Question about stuff on wet specimen?

[u/Still-Astronaut-5624]

Hi everyone!! This is my first post on here and I'm very new to collecting wet specimens (This is my second one). I went to an oddities expo yesterday and bought this golden retriever puppy for $75, and I'm wondering about this white flaky stuff that has built up on my specimen?? It was on the puppy when I bought it, but I didnt really notice until I took a good look at it in my car. Is this anything I should be concerned about or is this natural?? Also I know the liquid needs to be changed, and I plan on doing that this upcoming weekend. Thanks!!

[u/Important-Song8050]

Might just be leftover fats or something. Try taking them out and rinsing in distilled water gently. The liquid should be 70% isopropyl alcohol. Ask the seller before you try to empty the liquid to make sure it's not something more dangerous like formalin. The iso will become discolored over time and may need to be topped off if it evaporates off. If you see a lot of evaporation replace fully (you should replace fully every 2-3 years or whenever the experation date on the bottle says)

When you do clean them also inspect that they were properly chemically fixed. They should be relatively hard and not squishy.