NECROPSY EXAMINATION

STEPS IN NECROPSY

1. Record the kind of animal and to whom it belongs.

2. Write the precis of the case.
3. Carry out the external examination of the carcass. Then proceed to internal examination.
4. Secure the carcass on its back.
5. Make incision in the mid ventral line from chin to anus going round about the external
genitalia in male and incision is also made on the medial aspect of all legs and flay the
skin.
6. Examine the subcutaneous tissue.
7. Open the cavities of the body. Look for exudates, transudate etc.
8. Examine the position of the organs.
9. Separate lungs from heart and palpate for any abnormalities. Incise and examine the
lungs.
10. Examine the pericardial sac. Open the pericardium, examine the nature of contents.
11. Cut through heart and the vessels. Examine the wall and chambers for the nature of
content, valves and the lumen of vessels.
12. Examine the diaphragm.
13. Examine the abdominal visceral organs-liver, spleen, kidneys, adrenals, pancreas before
and after incising the organs.
14. Open the bile ducts and gall bladder and examine.
15. Divide the kidney symmetrically by longitudinal incision. Remove the capsule, examine
the cortex, medulla and pelvis.
16. Open the mouth to examine the gum, tooth, tongue and buccal cavity. Then open and
examine esophagus.
17. Open the nasal cavity and examine. Examine the pharynx, larynx, trachea and bronchi.
18. Open the stomachs/forestomachs and abomasum (ruminants) and examine the nature of
contents and the wall.
19. Open the intestine. Examine the contents and the wall.
20. Open and examine the urinary bladder for the nature of content and the wall.
21. Examine the genital organs.
22. Open the skull and vertebral column to examine the brain and spinal cord.
23. Examine the skeleton and musculature.
24. Record the findings.
25. Summarize the appearances found.
26. Collect suitable materials for microbiological, histopathological, parasitological and
chemical examination as required.
27. Arrive at an etiological diagnosis based on the PM findings and the results of the
materials examined.

NECROPSY OBSERVATIONS

 While describing the gross lesions, weight, colour, size, shape, consistency and
appearance of cut surface are to be included. Nature of exudates may be serous, mucus,
fibrinous, purulent, haemorrhagic, serofibrinous, mucopurulent for fibrinopurulent.
 Record the kind of animal and who had sent the carcass (owner of the animals/local
police in vetero-legal cases)
 Examine the peripheral blood smear and also the smear from oedema fluid (pigs, horse)
to rule out anthrax since no PM is conducted in case of anthrax. Besides, blood parasites,
other bacteria and PM invaders can be detected.
 Precis of the case
 External examination of the carcass
 Internal examination of the carcass

EXTERNAL EXAMINATION OF THE CARCASS

 Record the class of animal as bovine, equine, porcine, ovine, caprine, canine, feline etc.,
sex, age; if not known, assess based on teeth or ossification of bones; breed - specify the
breed or record it as not-descript. Descriptive marks – natural colour and markings
(whirls) and artificial marking-tattoo number, brand marks, tag number, wing band or
leg band number etc., In vetero-legal cases, measure the distance between horns at the
level of base, midlevel and tips, and the length and direction of horns.
 Record the condition of body as fair (well-fed), poor, emaciated/cachectic (hide and bone
condition).
 Record rigor mortis as present or absent
 Natural orifices-nature of discharge-in anthrax tarry coloured blood oozes from natural
orifices and blood fails to clot. Abortion or metritis- dischage from genital orifice.
 Visible mucous membrane –Pink, pale or blanched (anaemia), icteric (jaundice),
congested, haemorrhagic, cyanotic (local or systemic disturbances). Skin and coat - hair
loss (patchy or complete); look for the presence of wounds, abrasions, lacerations,
perforations, swelling, abscess and tumours. Check umbilicus for omphalitis, mammary
gland and external genitalia for any change.
 Snake bite; Fang marks with swelling, haemorrhage or necrosis; Foot and Mouth Disease
vesicles, maggot wounds in the interdigital spaces; Blue tongue: coronet region
congestion and haemorrhage; Swine erysipelas: diamond like lesion; swine fever;
erythema or purplish discoloration of skin; Canine distemper: pustules on the ventral
side of the abdomen; Pock lesion on the udder and teats in cattle and face and also
underneath the tail in sheep.
 Examine the skin-look for dermatomycosis (ring worm) and scabies or mange and look
for ectoparasites-ticks, lice, fleas etc., Examine the superficial lymph nodes - prescapular,
precrural etc., swollen (theileriosis) purulent inflammation (glanders, strangles).
 INTERNAL EXAMINATION OF THE CARCASS

 Subcutaneous tissue: normally fair and moist but may be dry, congested, haemorrhagic
(contusions), icteric, edematous, arboriform congestion and haemorrhages
(electrocution).
 Abdominal and thoracic cavities-record the nature of exudates, if present, examine the
organs in situ to appreciate any dislocation (abomasal displacement, intussusception,
hernia etc.) adhesion of serous membranes etc.
 Pericardial sac-moist, record the nature of content –cattle –traumatic peridcarditis with
fibrinopurulent exudates and foreign body may be seen: cardiac tamponade-blood clot
covering the heart-rupture of aorta (spirocercosis).
 Heart – epicardial and endocardial haemorrhage (septicaemia, toxaemia,
enterotoxaemia, impaction, pyometra); purulent pericarditis in salmonellosis, fibrinous
pericarditis in colisepticaemia, tigroid appearances, i.e pale streaks in myocardium in
Foot and Mouth Disease in calves and pigs; Chambers may contain, unclotted blood,
partially clotted blood, clotted blood “current jelly” and “chicken fat” clot. Vegetative
endocarditis affect valves (swine erysipelas, streptococcal and corynebacterial infections
etc.)
 Larynx, trachea, bronchi-mucosa may be congested: trachea and bronchi contain frothy
exudates in pulmonary edema, aspirated substances, caseous and haemorrhagic exudates
with haemorrhagic mucosa (ILT), Lungs: pink and spongy normally, areas of
emphysema, collapse, congestion, subpleural/parenchymatous haemorrhages, infarcts,
red or grey hepatisation, granulomatous nodules may be caseous, calcified or uncalcified
in contagious bovine pleuropneumonia), black spots (anthracosis), brown induration
(chronic cardiac failure): pleura-shaggy appearance in serofibrinous inflammation.
 Spleen -enlargement, infarction, abscesses, tumour (lymphoid).
 Kidney-Capsule should peel off easily: but is adherent to cortical surface of kidney in
inflammation: kidney –enlarged, shrunken and hard (chronic nephritis), cystic,
hydronephrosis, congested, petechial haemorrhages (“turkey egg appearances” in swine
fever), pale areas (infarcts or lymphoid cell collection-theileriosis), tumours; Lesions may
involve medulla and pelvis; Pelvis-surface smooth, eroded, congested, calculi.
 Ureter –distended, indurated; Gout –tortuous with urates and uric acid and distended.
 Urinary bladder –may be empty or distended with urine, examine nature of contents
[urine straw coloured to colourless normally, deep yellow (icterus)], reddish to coffee
coloured (haematuria and haemoglobinuria); Mucosa –congested, haemorrhagic, bladder
–thickened (chronic cystitis, bovine hill haematuria). Look for calculi (may be few to
many).
 Adrenals-enlargement, tumour, thinning or widening of cortex (stress)
 Mouth: Look for vesicles and ulcers on the gums, dental pad, tongue etc., in foot and
mouth disease, Bran-like deposits on the gums and tongue in rinderpest, cyanotic tongue
in blue tongue, wooden tongue in actinobacillosis, condition of teeth: worn out, sharp
teeth etc., and tumours.
 Esophagus- Check patency (stenosis and dilatation or diverticulum) and for foreign
bodies (choke), spirocerca nodules (distal end of oesophagus) in dogs, pustule-like lesion
in vitamin A deficiency in chicken.
 Forestomachs (ruminants) –bloat, examine nature of content-solid semisolid,
liquid/watery, impacted, exudates etc., nature of exudates, worms, trichobezoards,
phytobezoars and foreign bodies. Examine mucosa and submucosa for erosions,
ulceration, congestion, haemorrhage, perforaton etc.
 Forestomach or stomach: Impaction and bloat –congested and haemorrhagic, vesicles in
FMD; abomasums –ulcers in theileriosis; Habronema nodules in horses Ranikhet disease
–proventricular haemorrhages around glandular papillae; IBD – haemorrhage in the
proventriculus –gizzard junction.
 Intestine: Coccidiosis ballooning up of intestine with red and white spots seen through
serosa with blood mixed porridge like content present in lumen. Rinderpest serofibrinous
 foul smelling contents; streaks of haemorrhages in the intestine and rectum (Zebra
marking); Swine fever –button like ulcers in the caecum and colon. Nodules –E.coli
infection, lymphoid leucosis, TB, worms; gangrenous inflammation (intussusception,
volvulus, torsion), calculi. Mesentery: vessels for congestion, surface for deposits
(Traumatic peritonitis, egg peritonitis) and tumours.
 Liver-may become pale, yellowish (icterus, fatty changes) normal sharp borders become
rounded(swelling) soft and friable(fatty changes) cooked up appearance, hard in
consistency in cirrhosis/chronic hepatitis, nutmeg appearance (chronic venous
congestion), surface may show congestion, necrotic foci (grayish-white), telangiectasis,
haemorrhages, cysts, abscesses, tumours which may extent into parenchyma, liver flukes
in bile ducts with clay-pipe cirrhosis/biliary cirrhosis, colisepticaemia-fibrinous exudates
covers the surface.
 Gall bladder –thickened wall, nature of content (bile) –think, thick, greenish, yellowish
green etc., calculi.
 Generative organs: testicles – Cryptorchid, swelling, balanoposthitis; Accessary glands –
prostate-enlargement; ovaries enlargement, cystic, and tumours, uterus –tear, torsion,
congestion, haemorrhage, nature of content, mummified or macerated fetus, pyometra
(common in dogs), vagina and vulva (IBR/IPVV).
 Skeleton: Actinomycosis –granuloma of mandibular bones: fractures, osteoporosis,
osteopetrosis, osteodystrophy, rickety rosary (vitamin deficiency), Bone marrow –for
hyperplastic or hypoplastic activity.
 Musculature: degeneration, necrosis, gangrene (BQ) pale streaks (Vitamin E and
Selenium deficiency, white muscle disease) and abscesses. Brain, spinal cord and
meninges for congestion, haemorrhage (heat stroke), cyst-coenurus, encephalomalacia
(Vitamin E deficiency) Nature of cerebrospinal fluid –clear, cloudy etc.
 Examine all lymph nodes in general, particularly regional lymph nodes if any changes are
detected in the organs or tissues. Lymph nodes - enlarged, oedematus, congested,
haemorrhagic, granulomatous (TB, JD) purulent (strangles, glanders) and tumours
(lymphosarcoma). Examine bursa in birds – enlarged, haemorrhagic, contain creamy,
caseous or haemorragic exudates and shrunken (IBD).