Where should I perform a necropsy?

It is important that you keep biosecurity in mind when performing a necropsy. The best place to necropsy an animal is:

• Away from other animals, food storage areas, and workers on the property.
• An area that can be easily and thoroughly disinfected.
• Easily accessible for the rendering truck to enter without having to drive through animal pens or feed areas.
• Preferably it is a concrete pad, which can be cleaned fairly easily with a good disinfectant. If you have a concrete pad, try to work in an area that is rough. Smooth concrete may pose a safety hazard once it gets wet with water and/or blood.
• If you do not have access to such a concrete pad, a dirt area would be the next best area. Like the pad, the dirt area should be away from other animals on the property and accessible for the rendering truck. Unlike concrete, the dirt area cannot be easily disinfected. For this reason it is best to have the area in direct sunlight because the heat and light will help kill many pathogens.
  
• For both areas it may be beneficial to put up a fence, preferably one that is buried a few feet under ground. This will help to keep out wildlife that may serve as a vector for the spread of disease.
  
  

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