Do I really need software or is a spreadsheet enough?

For a small practice a well kept spreadsheet is already a huge step up from managing by memory: it lets you record stock, minimum levels, reorder points and expiry dates. Software becomes useful as the number of items and staff grows, because it scales better, cuts transcription errors and can generate the reorder alerts and expiry lists on its own. The method matters more than the tool: software used badly produces data as unreliable as a notebook kept worse.

How do I avoid running out of a critical material mid procedure?

By giving critical materials a wider safety stock and a higher reorder point than common ones. On gauze, syringes, catheters and emergency supplies the cost of running out is not financial but clinical, so a generous buffer pays off. You also need a dedicated check of the emergency trolley, which should be restocked after every use, and a visible reorder signal on the shelf, so the threshold does not depend on one person's memory.

How often should a full stocktake be done?

A full stocktake at least once a year is the minimum, often around the accounting year end. On top of that it is worth adding more frequent sample counts, for example monthly, on high value or high use items, which are where a gap weighs most. These partial checks are quick and catch problems before the annual stocktake reveals them all at once. The right frequency depends on the size of the practice and the value of the stock held.

Is it better to keep few suppliers or compare many at every order?

Switching supplier at every order to chase the lowest price generates more hidden costs than savings: it complicates receiving, multiplies shipments and reduces continuity. It is better to work steadily with a few reliable suppliers and compare them periodically on high use materials, where the price difference really counts. Continuity with a serious supplier pays back in delivery times, returns handling and availability in difficult moments, which are worth more than a few cents per unit.

Clinic operations50 minLevel: IntermediateUpdated on August 20, 2026

Managing stock and supply ordering in a veterinary clinic

Minimum stock, reorder point, rotation and stocktaking: how to organise a veterinary clinic's supplies so you never run out and never bin expired boxes.

Audience: Veterinarians, Pet shops
Species: All species
Scope: Valid everywhere, Italy, European Union

What you need before you start

Un elenco dei materiali di consumo realmente usati in un mese, ricavato dagli ordini e dalle bolle di consegna recenti
Uno spazio di stoccaggio pulito e organizzabile a scaffali, con una zona separata per ciò che richiede la catena del freddo
Un gestionale o anche un semplice foglio condiviso dove registrare scorte minime, scadenze e fornitori per ogni articolo

In a veterinary clinic the store is invisible until it breaks: nobody notices it when it works, everybody notices it when a gauze swab is missing during a suture or when a shelf of expired vials turns up. The two problems, the stockout and the waste, look like opposites but grow from the same cause, the absence of a method that says how much to hold of each thing, when to reorder and how to make what expires first leave first. This guide covers how to build that method for consumables and supplies, from the opening stocktake to the minimum stock level, from expiry rotation to routine reordering, through to the periodic checks that stop the system from decaying. It does not cover controlled drugs or medicines under dedicated regulation, which follow their own rules and a separate register.

Start from a stocktake that tells the truth

A store is not organised from memory: you start from a real count of what is there, item by item. The opening stocktake is tedious and should be done once and done well, because every wrong number at the start drags on for months. The aim is not just to know how much you have, but to give each item a stable identity, so that anyone in the clinic recognises it and records it the same way.

Group materials by category: disposables, dressings, surgical material, diagnostics, cleaning and disinfection, prescription diets.
Give each item a unique name and a clear unit of measure, for example the single pipette or the whole box, and always use it.
Count the real stock on the shelves, not what you think you have, and note the supplier and the average delivery time.
Record the nearest expiry date held in stock for every perishable item.
Physically separate anything needing the cold chain and check that the dedicated fridge is monitored.

Minimum stock and reorder point

The heart of the method is setting two numbers for each item, the minimum stock and the reorder point. The minimum stock is the buffer that should never be touched, the reserve that saves you when the supplier is late. The reorder point is the threshold that, once reached, triggers a new order. Calculating them needs no complicated formulas, it needs you to know two things, how much you use and how long the goods take to arrive.

Estimate average use over the delivery time
Look at how much of an item you use in a week and multiply by the weeks the supplier takes to deliver. That is the quantity needed just to cover the wait for the order.
Add a safety stock
Add a margin for unexpected peaks and supplier delays. On a critical material, such as gauze or catheters, the margin is more generous, because a stockout carries a clinical cost, not only a financial one.
Set the reorder point
The reorder point is the sum of use during delivery plus the safety stock. When stock falls to this level, the order goes out, not a day later.
Mark the threshold visibly
A tag, a line on the shelf or an alert in the software makes the threshold obvious without doing a calculation each time. The method only works if the signal arrives on its own.
Review the numbers every quarter
Use changes with the seasons and with the clinic's activity. A quarterly review avoids holding huge stocks of what you no longer use and running short on what has grown.

Simplified example of a reorder point calculation. The quantities are illustrative and should be adapted to the clinic's real use.
Item	Weekly use	Delivery	Safety stock	Reorder point
Sterile gauze	40	1 week	40	80
Disposable syringes	120	1 week	60	180
IV catheters	15	2 weeks	15	45
Exam gloves	5 boxes	1 week	3 boxes	8 boxes

Rotation and expiry control

Having enough material is no use if it then expires on the shelf. The universal rule is simple, what expires first leaves first, and it has to be made automatic by the physical layout, not left to the goodwill of whoever grabs a box in a hurry. A well rotated store wastes very little, even without daily checks.

Place new deliveries behind the ones already there, so the hand always takes the oldest pack.
Highlight, with a coloured mark, packs that expire within a few months, so they stand out.
Check expiry dates on a schedule, for example one category a week, rather than a single yearly check that is impossible to keep up.
Move what is about to expire into a priority use zone, so it is used before it becomes waste.
Record every expired item discarded: an item that expires often has a stock level too high for its use and needs recalibrating.

Making reordering a process, not an emergency

In most clinics reordering starts from an alarm, someone notices something is missing and orders in a rush. This way of working generates needless shipping costs, mistakes and stockouts. Turning reordering into a regular process, with clear responsibilities, makes it predictable and cheaper.

Give one person responsibility for reordering, with a known deputy for holidays and absences.
Set a fixed day each week when all the needs are gathered and a single order per supplier is placed.
Group orders by supplier to cut shipping costs and simplify the checks at receiving.
Periodically compare two or three suppliers on high use materials, without switching every order so you do not lose continuity.
Always check incoming goods against the delivery note, and record quantities and expiry dates before shelving them.

Periodic stocktake and continuous improvement

Even the best organised store drifts over time: real stock diverges from recorded stock through unlogged withdrawals, breakages and small errors. A periodic stocktake realigns the system with reality and turns the gaps into useful information, rather than letting them build up until the next surprise.

Schedule a full stocktake at least once a year and more frequent sample counts on high value items.
Compare counted stock with recorded stock and investigate the large gaps, which often reveal an untracked withdrawal.
Update minimum stock and reorder points on current use data, not on last year's figures.
Remove from the catalogue items that have sat still for months, tying up space and capital without serving.
Document the decisions taken, so the method survives even when the person running it changes.

A good store is never seen working: it is noticed only when it stops, which is exactly why it deserves a method rather than improvisation.
Principle of stock management

Frequently asked questions

Do I really need software or is a spreadsheet enough?: For a small practice a well kept spreadsheet is already a huge step up from managing by memory: it lets you record stock, minimum levels, reorder points and expiry dates. Software becomes useful as the number of items and staff grows, because it scales better, cuts transcription errors and can generate the reorder alerts and expiry lists on its own. The method matters more than the tool: software used badly produces data as unreliable as a notebook kept worse.
How do I avoid running out of a critical material mid procedure?: By giving critical materials a wider safety stock and a higher reorder point than common ones. On gauze, syringes, catheters and emergency supplies the cost of running out is not financial but clinical, so a generous buffer pays off. You also need a dedicated check of the emergency trolley, which should be restocked after every use, and a visible reorder signal on the shelf, so the threshold does not depend on one person's memory.
How often should a full stocktake be done?: A full stocktake at least once a year is the minimum, often around the accounting year end. On top of that it is worth adding more frequent sample counts, for example monthly, on high value or high use items, which are where a gap weighs most. These partial checks are quick and catch problems before the annual stocktake reveals them all at once. The right frequency depends on the size of the practice and the value of the stock held.
Is it better to keep few suppliers or compare many at every order?: Switching supplier at every order to chase the lowest price generates more hidden costs than savings: it complicates receiving, multiplies shipments and reduces continuity. It is better to work steadily with a few reliable suppliers and compare them periodically on high use materials, where the price difference really counts. Continuity with a serious supplier pays back in delivery times, returns handling and availability in difficult moments, which are worth more than a few cents per unit.

What to do next

Build a stocktake with a unique name and a single location for every item, then give each one a minimum stock and a reorder point calculated on use and delivery times. Make rotation automatic by placing what expires first at the front, turn reordering into a fixed weekly day with clear responsibility, and schedule periodic stocktakes to realign the system and update the thresholds on real use.