Transport of deceased animals

RE: Transport of deceased animals

Bob Russell — Thu, 26 May 2016 09:12:22 GMT

I had a jobsworth from the Environment Agency arrive to do an inspection. This was shortly after the BVA produced the wall chart we all love and follow to the letter!

He arrived with charts and leaflets, all of which we had seen and acted on (to the extent I consider reasonable). He was taken aback when I suggested the agency had taken a fair system and 'broke' it!

Prior to the changes all yucky waste was incinerated as clinical waste. After it got landfilled, hardly an improvement IMO.

Small animal practices very rarely produce genuinely hazardous waste beyond sharps so much of the legislation is heavy handed. I consider practice vehicles to be extensions of practice premises so avoid any questions that they need to be inspected for leaks!

The bags should be checked for leaks after that the risk is more to staff backs removing the body from the car. A stretcher minimises this!

H&S sorted by common sense. A leaky, unbagged body would never be allowed in my boot!

RE: Transport of deceased animals

Martin Atkinson — Wed, 25 May 2016 17:51:37 GMT

Too much thinking going on here. In theory you should have a licence to carry clinical waste but provided you are not actually transporting the carcass actually to the waste disposal unit, merely back to the practice premises after you've euthanased it at home, the vehicle would I believe be considered part of the practice premises.

So long as you have car insurance cover for business use and practice liability insurance I can't see either of the other scenarios being a problem.

Do remember to take the body out of the car when you get back though. I got distracted once and it was only the smell of essence of corpse that reminded me several days later!!

RE: Transport of deceased animals

Anonymous — Wed, 25 May 2016 15:38:33 GMT

Thanks for your reply, good pun :) It was when I was driving a staffie recovering from an anaesthetic as a new grad when I nearly had an accident when it suddenly woke up and tried to jump out the window. Never doing that again!

RE: Transport of deceased animals

Anonymous — Wed, 25 May 2016 15:33:04 GMT

Thank you! Good advice, I ruined the felt mat in my boot by not putting the dog in a body bag straight away...turns out you can't dry clean them!

RE: Transport of deceased animals

Robin Grimmer — Wed, 25 May 2016 13:49:05 GMT

Yes you need business cover for home visits and that's it. I can't see how a deceased animal could injure anyone unless you go flying around a bend and the boot comes open ;)

Oh, and always put the body in a sealed bag before it goes in your car. I do.

RE: Transport of deceased animals

Bob Russell — Wed, 25 May 2016 13:43:41 GMT

They were reclassified as category 1 (Animal by products) so technically premises and vehicles might need to be registered.

I prefer not to stir up a potential can of worms because last time there was a review, the Environment Agency got rather silly!

We did get an inspection at that time so choose to consider that was registration. We also sign annual paperwork relating to waste disposal with the pet crematorium and refuse bins collection company. Part of that includes the option for them to complete the paperwork on our behalf. We sign that bit!!

You do need business use for any work related driving but sticking a body, sealed in a proper labelled bag does not strike me as that big an issue as long as it is reasonably limited. A body is not likely to be more of a risk than a heavy suitcase in an accident but common sense says it should be 'stowed' safely!

It is, after all just a bit of dead weight!

RE: Transport of deceased animals

Linda Filshie — Wed, 25 May 2016 13:34:03 GMT

If you are using your car to do home visits you need business insurance anyway. Not sure about liability for them carrying their deceased pet.