Foreword:
If
you have come to this page, you are
probably doing so out of love and
concern for your pet and a love of
this wonderful breed. Owning and
loving a pet is a wonderful
experience. By contributing to the
breed once your pet has passed is a
very, very special way of helping
the White Shepherd community and
giving your pet a chance to make an
invaluable contribution.
From current and future generations
of White Shepherds---Thank You!
PREPARE FOR NECROPSY
√
Read all the steps provided
on the WSGP website
√
Discuss your plans with Judy
Huston. If you can’t reach Judy,
contact Mona Persson. If you’re in
Canada, discuss with Joanne Chanyi
√
Discuss your wishes with your
vet. Explain the importance of a
comprehensive necropsy. Provide
your vet with links to the Necropsy
pages of the WSGP website
√
Locate the nearest University
that can perform the Necropsy.
First check the list of Universities
that WSGP already has accounts with.
Necropsy
Resources/Universities
SETTING UP IN ADVANCE
WITH A UNIVERSITY
√
Some Universities will
require a referral from your vet.
Discuss your wishes with your vet in
advance
If
you have committed to donate organ
samples for other research projects,
you will need to make special
arrangements. Ex: An owner has
committed to donate liver, spleen
and kidney samples to a separate
research project. Those samples
must be harvested prior to taking
the dog to the University for the
Necropsy. Discuss this extensively
with your vet. One possibility is
to have your vet harvest the samples
before you take your pet in for the
necropsy.
√
Be
prepared to provide the University
with your pet’s medical history.
Your vet can provide you with the
information or forward it to the
University
√
Contact the university for
Referrals to cremation services to
handle the remains
Cremation
√
et
directions and have them ready in
advance
ABOUT NECROPSIES
An
autopsy done on animals is a
Necropsy. It can be used to
determine cause of death or the
changes produced by disease. It is
extremely valuable because it
provides an opportunity to examine
everything, both inside and out.
The body is visually and manually
examined and organs and sections of
tissue can be sent to be examined in
detail by a pathologist.
When we lose a cherished pet, a
Necropsy is not something most of us
want to think about while we are
grieving, but is a way to contribute
to the White Shepherd breed by
giving knowledge that will help in
future breeding practices. It will
also give us an understanding of
what was going on with our pets.
Organs and tissue distracted during
a Necropsy are considered bio-hazard
and will be disposed of in an
appropriate manner by the facility
performing the necropsy. Your pet’s
remains must be cremated.
In
a necropsy for the White Shepherd
Genetics Project, we not only want
to know the cause of death, we want
to get a comprehensive picture of
other things that may have been
going on with your dog that may or
may not have been clinical
CREMATION
√
It is your responsibility to
make the arrangements for
cremation. Cremation is at your
expense
√
Ask at the university about
their cremation policy, procedures
and prices.
Some universities provide ashes that
come from the accumulation of all
animals cremated on the same day as
your dog. They are usually called
“representative ashes.” Ask about
their services and the charge for
these services.
An
individual cremation is more
expensive than representative ashes
√
The university you deal with
can tell you about the cremation
they provide or give you referrals
to independent cremation services
√
Contact
the cremation services and have them
explain the different options
STEPS TO TAKE WHEN
YOUR LOVED PET HAS PASSED
√
If your pet passes at the
vets, or needs to be euthanized,
remind your vet that you would like
to take your pet to a university for
a comprehensive necropsy in
collaboration with the White
Shepherd Genetics Project. Some
Universities will require a
referral from your vet
√
If your pet passes elsewhere
and the University requires a
referral from your vet, inform your
vet that your pet has passed and
have him provide a referral for the
necropsy. Remind him that it will
be in collaboration with the White
Shepherd Genetics Project
√
Download the forms for the
necropsy from the WSGP website.
Submit two copies to the
university—one to go in the dog’s
file and one to go with the body
g
Necropsy Check List (Provide
2 copies to the University)
g
Necropsy Letter (Provide 2
copies to the University)
g
WSGP ID Sheet (Fill out and
fax to Judy Huston) )
√
Contact the university to let
them know you will be arriving
√
Contact Judy Huston or Mona
Persson in the US or Joanne Chanyi
in Canada
o
Judy Huston
517-546-3046 Email:
hustonjudy@gmail.com
o
Joanne Chanyi
519-847-5206 Email:
Joanne@hooprint.ws
o
Mona Persson
773-749-7297 Email:
monapurrs@aol.com
√
It is extremely important
your pet be necropsied as soon after
death as possible
-
Prior to
arriving at the university,
keep your pet cool. You can
use a container and ice
packs if necessary
-
Do not
enclose your pet in plastic
until the body is well
chilled
-
If long
delays are anticipated, the
carcass should be frozen.
Remember, however, freezing
prohibits using tissues for
histopathology and makes
isolation of some pathogens
impossible
-
Be
advised: Most universities
can perform emergency
necropsies during off-hours
for a charge. You would be
responsible for the charge
if you choose this option
√
Make arrangements for
cremation
WHITE SHEPHERD
GENETICS PROJECTS INVOLVEMENT
-
WSGP will pay
for approved necropsies
-
By agreeing
to the necropsy, you are
agreeing the WSGP can use and
publish the necropsy results on
the website, in articles and for
research
-
The
universities are instructed to
provide WSGP with results
including the Preliminary
Report, Final Report and the
WSGP Checklist. The
universities will typically send
a copy to your vet
-
WSGP will
have a qualified professional
translate the report(s) into
layman’s terms
-
Information
from the necropsy results is
submitted to the WSGP Database
in your dog’s name, including
sire and dam names. Copies can
be sent to you upon request.
Revised August 1,
2008
