Practical gross necropsy of amphibians

Abstract

A complete and thorough necropsy can be an invaluable aid in diagnosing and understanding disease problems in individual amphibians and captive and wild amphibian populations. Diagnostic histopathology is an important adjunct to gross necropsy as many conditions in amphibians lack or have nonspecific gross pathologic findings. Because of the unique characteristics of amphibian skin and the frequency of skin disease, evaluation of the integument is an essential component of all amphibian necropsies. This review provides a general overview of amphibian gross necropsy as well as specific suggestions for common presentations such as unexpected death, skin disease, subcutaneous edema, and hydrocoelom and necropsy of larvae.