Serum samples collected at necropsy were analyzed for anti‐dsDNA antibodies by ELISA as described earlier [49 (link), 53 (link)]. Briefly, pGEM‐3zf plasmid DNA (Promega) was digested with S1‐nuclease (Thermo Fisher Scientific) and biotinylated using Photoprobe Biotin (Vector Labs) following the manufacturer's instructions. Biotinylated dsDNA (1 ng/mL) was used for the assay.