Different Types of Necropsies

I am not an expert on this. Actually this is stuff that I am just learning.

Necropsy: This is usually done in the office by the Veterinarian. They simply open the body cavity up and examine the organs to see if there is anything that stands out as the cause of death.

I don’t think most Veterinarians normally examine the brain, but they can if you ask.

It is important to me that I take my pet home for burial. With this procedure some vets will sew them back up so that you can take them home.

Histopathology: In this procedure the Veterinarian takes samples of various organs and ships them off to a lab. The lab looks at the organs under a microscope looking for things them might not have been visible in the normal necropsy.

In this procedure, your pet can also be sewn up and returned to you for burial if you and your Veterinarian both agree to it.

Ok, I know there is more but someone other than me will have to fill in the blanks. You can also correct anything that I don’t have correct.

It is important for everyone to be aware of the distinctions that Anita has made. If you request a necropsy, then that is what you will get. Most vets do not have the ability to process histopathologies themselves, so they often have to be sent off. There are several labs across the country that process tissue samples in this manner. Most veterinary offices have the collection jars and formalin on hand for the collection of histopathology samples.

histopathology is necessary when there are no obvious answers upon a gross necropsy. For example, if the glider died of sepsis, there might not be any visible evidence.

I suggest, for the sake of research, that you always have a necropsy with histopathology of the 5 major organs at a minimum (heart, lungs, liver, kidney and brain).

It is important that you have this conversation with your vet BEFORE you need a necropsy. My vet in Amarillo will not do a necropsy. Recently, I would have been in a pickle if I had not known this beforehand. My vet in Tulsa WILL do one and will let me watch if I like.

Most vets will not look at the brain. The process of removing the brain might mean that your baby cannot be returned to you in a semi-normal looking condition.

Please know that if you do have your glider sent to a lab for necropsy, you will not get the body back for burial, but you can request that the body be cremated after the exam and that the ashes be returned to you. Each individual lab is different.

These are things that you should know before you NEED to know them. It is difficult to think clearly and to ask all the questions you need to or want to ask when in a state of grief. Please approach your vet now and begin this discussion.

My vet has a standing order from me to do a necropsy and histopathology on any of my gliders if one were to die while in her care. I, too, am able to observe the necropsy and I've learned a lot by doing so. It's not something I recommend that most people do, though. My vet is wonderful about documenting with photos. Post-mortem changes occur very quickly and having numerous photographs is a great help to those of us who are researching death in order to help the living. If your vet is willing to take photos, they can be emailed to one of us on the SUGAR Group/Necropsy Effort. As Val said, the emotions at the time of losing a glider make it difficult to think of these things, so please do talk to your vet and have a plan in place. Losing a glider is a terrible thing, but we can learn so much from their death that can help us take better care of our living babies.