Calf Necropsy Timeline

[Mighty Mouse]

I found a (seemingly) healthy 3 week old calf dead in the pasture this evening. I would like to have a necropsy performed, but the vets are all closed until Monday morning. The maximum amount of time that could have elapsed between when the calf died and when I found it is 48 hours, but I would guess the actual time between death and discovery was closer to 24 hours.

I currently have the carcass on ice in a large cooler. Best case timeline, the necropsy would be performed in the range of 60-84 hours after death (with the carcass having been on ice for roughly half of that time FWIW). Will a vet be able to determine anything on a calf dead that long or am I wasting my time trying to preserve the carcass?

 

[wbvs58]

I found a (seemingly) healthy 3 week old calf dead in the pasture this evening. I would like to have a necropsy performed, but the vets are all closed until Monday morning. The maximum amount of time that could have elapsed between when the calf died and when I found it is 48 hours, but I would guess the actual time between death and discovery was closer to 24 hours.

I currently have the carcass on ice in a large cooler. Best case timeline, the necropsy would be performed in the range of 60-84 hours after death (with the carcass having been on ice for roughly half of that time FWIW). Will a vet be able to determine anything on a calf dead that long or am I wasting my time trying to preserve the carcass?

I think it is worth having a go, it won't be like a fresh one but a 3 wk old calf does not have the bacteria of a well developed rumen to spoil the carcass. by keeping it on ice you are slowing things down and the vets should appreciate your efforts.

Ken