Equine Necropsy

Overview

An equine necropsy procedure is similar to an autopsy.

In a medical facility, veterinarians make surgical cuts to the horse's muscle and tissue. Investigators look for lesions, fluids, bruises, hemorrhages, and any signs of disease. They remove the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys and spleen. Tissue samples are tested for toxins.

An equine necropsy includes:

• a visual examination for trauma and lesions
• dissection of the body
• tissue collection from all main organs, including the lungs, liver, kidneys and heart
• microscopic examination for abnormalities
• toxicology tests.

Complete necropsy results can take two or three weeks to obtain conclusive results, particularly when toxins rather than disease is suspected.

An equine necropsy investigation checks the horse for toxins and also makes a physical inspection of the barn environment, testing samples of feed, vitamins, supplements, hay and soil contaminants.

Investigators can also determine what a horse was exposed to at the barn site itself. An equine necropsy can be used to confirm on-site findings by isolating the same toxins in a dead horse's tissues.

If performance enhancing drugs are involved, toxicology tests reveal exactly which toxins the horse was exposed to.