Does every vet clinic really need a freezer for dead pets?
Dr. Geoff Carullo, DVM, FPCCP, DPCVSCA
- Articles, GPH Vet Business, News
- 3 min read
When a pet dies inside a veterinary clinic, does that automatically mean the clinic must store the body indefinitely?
Not necessarily. Storage and proper disposition are two different things.
The BAI Veterinary Clinic & Hospital Inspection Form itself includes “Disposition of dead animal” under waste disposal.
The important issue is therefore not simply whether a clinic owns a freezer, but whether it has a safe and lawful system for handling deceased patients.
Animal remains must never be allowed to decompose improperly or become a sanitary hazard.
But a veterinary clinic may have a policy that it does not provide prolonged cadaver storage.
This is where a clear client agreement becomes important.
The owner may agree that if the pet dies:
Of course, a contract cannot override the law.
Whatever the parties agree upon must still comply with BAI, DENR, DOH, sanitation, and applicable local regulations.
But there is an important difference between a clinic improperly storing a cadaver and a clinic that does not offer cadaver storage at all and instead follows a documented procedure for prompt lawful disposition.
If you store a cadaver, store it properly.
If you do not provide storage, have a clear and lawful system for its prompt disposition.
The purpose of regulation should be to prevent decomposition, contamination, improper disposal, and public-health risks, not simply to require every veterinary clinic to own a freezer regardless of how it handles deceased patients.
Good regulation should protect public health while recognizing different but equally compliant ways of achieving that goal.
Dr. Geoff Carullo is a Fellow and the current President of the Philippine College of Canine Practitioners.
Sharing this helps others understand what it really means to be a vet. Like and follow if you’re with us.
