| In contrast to the well filled stomach of the Angora kid, this is the empty stomach of a young lamb fed upon by two red-tailed hawks. Thus, although the lamb was killed by hawks, it would not have survived. |
During necropsy the carcass should also be examined for the presence of deposits which indicate the plane of nutriton. Fat deposits in the kidney area of this lamb indicate that it was well nourished. |
The lack of fat deposits in the kidney area of this lamb, which was dying of starvation when killed by a red fox, indicates that it was at a very low plane of nutrition when it was killed. |
| In examining carcasses to determine the cause of death of young animals, one factor is whether the animal has been able to rise and walk. The hooves on the left are those of a young goat that did not walk, since it was dead at birth. Those hooves on the right are those of a lamb that lived and walked for 18 hours after birth. |
By examining a series of factors, it is sometimes possible to build a strong case for the cause of death even though individual pieces of evidence are insufficient to provide a diagnosis. The cow shown here is a three-year old heifer that had given birth to her first calf some 12 hours earlier. Her udder provides evidence that her calf had nursed. |
Examination of the Angora kid during necropsy confirmed that it was well nourished and well fed. Note the milk in the somach. |
