I was recently asked to post a couple of guidelines for ferret autopsies. No, this is not going to be a primer on how to autopsy your own ferret, but some guidelines on how to maximize the diagnostic information which you can get from a post mortem. 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 enzymes. 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 due an "abdominal post" - sample the thoracic organs, as well as a range of lymph nodes, eyes, and the nervous system.

7. If the animal was showing neurological 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 probably 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.