
Findings from external examination
Findings by organ system:
Lymphoid (spleen, lymph nodes)
Respiratory
Digestive
Urogenital
Musculoskeletal
Nervous
When describing tissues, keep these

four qualities in mind
color, consistency, distribution, and size.
See EXT PAGE for sample ecropsy Report Form.
38
39
2END OF THIS SECTION2
40

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What are the steps involved in necropsy of a mammal?

What are the steps involved in necropsy of a mammal?

What organs should samples always be collected from?

What organs should samples always be collected from?

Collection of Specimens / TAKING SAMPLES

A Field Manual for Collection of Specimens

2.1 HOW TO NECROPSY A MAMMAL

Collection of Specimens / TAKING SAMPLES

Collection of Specimens / TAKING SAMPLES

There are seven sections in this chapter:

Collection of Specimens / TAKING SAMPLES