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It is important that post mortem examinations are carried out with a systematic approach.
External examination
- Measure and weigh the lizard and examine the external features.
- Check the skin for bruising, bleeding, ulcerations, burns, lumps, scars, retained shed and ectoparasites.
- Examine the nares, eyes, tympanic membranes, oral cavity and cloaca.
- Assess the musculoskeletal system for body condition and palpate for pathology of the bones
Internal examination
- Open the coelomic cavity. Check for fluid.
- Examine all organs in a systematic manner - heart, great vessels, lung, thyroid, liver, gall bladder, spleen, pancreas, oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, adrenal glands, kidneys, gonads.
- Open trachea, lungs, heart, oesophagus, stomach, and the intestinal tract and section others.
- Note the colour, size, shape and any abnormalities of each organ.
- Take samples for culture and histopathology from diseased tissues and collect faeces from the intestinal tract for parasites and culture