Necropsy Guide for Dogs, Cats, and Small Mammals

Necropsy Guide for Dogs, Cats, and Small Mammals is a complete, practical resource for performing necropsies on dogs, cats, rabbits, rodents, and ferrets in the veterinary clinic, animal shelter, research laboratory, or in the field.

• Provides practical guidance on all aspects of performing an necropsy on dogs, cats, and small mammals and interpreting the results
• Presents more than 200 full-color images to demonstrate techniques and findings
• Offers step-by-step instructions for the necropsy process and collecting samples
• Includes an anatomy review, discussion of dissection techniques, and list of common artifacts and post-mortem changes for each organ system
• Supports veterinarians in performing a necropsy in any setting, including animal shelters, veterinary clinics, research laboratories, and in the field

List of Contributors xv

Foreword xvii

Acknowledgments xix

About the Companion Website xxi

Part I Necropsy Fundamentals 1

1 Introduction to the Necropsy 3

2 Necropsy Basics 9

3 The Necropsy Procedure 21

Part II Organ Systems 39

4 The Integumentary System 41

5 The Musculoskeletal System 49

6 The Cardiovascular System 59

7 The Respiratory System 69

8 The Alimentary System 77

9 The Liver and Pancreas 91

10 The Urogenital System 101

11 The Nervous System 107

12 The Eye and Ear 115

13 The Endocrine System 125

14 The Lymphoreticular System 133

Part III Special Cases 143

15 Small Mammal Necropsies 145

16 Fetuses and Neonatal Animals 153

Part IV Additional Testing 157

17 Cytology 159

18 Histopathology 165

19 Infectious Disease Testing 171

20 Toxicology Testing 175

21 Packaging and Shipping Samples 179

Appendix 1: Normal Organ Weights (Percentage Body Weight) 183

Appendix 2: North American Diagnostic Laboratories 187

Appendix 3: Tissue Collection Checklist 193

Appendix 4: Describing Gross Lesions 195

Index 197

Sean P. McDonough, DVM, PhD, Diplomate ACVP, is an Associate Professor at Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine in Ithaca, New York, USA.

Teresa Southard, DVM, PhD, Diplomate ACVP, is an Assistant Clinical Professor at Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine in Ithaca, New York, USA.

Necropsy Guide for Dogs, Cats, and Small Mammals offers a hands-on approach to performing necropsies on canine and feline patients, as well as rodents, rabbits and ferrets. Providing applied guidance on tools and equipment, sample collection, and the necropsy report, the book supplies step-by-step procedures for the post-mortem examination of dogs, cats, and small mammals. More than 200 images support the text, making this a complete, practical resource for performing necropsies in the veterinary clinic, animal shelter, research laboratory, or in the field.

The book presents a tutorial for the basic necropsy procedure, a review of the anatomy and dissection techniques for each organ system, and information on collecting and submitting tissues for additional testing. Necropsy Guide for Dogs, Cats, and Small Mammals is an essential tool for shelter veterinarians, forensic veterinarians, veterinary pathologists and pathology residents, researchers, and small animal practitioners.

Key features

• Provides practical guidance on all aspects of performing an necropsy on dogs, cats, and small mammals and interpreting the results
• Presents more than 200 full-color images to demonstrate techniques and findings
• Offers step-by-step instructions for the necropsy process and collecting samples
• Includes an anatomy review, discussion of dissection techniques, and list of common artifacts and post-mortem changes for each organ system
• Supports veterinarians in performing a necropsy in any setting, including animal shelters, veterinary clinics, research laboratories, and in the field