Pennsylvania Animal Diagnostic Laboratory System
PADLS User Guide Tests Pathology Necropsy Service
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9.5.2 Necropsy Service

Submitters may send fresh, recently dead animals to the PADLS laboratory of their choice. Deliveries of dead animals or samples may be made 24 hours a day. Live animals may be submitted only by prior arrangement. Arrangements for transportation should be made by the client as soon as possible. Chill carcasses if feasible; do not freeze. Antemortem blood samples (whole blood or serum) should be taken prior to pre-transport euthanasia and should accompany the submission. Referring veterinarians or clients are encouraged to notify the lab and consult with the pathologist before sending the carcass. A clinical history, written by the referring veterinarian or flock supervisor, should accompany the submission. Individuals submitting wild animals for necropsy must receive permission from the Pennsylvania Game Commission prior to submission of the animal. Insurance cases and cases with the potential for litigation must be identified as such.

Please call for instructions for emergency necropsy submissions during evening and weekend hours.

Ancillary tests beyond the gross postmortem examination are at the discretion of the pathologist. The necropsy fee covers most routine tests (e.g., bacteriology, histology, virology, serology, some toxicology, etc.), however, extensive testing may incur additional fees. Tests that cannot be done by PADLS are sent to various referral laboratories. Turn-around time is usually two weeks. Some tests, e.g., special toxicologic assays and virus isolation, may take several more weeks. Submitters will be apprised of the status of their case, and addendums will be issued as information becomes available. Cosmetic necropsies are not performed.

Carcasses are incinerated/rendered immediately after necropsy and no parts of the body can be returned.

Disposal of carcasses not submitted for necropsy is by arrangement only and may incur a fee.

Necropsy of animals in a state of advanced autolysis is at the discretion of the pathologist.

Procedure	Species	Tissue/ Specimen	Container	Shipping*	Turn Around	Remarks
Mammalian Necropsy	Domesticated livestock, confined wildlife, zoo animals	Necropsy animals should be submitted recently dead or terminal. Multiple animals are desirable as indicated on the fee schedule.	Small carcasses should be bagged and boxed	Client delivery as soon as possible after death, or alive.	14 days	Cases requiring the removal of the spinal cord require three weeks for completion.
Avian Necropsy	Domesticated fowl, confined wild birds, zoo birds, ratites	5-8 fresh dead and/or live birds representative of the condition	Rigid, leakproof, container with gel packs (dead birds).	Hand deliver or overnight courier. Mail only M-Th	14 days	Live birds should be transported in appropriate crates.
Rabies suspects	All mammals	Whole body or head	See Rabies section for shipping instructions	Hand deliver or overnight courier	3 working days	Human exposure cases are submitted to the PA Dept. of Health Lab. PADLS labs will remove, package, and ship rabies suspects' brains to the PADoH. For further information, refer to the rabies section of the User Guide.

*If shipping to PSU, do not use the US Postal Service

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