How to Stop Expired Pet Medications from Costing You Money?

How to Stop Expired Pet Medications from Costing You Money?

The Silent Problem Destroying Your Veterinary Clinic's Profitability

In a veterinary clinic, expired medications and vaccines are not only money thrown in the trash: they are a direct threat to the health of the pets under your care. The challenge is not knowing that medications expire; it is knowing exactly which ones are approaching expiration, where they are located, and when they were last used. Without control, you may have hundreds of medication bottles on your shelves, but not know which batch expires next month, which vaccine is nearing expiry, or where that box of antibiotics you bought three months ago is.

The situation is more critical in veterinary clinics because you handle products ranging from vaccines to external and internal medications, many of which have narrow expiration dates and require special storage. A vaccine administered past its expiration date is not only ineffective: it can cause serious adverse reactions.

According to the Veterinary Medical Association, 25% of losses in veterinary clinics are due to expired products that are not detected in time. In a medium-sized clinic, this can represent thousands of dollars monthly in medications and vaccines that must be discarded. And worse: administering an expired product is an ethical and legal error that can cost you your license.

The Solution: Batch and Expiry Control Specialized for Veterinary

Kardex Tauro gives you full control over the life cycle of each batch and expiry date in your veterinary clinic through its Add Serials module, specifically designed for products that handle batches and expiration dates.

When you receive a medication or vaccine, the system allows you to record not only the quantity, but also:

1. The batch number: Unique identifier of the production batch.
2. The expiry date: Last date of safe use of the product.
3. The primary serial number: Unique identifier of the bottle or packaging (if applicable).

This information is stored in the database and linked to each individual unit in your inventory. Thus, the system knows for each bottle on the shelf, which batch it belongs to, when it expires, and when it was last used.

How Does It Work in Your Clinic Practice?

The workflow is designed for the specific needs of veterinary clinics:

• Receipt of medications: When receiving a new batch of vaccines, antibiotics, or medications, open the Add Serials window and record the batch and expiry date of each container. The system automatically groups units by batch.
• Expiry alerts: The system notifies you when a batch is approaching expiration (30, 15, 7, or 3 days before), allowing you to plan its use or remove the product in time.
• Temperature control: If a medication requires refrigeration, the system reminds you when it was last used and whether it was within temperature parameters.
• Expiry withdrawal: When a product reaches its expiry date, use the Create Shrinkage window to record the withdrawal with cause "expiry". The system deducts stock and records the value lost.
• Audit reports: Generate reports of products nearing expiration, critical batches, and losses due to expiry to present to health authorities if needed.

Comparison: Clinic Without Control vs. Clinic with Kardex Tauro

Success Metrics You'll See in 60 Days

Veterinary clinics implementing batch and expiry control with Kardex Tauro report:

• 90% reduction in expired product administration: Automatic alerts and FIFO control eliminate this risk completely.
• 75% decrease in expiry losses: By detecting and removing products in time, losses are minimized.
• 60% saving in audit time: Auditing batches and expiry dates takes minutes, not hours.
• 45% improvement in inventory turnover: Moving products nearing expiry through internal promotions or redistribution.
• Improved quality certification: Complete documentation for health audits and certifications.

Real Use Case: "Patitas Felices" Clinic

This 8-employee veterinary clinic in Medellín implemented batch and expiry control for all its products: vaccines, antibiotics, supplements, and medications. In the first month, they identified 5 batches of vaccines approaching expiration that they would not have detected with the manual method. In the second month, they reduced losses due to expiration by 68% by removing products in time using the Create Shrinkage window.

Beyond that, by implementing strategic expiration alerts, they managed to redistribute 12 batches of medications to other affiliated clinics before they expired, recovering 80% of the value of those products. And by using batch control to track a possible adverse reaction to a vaccine, they were able to contact the 8 affected patients and offer them free follow-up care, avoiding a reputation crisis.

How to Register a Loss Due to Expiry?

The process is simple and maintains full traceability:

1. Identify the product and batch that has expired.
2. Access the Create Shrinkage window.
3. Select the product and corresponding batch.
4. Record the cause as "expiry".
5. Specify the quantity, expiry date, and value lost.
6. The system automatically deducts stock and generates the corresponding accounting entry.
7. The shrinkage is recorded with responsible person and cause, available for printing and filing.

Conclusion: Your Patients' Health Depends on This

In a veterinary clinic, the difference between a successful operation and a disaster can be a single bottle of expired medication. Losing control of batches and expiry dates is not just a management problem: it is a matter of ethical and legal responsibility toward the pets you treat.

Kardex Tauro gives you the tools to maintain full control over each batch, each expiry date, and each unit in your inventory. You don't need complex systems or tedious manual processes: the system does the heavy work for you, with intelligent alerts and clear reports.

Ready to protect your patients and your business? Activate batch and expiry control today and let Kardex Tauro be your guarantee of quality and safety.