Can I still get a necropsy for my dog after he was euthanized?

I'm so sorry to hear about the loss of your dog! I know how hard it is to have a pet pass away suddenly like this, without any warning. From what you're describing here, I would be suspicious of a sudden cardiac arrhythmia, or a tumor in his heart or abdomen that may have ruptured suddenly - both of these are relatively common causes of sudden death in middle-aged or older large-breed dogs. With either of these problems, there is usually nothing anyone can do - even if it happened in the lobby of your vet's office and they were able to start working on him immediately, it's unlikely that this would have made any difference at all. So try not to feel guilty. It sounds like you did the best you could, and I don't believe it would have changed the outcome even if you had left immediately for the vet's office. Again, I'm very sorry for your loss. If you think it would help you to have piece of mind, you could ask your veterinarian about arranging for an autopsy to be done (called a necropsy in animals). This would be the best way to determine what the cause of death was.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am so sorry that this is happening! Yes, necropsy's include a full exam off all tissues including the brain. Any abnormal tissue is sent for biopsy. I would have it done at a lab like Antech or Idexx or at a Veterinary School. It is very likely that he is brain dead if his pupils are dilated and he isn't breathing on his own. I hope this helps!

I'm so sorry to hear of your dog's passing! You are welcome to request a consultation with one of us if you like - this would allow you to upload medical records, lab results, and any other information you have for us to look at. We would be happy to try and help if we can.

I'm so sorry to hear about the loss of your dog. There are many different problems that could cause those symptoms, so unfortunately an autopsy (called a necropsy in animals) would be the only way to know for sure. Some possible causes would include some type of toxicity (such as antifreeze or rat poison), an illness such as kidney or liver failure, or some type of cancer. Your vet could do a necropsy or direct you to a pathologist for more advanced testing if you want to try and determine a specific cause of death.

I'm very sorry to hear about the loss of your dog. It's possible that he may have had a stroke or blood clot secondary to his heart disease that traveled to his brain. Or, if he was regularly having collapsing episodes due to his heart (syncope), what you saw may have been one of these that was especially severe, as this is a common cause of sudden death in dogs with severe heart problems. If you want to try to get a more definite answer on what the cause of death may have been, you would need to have an autopsy done, called a necropsy in animals. Your veterinarian should be able to let you know where you can have this done, if it's something you want to pursue. Again, I'm very sorry for your loss.

I'm sorry to hear this happened. It sounds like he was already in rigor mortis when you found him since you were unable to open the mouth easily. Rigor can start as soon as 10 minutes or up to three hours after death and can last as long as 72 hours. So that will not help you pinpoint when he died or what caused his death. The corneal reflex (eye) stops very quickly after death, within minutes. I do not know if he could have been saved if you had found him earlier. I do not have enough information to go on. If you want to know for sure what caused his death you should have your vet do a necropsy (autopsy).

I am so very sorry that you lost your dog. The only way to find out why your dog died would be to send him in for a post mortem. If you would like to do this you have to put him in a cold place, preferably either under ice, or in a fridge (not freezer) and then take him to your vet to be sent to a pathology laboratory or you can take him to a pathology lab yourself tomorrow. Here are two labs in Edmonton: http://www.companylisting.ca/Central_Veterinary_Pathology_Laboratory/default.aspx http://www.ibegin.com/directory/ca/alberta/edmonton/vpl-veterinary-pathology-lab-8131-roper-rd-nw/ Give them a call first to find out where to take it. I am so sorry you had to go through this trauma. Your dog likely did not suffer as he was unconscious.