VetVirtopsy by CT and MRI–Complementing conventional necropsy

•Imaging detects the cause of death in a majority of deceased dogs and cats.•Conventional necropsies are not competed; however, they can be simplified and supplemented.•In cases of space-occupying lesions and trauma, imaging finds the causes of death most reliably.•In cases with systemic inflammatory disease, it is most difficult for imaging to arrive at a correct diagnosis.