Postmortem veterinary toxicology: Animal death investigation and the veterinary diagnostic laboratory

Postmortem veterinary toxicology shares challenges with human postmortem toxicology, including the necessity of analyzing a wide variety of sometimes very degraded samples for many disparate compounds. In veterinary toxicology, additional factors must be considered to formulate an appropriate testing strategy for each case. Major qualitative and quantitative species differences in response to some toxicants result in different toxicological differential lists for a given clinical presentation. The animal's environment will also influence the types of xenobiotics to which it might be exposed. Diagnostic veterinary toxicologists are veterinary medical specialists who apply their knowledge of veterinary medicine, toxicology, and analytical chemistry, to formulate and interpret results of a toxicologic testing strategy in potential poisoning cases. Animal death investigations require collaboration between veterinary diagnostic laboratory personnel (e.g., veterinary pathologists, veterinary toxicologists, and analytical chemists), veterinary practitioners, and animal owners to successfully diagnose poisoning cases. This article is categorized under: Toxicology > Post‐Mortem Toxicology Toxicology > Plants and Poisons