Breathitt Veterinary Center Pathology, Necropsy, and Receiving Departments

The pathology section, staffed by four trained veterinary pathologists, determines the cause of illness and/or death of an animal by performing necropsy examinations on animals submitted to the laboratory and by microscopic examination of tissue samples.

While performing a necropsy examination, the pathologist collects appropriate tissue samples to route to various laboratory sections for further testing. The pathologist combines information from these tests along with gross and microscopic examination of tissue samples to determine the cause of illness and death.