The necropsy is a procedure with which, in general, we will not be familiar. For this reason, after the death of one of our four- or two-legged companions, it may surprise us that the veterinarian tells us about the convenience of performing a necropsy. In order not to be out of place at such a delicate moment, in this article on our site we are going to explain what a necropsy consists of and what it is for to perform it. Having information will help us make a good decision.
What is a necropsy?
We can define a necropsy as the study made of the body of an animal that has just died. In the veterinary clinic, the usual thing is that this procedure consists of opening the abdominal and thoracic cavities, which allows the visu examination of all the organs. In the abdomen we will find the stomach, the intestines but also the liver, the pancreas, the spleen, the kidneys, the bladder or the uterus, if applicable. In the thorax we can see the lungs and the heart. The necropsy would also include an examination of the brain, for which the skull would have to be opened, which is not usually done routinely.
In addition to examining the organs, the necropsy allows us to directly see if there is any accumulation of fluid inside the body, pus or blood. Each organ, in turn, can be opened to check its internal aspect, which provides us with important information about its functioning. All of this review involves examination at the macroscopic level, but it is still possible to extract more information from an autopsy. The veterinarian can take all the samples he considers and send them to the laboratory There they will analyze them at a microscopic level and prepare a report with the conclusions.
All of this information is used to establish the cause of death, although you must know that obtaining a conclusive answer is not always it's possible. Sometimes the result of a necropsy only helps us to hypothesize about what happened and to determine if the rest of the animals in the house, if any, should be subjected to of some kind of preventive measure.
Differences between necropsy and autopsy
If we review the definition of the Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy of Language, we will verify that the terms necropsy and autopsy are used as synonyms and both refer to the study of a corpse in order to determine the causes of death. In practice, the word necropsy is used when we are talking about the examinations performed on animals, while the term autopsy is reserved for the procedure performed on humans.
Types of autopsies
In the routine of the veterinary clinic, necropsies are carried out, as we have seen, to try to discover the causes of a death that has left doubts about its origin. It is also possible that, on occasion, the autopsy has a academic or research objective Checking the state of the organs in certain diseases helps the clinician to learn and know more of the development of pathologies, which will help you improve and will benefit other animals you assist.
Sometimes, a necropsy is mandatory when there is a suspicion that the animal suffers from a disease that must be declared to the authorities, for example in a case of rabies in dogs. In these cases, the body or its samples must be sent to specific centers.
The veterinary necropsy
Necropsy in routine veterinary practice is performed in the clinic and requires nothing more than a scalpel, gloves, suture and the necessary material for taking samples, if applicable. And, of course, the permission of the carers of the deceased animal. At this point it is convenient that, in addition to what has been exposed so far, we know that, once the necropsy is concluded, which does not take more than a few minutes, the animal is sutured and will be handed over to us so that we bury it or we will incinerate according to the legislation in force in our place of residence.
The veterinarian is trained to perform a necropsy on any animal. The necropsy in birds, reptiles or animals of the so-called exotic is performed less frequently, since they are less common patients in veterinary clinics. Instead, necropsy in dogs is a more common procedure. In any case, necropsies in cats, dogs or birds follow the same guidelines that we have already explained.
