From:
"Sukie Crandall"
Date: 2009-05-26 16:22:36 UTC
Subject: Post mortem guidelines for ferret owners
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
No necropsies with pathology/histology and
toxicology done? That is the logical thing to do.
Even one ferret dying of strange symptoms
can warrant that to protect the rest.
Definitely, the live ones need testing; otherwise
all is guesswork, and necropsies with tissue
preservation (preferably done rapidly) are essential.
See:
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/YG10682
and
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/YG3835
They read:
BEGIN QUOTES
Mike reminded me of a post that I had placed on
the FML a while back, that may be of use to people
who are faced with imminent demise of a ferret for
unknown reasons. It is not a recipe for doing your
own autopsy, but may will give you some general
guidelines on how to maximize the diagnostic
information which you can get from a post mortem.
how to make sure if one is done, you get the best return.
Many vets actually do not know much about doing
autopsies, so this information may be very important to you.
1. Have the post done as quickly as possible. From the
moment of death, a ferret's body begins to decompose.
The different tissues decompose at different rates, based
on their composition. As a general rule, the digestive
system, by its very nature, decomposes fastest - you might
say it digests itself. The gall bladder which is filled with bile,
a digestive compound, goes first - usually within 2 hours.
Between six and twelve hours, the lining of the digestive
tract, what I usually rely on to make a diagnosis of ECE, is
gone, due to the presence of bacteria, food, and digestive
. The pancreas, a storehouse of digestive enzymes, also
decomposes fast. Generally, if you have an undiagnosed
digestive disease and the tissues aren't in formalin within
12 hours, you have markedly diminished your chances of
making a diagnosis.
2. The end point of decomposition is when the tissues are
placed in formalin, or another fixative, by the vet. Formalin
immediately halts all decomposition by cross-linking proteins.
What I see under the microscope is a picture of the tissue
when it hit the formalin.
3. Refrigeration slows decomposition, but does not stop it.
Freezing damages the tissues beyond all recognition under
the microscope - all the water in the cells is frozen into ice
crystals, and when they are thawed, the cells are destroyed.
Never freeze tissues that are going to pathologists for
microscopic examination. Freezing is only for tissues to
preserve pathogens for later culture.
4. The ideal way to obtain a post mortem is immediately
following euthanasia. Have your vet block out time to euthanize
and do the post.
5. If you are doing a necropsy - take the widest range of
tissues possible - even tissues you don't think are involved.
One of the most frustrating things about being a pathologist
is only getting two or three tissues in an animals in which a
disease was not diagnosed ante mortem. If you are not sure
what is going on, sample everything.
6. Don't do an "abdominal post" - sample the thoracic organs,
as well as a range of lymph nodes, eyes, and the nervous system.
7. If the animal is showing neurologic signs, it is very
important to submit brain and spinal cord.
8. Make sure to use 10 parts formalin to 1 part tissue for proper
fixation. Throwing a large lump of tissue into a small amount of
formalin delays fixation and allows the tissue to continue to
decompose.
9. This is most important - if you don't post within 48 hours -
you probably have missed the window of opportunity. The
amount of diagnostic information that is lost after 48 hours
will render an autopsy into a frustrating and cost-ineffective
exercise for the owner, veterinarian, and pathologist.
10. Remember that animals die at the least opportune moment -
usually 5 minutes after the vet has closed the clinic for the
weekend. If you have a sick ferret that may not make it, and you
want a necropsy done, make your wishes known to your vet
before the moment comes. They will more likely be available
after hours for you.
Just a couple of guidelines which may save you extra grief
during at a difficult time.
---
In Ferret-Health-list@y..., "A. Abate/C. Kinsey" <103211.3070@c...> wrote:
> I would like to respectfully disagree with Alica regarding preservation of
> a body for necropsy. Refrigeration is absolutely essential if the necropsy
> is to be delayed more than an hour. What you want to avoid is
> decomposition, which sets in at the moment of death. Refrigeration
> preserves and protects the tissues if the necropsy cannot be conducted
> immediately (which is the ideal time, of course). What you do not want to
> do is freeze the body if you are going to do a necropsy. That causes the
> cells to explode (in a gentle sort of way) and destroys much of the
> evidence useful in determining cause of death. In a nutshell: best necropsy
> is immediately, next best is prompt necropsy of refrigerated body. No
> freezing if doing necropsy.
I absolutely agree on all points.
Remember that nothing short of freezing or preserving in
formalin will stop the decomposition process - refrigeration
simply slows it.
All tissues decompose at their own pace - those involved in
the digestive system tend to autodigest fastest, due to the
of digestive enzymes (gallbladder and pancreas - the fastest
decomposers in the body), to the stomach, small intestine, and
colon (which have some digestive juices as well as their own
supply of bacteria to speed it along.)
Depending on the composition of the other tissues, they all
decompose at their own pace. Muscle and bone generally
decomposes the slowest.
With kindest regards,
Bruce H. Williams, DVM, DACVP
END QUOTE
SERIOUSLY, GUESSWORK IS NOT WHAT THEY NEED.
So they need that work, both testing in life, and when
the cause is unknown (or if they are used to teach)
then testing afterward.
Those quoted words are from Dr. Bruce Williams one of the
world's foremost ferret pathology experts.
Sukie (not a vet)
Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
http://www.miamiferret.org/
http://www.ferrethealth.msu.edu/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html
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