Postmortem Examination of Veterolegal Cases

Postmortem examination of veterolegal cases in these cases has to conducted in order to ascertain the time since death and cause of death.

Rules for Postmortem Examination

• To be done by written order from the police officer or the Executive Magistrate.
• Carefully read the police report first.
• Examination to be done in day light. (Before sunset / after sunrise).
• Examination to be thorough and complete.
• All the details to be noted in the PM reports on the spot of the PM examination.
• The notes and the report to be sent to the Court must tally with each other (Police and owner).
• Should have fair knowledge of the normal and pathological appearance of viscera.
• Time and date of arrival of carcass to be noted.
• No unnecessary delay in conducting PM.
• No unauthorised person should be allowed to be present at the time of PM except investigating police officer.

Instruments Required for Postmortem

Chemicals

• Preservatives like common salt and alcohol.
• Fixatives like 10% Formalin, 50% glycerin, liquid paraffin, mercuric chloride, chromates, osmic acid etc.

Procedure for Postmortem Examination

External examination

• Note the general condition of the carcass.
• Note the species age, bread and sex of the animal.
• Examine the body surface for injuries, burns, swellings etc.
• Look for the discharge form the natural orifices.
• Examine the visible mucous membranes.
• Examine the external genitalia.
• All bone for fracture and joint dislocation.

Internal Examination

• Necropsy procedure: Equine
• Place the horse on the right side down.
• Make an incision through skin in the ventral medicine line form chin to anus dorsolaterally around the mammary glands or penis.
• Skin of the left side of neck, thorax and abdomen is reflected.
• Left fore and hind limbs are severed by cutting all muscles and attachments.
• Finish skinning thorax and abdomen to the top of the spinous process of the vertebrae.
• Incise midline form xiphoid to pubis and pubis to lumbar region through abdominal wall.
• Pull upward and forward the large flab of abdominal wall and cut diaphragm dorso-ventrally close toits attachments.
• Abdominal viscera are removed in the following order:
  • Great colon and caecum.
  • Left kidney
  • Left adrenal
  • The small colon
  • The small intestines
  • Liver
  • Right kidney
  • Right adrenal
  • The stomach
• Thoracic cavity-by cutting ribs along their ventral ends form thoracic inlet to last rib.
• Remove the thoracic organs by cutting oesophagus, trachea and other attachments lift the heart and lungs out.
• Cut the symphysis of pubis. Examine-genital organs, rectum and urinary bladder.

Ruminants

• Keep the left side down in order to keep the rumen out of way.
• Right fore and hind legs are severed. Disarticulate right hind limb.
• Incision from jaws to the perineal region.
• Skin of right side reflected.
• Abdominal wall is removed.
• Rumen, reticulum, omasum and abomasum are opened in situ and examined.
• Expose thorax as in the case of horse.
• Lungs and heart removed with trachea and oesophagus.
• Urogenital organs are removed.

Swine

• Place the carcass on its back on the table (supine position).
• Incisions are made to drop the limbs horizontally.
• Remove a strip of the ventral body wall from chin to the pubis regions.
• At sternal incisions passing through the costal cartilages.
• The anterior end of the sternal is raised with the left hand so that the heart in not cut.
• Ventral abdominal wall in incised and left to the pubis.
• Thoracic cavity by breaking ribs.
• Thoracic organs removed.
• First remove the spleen and omentum.
• Push the intestines left side in order to examine rectum.
• Cut the oesophagus posterior to diaphragm.
• Liver, stomach and intestines removed together.
• Remove adrenal glands before kidneys.
• Kidney by tearing its peritoneal covering.
• Seminal vesicles and other accessory organs in boar.

Canine and Feline

• Place the dorsum upon the table.
• Head and neck straightened.
• Incision from mandibular symphysis to pubis.
• Mammary gland examined.
• Separate the skin.
• Legs pulled to the sides.
• Cut the coxo-femoral joints.
• Incision from xiphoid cartilage to the pubis.
• Make transverse incision.
• Abdominal cavity in exposed.
• Expose thoracic cavity by cutting sternal ribs/cartilage.
• Examine the organs in situ.

Examination of Organs

Lungs

• Lungs and associated lymph node inspected.
• Open the trachea and its branches.
• Incision to different lobes.
• Squeeze the cut edges and examine for pus, blood or edematous.
• Examine diaphragmatic lobe for parasites.

Hearts

• Examine pericardium, pericardial fluid and epicardium.
• Remove pericardium.
• locate the septum and open right ventricle by incision.
• Pass the knife tricuspid valve into the pulmonary artery and open it.
• Similar procedure followed to left side heart.
• Pulmonary vein opened by passing knife through bicuspid valve.

Brains

Examine for the presence of tumors, cysts, abscesses, parasites, haemorhages etc.

Digestive tract

Parenchymatous organs: Liver, spleen, kidneys, testes, adrenals.