Special Veterinary Pathology

Cosmetic necropsy in a dog

COSMETIC NECROPSY IN DOGS

• As in routine necropsy, the exterior of the animal should be carefully examined
• Evaluate the clinical history and decide which organs of organ systems must be examined
• Evaluate the conditions by which such organs will be made accessible considering the limitations of the cosmetic necropsy procedures
• Should examination of the same will produce unsightly incisions and cuts, it is best to explore the alternatives and discuss these with the pet owner
• If the intentions are discussed exhaustively with the pet owner describing the benefits of doing such an examination for the formulation of a diagnosis, consent may be sought with little difficulty
• Under no circumstances that extra incisions and maneuvers be made without the owner's consent

Necropsy procedure

• The rule of thumb in cosmetic necropsy is to limit the number and the length of incisions to as few as possible

In planning the incisions, a few things must be considered

• T he organs or systems that must be examined
• The site for incisions that will not disfigure the specimen, and with due considerations that the incisions would not be so obvious once sutured back to place
• The length of the incision considering the accessibility of the organs
• The time that will be involved in the examination.

The best approach is to position the animal lying on its back (dorsalrecumbency)

• The head of the carcass should face the left side of the examiner
• Sandbags or other objects placed at either side of the thorax would help to hold the carcass in place
• Using a sharp knife, make a straight longitudinal incision on the skin only from the xiphoid cartilage of the sternum and to the midabdomen
• Dissect the skin towards the side taking care not to damage the hide, and expose the underlying tissues
• Open the abdominal wall by cutting open the abdominal muscle at the exposed site.
• Note for the presence of fluid and try to assess the arrangements of organs.
• Retract both sides of the opened abdominal wall and reach for the diaphragm.
• From this small opening, puncture the diaphragm and note for the presence of a negative pressure.
• Open the thoracic cavity by cutting the diaphragm close to the inner walls of the rib cage.
• Grasp the thoracic organs and free them from their attachments
• Drag the thoracic organs en masse and reach for the esophagus and trachea at the thoracic inlet.
• Cut free these structures and set them aside for examination later.
• From the same opening at the abdomen, grasp the visceral organs out of the cavity and severe all attachments.
• Remove first the liver, and then the stomach with the spleen
• Drag the segments of the intestine and cut the mesenteries close to the intestinal wall segment by segment
• Remove the intestine and set them aside for examination
• Reach for the kidneys at both sides and severe them from their attachments
• Palpate the urinary bladder, and if required, reach for it and severe its attachments.
• After these, examine the visceral organs as with routine necropsy
• After removal of most organs, it is recommended to drain the carcass of blood and other body fluids
• If needed, the body cavities may be washed with saline or tap water
• Examine the body cavities and allow the carcass to drain
• The examination of the brain should only be done if clinical history suggests neurological disturbance.
• To remove the brain from the bony calvarium, make a midline incision from between the eyes and towards the level of the first cervical vertebra
• Dissect the skin and reflect all muscles covering the calvarium, cutting them towards the side
• The vault of the cranium is best opened using a mallet and a sharp chisel
• With the skin and muscles reflected at either side, cut the bone starting from the frontal region and around the exposed portion of the vault of the cranium
• Take care not to damage the enclosed brain
• After removing the vault of the cranium, cut the meninges