What is a Necropsy?

Are you familiar with the word “necropsy”? No? Actually, you probably are! You’ve just heard it called an “autopsy.” Technically, an autopsy is when a doctor performs a postmortem (“after death”) examination on a human. A necropsy is the appropriate term used for any such evaluation performed on an animal.

Why is the Post-Death Procedure so Important?

All veterinarians do necropsies at some point in their careers. In fact, one of the first things that we learn in veterinary school is how to perform one.

In routine dog and cat practice, a necropsy can be useful for all kinds of reasons, but mostly because knowing what lies beneath is critical to our understanding of the disease process at hand.

Sometimes, it’s the only way that we can identify how and why a pet passed away. Not only does this give pet parents peace of mind, but also helps veterinarians and scientists gain an even broader understanding of the diseases and injuries that affect animals. Necropsies have been crucial to the advancement of veterinary medicine and we owe a lot of our current treatment capabilities to discoveries made during these procedures in the past.

Do all Veterinarians Perform Necropsies?

According to some estimates, animal forensics is one of the fastest-growing specialty areas in veterinary medicine today.

Many veterinarians are keenly aware that to investigate pets after death is to advance our skills and knowledge base for the betterment of animal medicine; however, not every vet will perform a necropsy in the course of daily practice. If you are interested in having a necropsy performed for your recently passed pet, contact us and we can provide you with recommendations.

Who Performs my Pets Necropsy?

If you’re interested in having a necropsy performed on your pet, we primarily will refer you to Veterinary Pathology Services or Midwestern University.  At both facilities your pets is overseen by a board-certified pathologist or a veterinarian trained and experienced in postmortem examinations. .