Live Online Interactive Webinar · 2 CE Hours · Canine & Feline

Essential Controlled Substances: DEA Compliance, Recordkeeping, and Diversion Prevention in Veterinary Practice

Most veterinary professionals never receive formal training on controlled substance compliance — yet recordkeeping violations carry fines up to $15,000 per citation. This 2-hour program gives you clear, implementable protocols for recordkeeping, inventory management, and client diversion prevention.

Nov10

Tuesday, November 10, 2026

6:00 PM CT · 7:00 PM ET · 5:00 PM MT · 4:00 PM PT

Starts in

Enroll Now — $85 View the agenda

Registering 2 or more? Group checkout: $60/person

Also offered in a 3 hour bundle

Compliance Bundle

Each lecture stands on its own. Get both compliance courses for $100.

$100

2 lectures • 3 CE hrs

View Bundle

RACE #20-1322554

Provider #50-29055

100% Live Webinars

Real-time & interactive

100% Unsponsored

No industry funding

Long-Form Content

Board-certified faculty

Agenda · Tuesday, November 10, 2026

Two sessions, taught in sequence

2 focused clinical sessions with live questions and practical takeaways.

6:00 PM· 1.0 Hour

Recordkeeping: Do You Know Where Your Controlled Drugs Are?

The DEA's closed-system model and why your in-practice tracking must match it. Federal recordkeeping requirements, electronic vs. paper log systems, inventory formats, biennial inventory obligations, and how to audit your own records before the DEA does it for you. Includes real-world scenarios: what happens when the numbers don't add up, how new technicians introduce errors, and when to file Form 106.

Why controlled substance recordkeeping must be a priority for veterinary practices, and how in-practice tracking has to match the DEA's closed-system model.
Recordkeeping strategies that fit your specific practice setting, including the pros and cons of electronic versus paper drug logs.
How to audit controlled drug records for accuracy and completeness, and what to do when the numbers do not match.

7:00 PM· 1.0 Hour

Preventing Client Drug Diversion

Client-side diversion is where most risk begins. Dr. Forsythe walks through cases from her own practice: the hydrocodone client who called every month demanding early refills, the K9 officer whose tramadol "went down the sink," the unfamiliar client with a severely injured dog asking for pain meds. You'll learn to recognize vet shopping (93% of surveyed vets have encountered it), understand PDMPs and their 75% reduction in doctor shopping, evaluate dispensing vs. prescribing trade-offs, and apply the corresponding responsibility doctrine.

How to recognize drug-seeking clients, including vet shopping and early refill requests.
What prescription drug monitoring program (PDMP) technology can and cannot do in veterinary medicine.
When prescribing rather than dispensing in-house may be beneficial, and how the corresponding responsibility doctrine applies to practice decisions.

Times shown in CT — CentralLive Q&A and recording access included

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What you take back to practice

Practical Takeaways for Your Practice

Client Diversion Red Flags

Recognizing drug-seeking behavior, early-refill requests, drug requests by name and vet shopping (93% of surveyed veterinarians have heard of it, 57% have encountered it), plus refill-window policies and staff communication protocols.

Opioid Misuse and Diversion by Clients, Staff and Coworkers

Survey data on client and staff opioid misuse, drug-seeking behavior, vet shopping and the drugs most often diverted: opioids, benzodiazepines, tramadol, gabapentin and xylazine.

DEA Recordkeeping Compliance

Maintaining complete, accurate controlled substance records: what the DEA evaluates during an inspection, running a perpetual inventory, and separating Schedule II from Schedule III-V logs.

Inventory Auditing & Discrepancy Response

Biennial inventory, cycle counts and reconciliation, and the required steps when counts do not match: DEA notification and Form 106 submission within the federal deadlines.

PDMPs and Electronic Prescribing

How prescription drug monitoring programs and electronic prescribing work in human healthcare, and the practical limits of applying them in veterinary practice.

Electronic vs. Paper Systems

Electronic drug-logging platforms compared with paper logs: password-verified entries, tamper resistance, numbered pages, and choosing the system that fits practice size and workflow.

Course Abstract

Live Online Interactive Webinar • Case-Based • Sponsor-Free

A police officer calls — his K9's tramadol "accidentally dumped down the sink." A client demands early hydrocodone refills every month for a dog with collapsing trachea. An unfamiliar 20-something walks in with a dog with a severe cut, asking for pain meds. None of these have a clear answer — and that's exactly why this course exists.

Over two focused sessions, veterinary pharmacist and DICVP diplomat Dr. Lauren Forsythe walks through the practical "what, why, and how" of controlled drug documentation and client diversion prevention. From understanding the DEA's closed-system tracking model to recognizing drug-seeking behavior at the front desk, this course equips you with knowledge and tools you can put to work the next morning. You'll work through real cases where the line between legitimate need and diversion isn't obvious — and learn defensible protocols for each. Presented through Vet On It's sponsor-free platform — no pharmaceutical influence on content or recommendations.

Included with registration

Everything registered attendees receive

PDF · Print-ready

Controlled Substance Log Template

Printable daily administration record with waste documentation, inventory receiving, and reconciliation — ready to use in practice.

PDF · Print-ready

DEA Compliance Checklist

10-section quarterly compliance checklist: registration, storage, recordkeeping, ordering, disposal, and audit preparedness.

PDF · Print-ready

Diversion Prevention Guide

Behavioral, documentation, and inventory red flags plus dual-person protocols, investigation steps, and mandatory reporting.

PDF · Print-ready

Security Assessment Tool

Scored 85-point assessment for physical security, access control, surveillance, training, and incident response.

With every registration

Course access

✓Live interactive session with Dr. Lauren Eichstadt Forsythe — 2 RACE-approved CE Hours
✓Downloadable digital lecture notes (PDF)
✓Recording access per event policy — on-demand CE after the required quiz
✓CE certificate issued after attendance

Registration

Essential Controlled Substances: DEA Compliance, Recordkeeping, and Diversion Prevention in Veterinary Practice

Join Dr. Lauren Forsythe for 2.0 hours of practical, regulation-grounded CE you can implement the next morning.

^$85

Standard Registration

Tuesday, November 10, 2026 · 6:00 PM CT

Starts in

Enroll Now

Registering 2+ people?

Group checkout: $60/person

30% group discount; each attendee still gets their own Zoom link, recording access, and CE certificate.

RACE Provider #50-29055 · Program #20-1322554 · Recording access included per event policy

Bundle Offer

Compliance Bundle

Each lecture stands on its own. Get both compliance courses for $100.

$100

Full series • 3 CE Hours • 2 lectures • 1 specialists

Both lectures and recordings
3 CE hours
Annual CE Pass holders already have both lectures

View the full series →

Includes this lecture plus 1 other

Program Certification

#50-29055

RACE Provider

#20-1322554

RACE Program

2.0 Hours

Interactive CE Credit

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this course appropriate for veterinary technicians?

Yes. While designed for veterinarians, the compliance and recordkeeping frameworks are useful for credentialed technicians involved in controlled substance management. This course is RACE-approved for technician CE credit.

I attended a previous session. Is this the same content?

Yes. This is a live repeat of the same RACE-approved course (tracking number 20-1322554), covering the same two lectures on recordkeeping and client diversion prevention.

Will I receive materials I can share with my staff?

Yes. Registered attendees receive downloadable lecture notes, sample SOPs, recordkeeping templates, and a regulatory reference guide — all designed to be shared with your team.

Does this cover state-specific regulations?

The course focuses on federal DEA requirements, which apply everywhere. Dr. Forsythe also addresses how state regulations layer on top. Several states now mandate controlled substance CE for veterinarians. This 2-hour course fully satisfies the requirement in Texas (2 hrs), North Carolina (2 hrs), Tennessee (2 hrs), Oklahoma (2 hrs CDS laws), and exceeds the requirement in New Jersey (1 hr), Colorado (1 hr), and Michigan (1 hr). For Arizona (3 hrs required for DEA registrants), this course counts toward but does not fully satisfy the requirement — you would need 1 additional hour.

Which states require this type of CE?

Eight states have explicit controlled substance or opioid CE mandates for veterinarians: Arizona (3 hrs), Texas (2 hrs), North Carolina (2 hrs), Oklahoma (2+1 hrs), Tennessee (2 hrs), Michigan (1 hr + 3 hr one-time), New Jersey (1 hr), and Colorado (1 hr). This 2-hour course fully meets the requirement in 5 of these states, exceeds it in 3, and counts toward Arizona's 3-hour mandate. Alabama and Florida have adjacent pharmacy/drug dispensing requirements that overlap. Veterinarians are exempt from the federal 8-hour opioid training mandate (2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act) — but these state-level requirements still apply.