Anybody well versed in rat dissection?

Looking for somebody to give me a call so I can discuss a rat dissection (will take any biology major who has done plenty of animal dissections, but would love anybody who knows a bit more about the inner workings of a rat).

Sent a rat in for necropsy due to the die-off we've had (http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...t-the-cause-is.) but decided to dissect a recently dead rat and see if anything obvious looks like a concern. I know I'm not a vet, and I'm terribly sloppy with my little razor blade, but from the little I remember from highschool and my college biology course, this rat doesn't look too unusual inside..

Anyway.. if you are able to help me out, please send me a PM so I can shoot you my phone to have a rat chat. Thanks!

Actually, I'll just add the photos. Sorry a couple of them are blurry. Camera decided it didn't like the shiny bits in the rat. What I specifically was looking for was a sign of hemorrhaging, somewhere, anywhere in the rat.

Not that I think anybody will raise a fuss here on a snake forum, where rodents are regularly fed off or euthanized, I still feel I should add: I did NOT kill this rat, it was found dead, as were several others. A live rat was taken to the vet today for a necropsy, to provide the freshest sample possible. She died 5 minutes after arriving at the vet, was packaged up, and shipped to the lab. I understand very well that I am not a vet, and I openly admit I have little experience in dissection, or proper diagnosis based off of a dissection - I've decided to do one in an attempt to visually see what's going on in my colony, to hopefully learn something, or be able to connect any info I find with the lab results of a necropsy.

ON to the details...
-I'm guessing the rat has been dead between 6-8 hours based on the last time they were checked, and because rigor mortis has already set in. It's been about 60*F all day.
- I didn't notice any blood where it shouldn't be - leaking or dried up anywhere. But this is also why I want others to take a look. See anything I don't see that is concerning? Colors that aren't normal? I'm not sure if the white-ish discoloration on the lungs is normal, or if it coincides with the following:
- Once I cut away the rib cage, I did notice quite a bit of milky-gray fluid, but again, no blood. I do not know if this is something that has happened after death, or if it is fluid built up in the lungs, perhaps a sign of pneumonia?


Feel free to take a look...

GRAPHIC IMAGE WARNING:DO NOT CLICK THE FOLLOWING LINK IF YOU CANT STAND OOGY BITS OR THE INSIDES OF FURRY CREATURES -

http://www.flickr.com/photos/6680642...n/photostream/ (click left along the images to see dissection progression, click right to see cute baby ball photos)

Those pics were beyond disgusting, but super interesting as well.

I have nothing to add, but hopefully the necropsy will show why all your ratties are dying.

Keep us updated

Wow, I've forgotten quite a lot since I kept rats as pets. Just remembered Ratguide.com, and two 'big hitters' as far as disease/illness goes.

Sendai http://ratguide.com/health/viruses/sendai_virus_sv.php fits the symptoms I've been seeing, and can kill quickly as I'm seeing, but honestly, not sure how common it is. The recorded outbreaks on the RMCA website show that it really isn't very common, but when it does happen it can be catastrophic.


We've been treating with echinacea, pedialyte, yogurt, and vitamin C (vet will not give us any antibiotics unless we know the problem - we told her that honestly, at the rate they've been going, there might not be any rats left by the time we get the necropsy results). While we've seen fewer rats get sick, and I've even seen a couple go from looking like death to running around and looking healthy the next day, I do not know if any improvements have to do with the supplements or simply due to things naturally running their course. Either way fingers crossed more start improving :please:

Nothing looks out of the ordinary from what I could tell in the pictures. Having some fluid in the pleural cavity would make sense as there is always fluid present to provide lubrication between the lungs and the cavity wall. Though usually only just enough to lubricate. I've never dissected a rat, but I've done quite a few other species, and the organs all look pretty normal.

I wouldn't be sure of course if anything was abnormally swollen unless I had a baseline to go off of. (i.e.: healthy rat). But even then, it would be iffy. :/ Unless you know, more or less, what you should be looking for, it's hard to tell much of anything.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by WarriorPrincess90

Nothing looks out of the ordinary from what I could tell in the pictures. Having some fluid in the pleural cavity would make sense as there is always fluid present to provide lubrication between the lungs and the cavity wall. Though usually only just enough to lubricate. I've never dissected a rat, but I've done quite a few other species, and the organs all look pretty normal.

I wouldn't be sure of course if anything was abnormally swollen unless I had a baseline to go off of. (i.e.: healthy rat). But even then, it would be iffy. :/ Unless you know, more or less, what you should be looking for, it's hard to tell much of anything.

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I'm not sure on the fluid either. Tried to get it in the photos, but difficult to really pick up. I'm not sure if the amount is considered typical, or excessive, or what the exact consistency is normal (or for that matter, how or if it changes after death).

I was trying to compare to other photos online as well, but most are rather small/lacking detail, or are not fresh (discolored and I'm sure stinking of formaldehyde). The biggest difference I've seen between her photos and those online are that generally everything in her is smaller, and she doesn't have much of any fat.. but I'm not too shocked, as lots of them start dramatically losing weight and general muscle mass just before they die, and this rat specifically was a younger, never bred, female.

I've dissected many rats.

Here's a healthy rat that I dissected in the past. She was also euthanized minutes before the procedure (the body was still warm during the first cut). There are some differences between your rat and mine. It might be just the angle of your photos, but some organs look a little enlarged and slightly discolored. But it could also be because the body has been sitting for a while too.



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v9...85076213_o.jpg


I don't think it's possible to see any cause of the illness w/ the necropsy alone. It looks generally ok. It would need to go through pathology to test samples.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by satomi325

I've dissected many rats.

Here's a healthy rat that I dissected in the past. She was also euthanized minutes before the procedure (the body was still warm during the first cut). There are some differences between your rat and mine. It might be just the angle of your photos, but some organs look a little enlarged and slightly discolored. But it could also be because the body has been sitting for a while too.



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v9...85076213_o.jpg


I don't think it's possible to see any cause of the illness w/ the necropsy alone. It looks generally ok. It would need to go through pathology to test samples.

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Thank you Satomi :) There is a seperate rat that went to the vet today, and is on it's way to the lab for testing. The rat that was dissected (and in the photos) is one that died this afternoon that I dissected when I noticed it right when I got home. Hopefully we'll get some worthwhile information from the rat that went for testing.

I have nothing to add but, good luck! I hope you figure out what's wrong!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by WarriorPrincess90

Nothing looks out of the ordinary from what I could tell in the pictures. Having some fluid in the pleural cavity would make sense as there is always fluid present to provide lubrication between the lungs and the cavity wall. Though usually only just enough to lubricate. I've never dissected a rat, but I've done quite a few other species, and the organs all look pretty normal.

I wouldn't be sure of course if anything was abnormally swollen unless I had a baseline to go off of. (i.e.: healthy rat). But even then, it would be iffy. :/ Unless you know, more or less, what you should be looking for, it's hard to tell much of anything.

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x2 never have done a rat before either but looks pretty normal to me. All of the organs; liver, stomach, intestines, kidneys, heart, look normal imo. The last dissection i did though was a cat so obviously theres a slight difference between the two species haha. I would trust Satomi's opinion the most bc she works in a testing facility and regularly "plays" with rats.