Food and Drug Safety Ministry finds violations at 28 animal hospitals

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) said it found violations at 28 of 46 animal hospitals selected through big-data analysis of records including propofol use and is pursuing administrative action.

The ministry and local governments, including public health centers, conducted joint inspections to assess the appropriate use, reporting and inventory management of medical narcotics. They checked reporting compliance through the Narcotics Information Management System (NIMS), alongside the appropriateness of medical-narcotics prescriptions and administration at the facilities. The government has moved to strengthen medical-narcotics management at animal hospitals and expand veterinarian safety training following recent illegal propofol diversion cases involving animal hospital directors.

MFDS said its use of NIMS big data, including average propofol prescription volumes, improved efficiency by identifying higher-risk facilities, where violations appeared at 60 percent of targeted hospitals.

Late reports on narcotics handling and missing details in prescriptions or medical records were the main violations, according to the ministry. One hospital reported 91 uses of propofol and other medical narcotics late, with delays ranging from several days to one year beginning in 2025. Another filed 227 late reports on uses, with delays spanning several days to six months, while a third omitted propofol administration from medical records after using roughly 10 vials in 2025.

Medical narcotics administered at animal hospitals in 2025 rose about 9 percent from a year earlier, which the government attributed to demand as 29.2 percent of households raise companion animals.

Authorities are pursuing legal changes supporting the collection of animal-owner information and requiring veterinarians to report it to NIMS, while MFDS plans year-round AI monitoring of handling records and inspections.