Information for animal owners

Pet and hobby animal owners

“What happens during a necropsy/autopsy of your pets?”

Just like us humans, animals can also become ill. Sometimes, unfortunately, the prognosis is poor, and you are faced with the decision to euthanize your pet. In some cases, despite many treatments, your pet has not made it and has died in hospital. It can also happen that your pet dies suddenly at home without any visible signs of illness.

At this point, you have the option of opting for a necropsy (autopsy) of your deceased or euthanized animal. The necropsy is an examination of the dead body and all organs. The animal's body is opened, the organs are removed and thoroughly examined. This provides information about the disease(s) your animal was suffering from. The veterinary pathologists look at the animal's body as a whole and make their findings and diagnoses in connection with the clinical symptoms of your pets.

Knowledge helps to understand. Knowledge about the disease and its course provides insights for better treatment of other animals with the same or similar diseases.

You or your vet will receive a detailed report on your pet's findings from the veterinary pathology department. You then have the option of having your pet (up to a weight of approx. 100 kg) cremated in a crematorium of your choice or to hand over the animal's body to us for collective cremation.

Please contact your vet if you are considering a necropsy. He/she can discuss the next steps with you.

Information for farmers

Why having a necropsy performed on farm animals?

The necropsy (autopsy) of farm animals is particularly useful as part of a herd diagnosis. If you have unclear health problems in your livestock, you should discuss the possibility of sending one or more animals for necropsy with your vet. By opening the animal carcasses and directly examining the individual organs, it is often possible to make precise disease diagnoses or take specific organ samples for further clarification (e.g. bacterial cultivation, virus detection, etc.). This provides you and your vet with important information on the diseases present in your herd, enabling you to carry out targeted treatments or preventive measures. Due to the increasing public interest in reducing the use of medication in livestock farming, such diagnostics can help you to use medication on your farm only when necessary and in a very targeted manner. In the long term, investing in thorough diagnostic clarifications on your herd can help you to improve and maintain animal health.

What needs to be considered?

The 4 most important points are:

1. Communication with your herd veterinarian or health service: In order to maintain the best possible diagnostic chain, it is important that we communicate directly with your herd veterinarian or advisor from the relevant animal health service. They will make a final assessment of whether the diagnoses made explain the herd problem and can initiate suitable measures with you immediately.
2. Selection of appropriate animals to be sent in: We strongly recommend that you discuss the selection of animals with your herd veterinarian. The animals sent for examination should show typical signs of illness and be acutely (i.e. recently) ill. If possible, you should send in untreated animals, as e.g. antibiotic pre-treatment prevents bacterial pathogen detection. In the case of pigs, calves and small ruminants, you have the option of sending more than one animal for dissection at no extra cost. This increases the probability of diagnosing the actual herd problem at the same cost.
3. Information on the existing problems in the patient's body and any previous diagnoses or treatments: The more precise the information you provide to the pathologists, the more specifically they can investigate. Important investigations can thus be initiated quickly and cost-effectively.
4. Speed of submission: Ideally, freshly dead animals are examined by dissection. The self-digestion of the carcasses that occurs after death (especially in warm temperatures) can make diagnosis difficult or impossible. Dead animals should be stored in a cool place (ideally 4°C) and taken for examination as quickly as possible. It is possible, by prior arrangement, to send in pigs alive and have them euthanized on site.

FAQ

Can I get my deceased pet back for burial after the necropsy?
ou have the option of instructing us to have your pet (up to a size of approx. 100 kg) cremated at an animal crematorium of your choice. For larger animals (e.g. horses), we can restrict the cremation to certain organs (e.g. head and heart) and still have a partial cremation carried out. The crematoria will collect your animals from us and deliver the ashes to you. For hygiene and epidemiological reasons, we are no longer allowed to hand over your animal to you. It is also not possible for animals to be laid out in the crematorium after dissection.

Can I get parts of my deceased pet back after the necropsy as a souvenir or for further use?
For hygiene and epidemiological reasons, we are not allowed to give private individuals any parts of their animals (skull, tail hair, fur, etc.) after the animal has been taken to the necropsy area.

I don't understand the technical language of the necropsy reports, can't the pathology department write the reports in a way that is understandable for laypersons?
In any case, we recommend that you consult your veterinarian about submitting animals and name him/her as the sender. In order to write reports that are as accurate as possible, the use of veterinary terminology is essential. For this reason, our reports are written for veterinarians. The final overall assessment of the necropsy report in connection with the clinical condition of your animal and the conclusions drawn from it is carried out by your veterinarian, as he/she usually knows the state of health of your animal best.

It takes so long for the report to arrive, can't it be quicker?
A final report can only be issued after all further examination results from other institutes have been received. This can take between several days and several weeks. In the case of stock problems and cases that we recognize as urgent, we try to give the sending veterinarians an interim report by telephone or in writing (often by telephone directly after or during the dissection). In urgent cases, the sending vets can also request information by telephone at any time during our opening hours.