You’ve just inherited a supply closet that looks like a pharmacy exploded in it. Or maybe you’re opening a new clinic and have no idea what to order first. Either way, Day One of this symposium is your starting line. This session follows the story of Pawside Veterinary Practice, a composite practice representing both new clinic setups and established clinics struggling to get a handle on their inventory. We will walk through a real-world day-in-the-life scenario where the practice manager, Dr. Elena Torres, opens the supply room on her first day and faces a classic inventory “hot mess”: expired medications on the shelf, a whiteboard reorder list no one updates, a backroom full of duplicate orders, and a team with four different systems for tracking the same thing (or not tracking it at all). Participants will see this scenario brought to life through on-screen visuals, live polling prompts, and chat-based discussion throughout the session. From this relatable virtual entry point, participants will be introduced to the core principles of inventory management in veterinary practice, the most common and costly pitfalls, and the foundational decisions that determine whether your system will succeed or become another abandoned attempt. This session is intentionally high-level – our goal is to create a shared language and honest awareness before we dive deeper in Sessions Two and Three.