Guides
DEA Compliance Guides
Practical, source-grounded answers to the controlled-substance questions U.S. veterinary practices actually face — built from 21 CFR and DEA guidance, not opinion.
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Controlled Substance Policy & SOPs: What a Veterinary Practice Needs (2026)
What belongs in a veterinary practice's written controlled-substance program — the policies and SOPs that cover registration, access, storage, ordering, logging, inventory, disposal, diversion, and training.
Read the guide →DEA Fines Against Vet Practices: 6 Real Cases (2026)
Real DEA and DOJ enforcement actions against veterinary practices, 2016–2025. Penalties ran $15,000 to $226,000 — almost all for recordkeeping failures.
Read the guide →DEA Inspection Checklist for Veterinary Practices (2026)
What a DEA inspection of a veterinary practice covers, what triggers one, the checklist an investigator works through, and how to prepare with a self-audit.
Read the guide →DEA Registration for a New Vet Practice: Step by Step
How to get a DEA registration for a new veterinary practice — DEA Form 224, fees, timing, separate locations, state rules, and steps before you order drugs.
Read the guide →Veterinary Controlled Substance Log + Free Template
A complete guide to the veterinary controlled substance log — what it must contain, the log types you need, how to fill one out, and a free template to start.
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AAHA Controlled Substance Log Requirements Explained
What AAHA expects for controlled substance logs, the AAHA log components, the reconciliation standard, and how AAHA requirements compare to the DEA minimum.
Read the guide →Biennial Inventory for Vet Controlled Substances (2026)
What the DEA biennial inventory requires — initial vs. biennial, counting at opening or close of business, what to record, and how to sign and retain it.
Read the guide →When Your Controlled Substance Count Doesn't Match: A Reconciliation Guide (2026)
A step-by-step decision tree for veterinary practices when the physical count of a controlled substance doesn't match the log — how to investigate, when it's a recordkeeping error, and when it becomes a reportable loss.
Read the guide →Controlled Substance Log Book for Vet Practices (2026)
Does your vet practice need a bound controlled substance log book? Logbook vs. binder vs. spreadsheet, what it must contain, and a free template to start.
Read the guide →Controlled Substance Schedules & Common Veterinary Drugs (II–V), Explained (2026)
A plain-English guide to the DEA controlled substance schedules and where common veterinary drugs — ketamine, buprenorphine, pentobarbital, butorphanol, phenobarbital, tramadol and more — actually fall.
Read the guide →Controlled Substance Storage Requirements for Vets (2026)
What the DEA actually requires to store controlled substances in a vet clinic — the 'securely locked, substantially constructed cabinet' standard.
Read the guide →DEA Form 106: Reporting Lost or Stolen Drugs (Vets)
When and how a vet practice reports stolen or lost controlled substances — the one-business-day notice, filing DEA Form 106 online, and what comes next.
Read the guide →DEA Form 222 & Ordering Schedule II Drugs in a Veterinary Practice (2026)
How a veterinary practice orders Schedule II controlled substances — DEA Form 222, CSOS electronic ordering, power of attorney, receiving and recording shipments, and the records to keep.
Read the guide →Drug Diversion in Vet Practices: Prevent & Respond (2026)
Drug diversion — staff stealing controlled substances — is a rising risk in vet practices. How to spot the warning signs, prevent it, respond, and report it.
Read the guide →Euthanasia Solution Handling & Records in a Veterinary Practice (2026)
How to store, log, witness, reconcile, and dispose of pentobarbital-based euthanasia solution — the controlled-substance rules that apply to one of the most sensitive drugs in the practice.
Read the guide →How Long to Keep Controlled Substance Records (Vets)
How long a vet practice must keep controlled substance records — the federal two-year minimum, stricter state rules, what's covered, and where to store them.
Read the guide →How to Dispose of Expired Controlled Substances in a Veterinary Practice (2026)
The lawful ways a veterinary practice can dispose of expired or unwanted controlled substances — reverse distributors, DEA Form 41, on-site destruction, what you must document, and what you must never do.
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