No! 95% of pathology concerns living animals. It is not the gloomy work of the forensic pathologist of detective stories but part of veterinary medicine making a contribution to the health and proper treatment of animals.

WHAT IS HISTOPATHOLOGY?

Histopathology is the preparation and microscopic examination of small samples of tissue from an animal. With this examination, the veterinary pathologist can usually say what is wrong (diagnosis) and what is most likely to happen to the animal (prognosis).

This information helps your veterinary surgeon to decide the best treatment for your animal.

WHO IS THE PATHOLOGIST?

Veterinary medicine has an ever-expanding range of knowledge and skills so (as in human medicine) there are specialists in different subjects. A veterinary pathologist is a registered veterinary surgeon who gives an opinion, based on specialised training and experience.

Your veterinary surgeon chooses a pathologist carefully because treatment will be based on his/her advice, as an example skin diseases can be particularly difficult to diagnose and treat so experience and specialist knowledge is very important.

The pathologist's report is written for your veterinary surgeon in technical language.