Please, this is IMPORTANT

This was posted on by Peggy and copied here with her permission:

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This year at the SGGA, Dr.Tristan talked about the importance of necropsies and histopaths.

He has asked me to come here and ask if there are any of you out there with Necropsies and Histopaths, he would be forever grateful if you could send a copy of them to him at:

Dr. Tim Tristan
Oso Creek Animal Hospital
7713 South Staples Street
Corpus Christi, TX 78413

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or they can be faxed to:

Fax: 1-361-994-0178

I know many of you over the years have sent them to me to send to him and he says he has many, but to please resend them as there were some of the files that were lost at one point on his computer.

He has some very exciting things taking place and can really use all our help.

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Question:

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Can you tell me how long you can keep a body after death and if you need to do anything to prepare the body for necropsy after death?[/quote

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A body when found should be placed in a ziplock baggie and placed in the fridge until a necropsy can be performed.

To get a good necropsy done, you want to have it done within 24 hours, however, the best time to do it is within the first 12 hours.

As long as the body is in the fridge, tissue samples can be collected for up to 72 hours, but remember, once you go over the 24 hours, you are loosing collection abilities.

I will ask Dr.Tristan to send me over the photo of the items he suggests to use if one needs to ship him (or any other vet) a glider body for necropsy.

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[quote]He also said that it is best if you can get your vet to do one and if they arent sure how, than to have them call him and he can walk them through it on the phone.

If your vet is too expensive, Tristan can and will do one for $25.00

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Oh, how cool! Thank you!
How would one get shipped if needed? Isn't an overnight shipping expensive?
What is the average rate for a necropsy normally? Or does it range like neuters???

*Edited to fix typo

I'm going to post this in your "Health Related Links"

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Originally posted by Sugar Mama

Oh, how cool! Thank you!
How would one get shipped if needed? Isn't an overnight shipping expensive?
What is the average rate for a necropsy normally? Or does it range like neuters???

*Edited to fix typo

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I think these questins are difficult to answer as vet charges differ so much. As far as shipping, that could also depend on where you are shipping from.

Please keep in mind if we DONT do necropsies then most of the time we will never know why our babies died. By doing a necropsy, you are participating in much needed glider health research. It helps everyone, especially our tiny little furry friends. There are still so many things we dont know about them that we need to learn in order to provide them with the life they deserve.

Mine charged $45

Dr. Tristan also spoke at the SGGA two years ago, when I was able to go attend.

He spoke about the need to have our gliders necropsied. His points REALLY struck home with me.

Your average vet doesn't see many gliders. Every time they have the opportunity to do a necropsy, you are educating your vet to be a better vet. They learn more about the anatomy, physiology, organ function, and reproductive abilities of the glider with EACH necropsy. If you have a vet who is a good glider vet, the very sad passing of your glider will help your vet be a BETTER glider vet. In your sorrow over your loss, allowing your glider to be necropsied is the most selfless, generous act you can make - to benefit ALL other gliders.

This thread has further information:
http://www.glidercentral.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/986742/gonew/1/Importance_of_Necropsies_histo#UNREAD

I saw a thread somewhere that had "how to ship" instructions, but can't find it now! I'll post it when I find it!

Edit: Doh! The shipping instructions are in that thread! In the first post, towards the bottom.

Bumping

Necropsies are an incredibly important learning tool. Through their results, the owner can learn why their pet died. In homes with multiple gliders, this can reassure them that their other pets are not in danger. Answers can provide peace of mind. When those results are shared, glider owners as a whole can learn if our current caretaking methods are adequate. Often times, necropsy results cause us to question ways to care for our gliders better. Necropsies encourage learning. The key is in consolidating the information. Generalized conclusions can’t be drawn from one or two necropsy reports. We need as many results, from as many different homes, as possible. The Necropsy Effort is a project of the SUGAR Group. The goals of the Necropsy Effort are:

1) To collect scientific data on sugar glider anatomy, death and physiology through the collection and analysis of necropsy reports and a necropsy survey. When the SURVEY is combined with the necropsy report, the picture becomes even more clear. We are afforded a great deal of additional information by matching necropsy results with the survey. This is one of the methodologies that causes the SUGAR Group’s research to stand out and makes our research unique.

2) To encourage owners to consider having a necropsy (and histopathology) any time one of their beloved gliders passes away by reimbursing a portion of the cost of the procedure(s) for anyone who completes our survey AND provides us with a copy of the reports. The SUGAR Group has a working relationship with a pathologist and we are able to match the owner’s cost. For a necropsy AND histopathology, the owner’s cost would be $50.00. All reports are then sent to the SUGAR Group and entered into our database for future study. All results are stored in 3 different places so that they are never lost to this community. Owners who wish to take advantage of this, may contact the SUGAR group through our website [url]http://www.sugargroup.org[/url]. You may also participate in the study by sending in necropsy reports from past necropsies.

We learn from each and every necropsy performed. Collectively, these reports are helping us to put together a comprehensive picture and to make recommendations for treatment. Even more significant to owners is that the necropsy reports in combination with the surveys are helping us to put together a list of symptoms that one might see BEFORE a glider becomes terminally ill, so that perhaps we can begin to treat some of these conditions and prolong the healthy lives of our gliders. This is an important project, and one that is very near to the hearts of many.

For more information on The SUGAR Group and its projects, visit their [url="http://www.sugargroup.org/"]website[/url]

Great post! Thank you, Brenda.