Shepherd

Shepherd is cloud-based practice-management software for veterinary clinics, with clinical records, client self-service and payments tied to the same workflow. It suits general-practice teams that want clinic-day operations in one system. Its included support and unlimited users are strong advantages, while custom pricing and no mobile apps make the buying decision less straightforward for some practices.

Overview

Shepherd’s SOAP workflow updates the medical record and invoice while producing discharge instructions. That connection is useful when a consultation needs to flow directly into billing and clear after-visit guidance, rather than leaving staff to duplicate information across systems.

The client portal handles appointment requests, prescription refill requests, medical history and vaccine certificates. Email and SMS reminders, recurring appointments and portal booking support ongoing care and can shift routine requests away from the reception desk.

Shepherd has operated since 2016 and is delivered through the web. Clinics planning a rollout should allow four to six weeks without historical-data migration, or eight to ten weeks when older records are moved.

Key features

Clinical and AI workflow

TranscribeAI is intended to generate SOAP notes, while DiagnoseAI provides clinical decision support and treatment suggestions. Both are optional ShepherdAI features, which lets a clinic adopt the core system without committing every clinician to AI-assisted documentation or recommendations.

Payments and integrations

Shepherd Pay is built into the PIMS and supports USB terminals, stored cards and online pet-portal payments. That gives practices several collection routes without separating payment activity from the patient and client record.

The integrations directory includes IDEXX diagnostics, HomeAgain, AllyDVM, CoVet and PetDesk, and the help center lists Shepherd OpenAPI. These connections matter most to clinics already using those services and wanting less manual transfer between systems.

Security and support

The subscription includes expert training, support from staff with veterinary experience, Shepherd Pay, unlimited users and unlimited work stations, with no implementation fees. Shepherd reports an annually renewed SOC 2 Type II examination, AWS hosting in multiple Ohio availability zones, encryption in transit, internal and external backups and servers without public access points. It also says Shepherd Pay manages card-data storage, transmission and encryption under PCI DSS.

Pricing

This plan is aimed at clinics that want the full practice-management workflow and can evaluate cost through a sales discussion. Unlimited seats and work stations remove per-user expansion pressure, but there is no published figure to compare directly with a fixed monthly budget. The optional AI tools also mean clinics should establish whether they carry separate commercial terms during the demo.

Platforms

Shepherd runs on the web and has no mobile apps. It fits browser-based clinic workstations, but teams expecting dedicated Android or iOS access should consider a platform with native mobile applications.

Who it's for

Shepherd is designed for veterinary clinics and specifically emphasizes general-practice, clinic-day workflows. It is a good match for practices that want SOAP documentation, portal-based client service, integrated payments and veterinary-oriented support under one subscription. Clinics with a short deployment window should account for the stated onboarding period, especially if historical records must be migrated.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Unlimited users and work stations: supports larger or growing teams without a stated seat cap.
• Connected clinical and financial workflow: SOAP entries update records and invoices and generate discharge instructions.
• Integrated payment choices: USB terminals, stored cards and portal payments are handled through Shepherd Pay.
• Included implementation value: expert training, veterinary-experienced support and no implementation fees reduce the services burden.
• Security provisions: SOC 2 Type II examination, AWS multi-zone hosting, encryption and backups address operational resilience.

Cons

• Custom pricing: a demo is required, so practices cannot assess subscription cost from a published rate.
• No mobile apps: mobile users must rely on the web experience rather than a dedicated app.
• Migration takes longer: historical-record migration is associated with an eight-to-ten-week onboarding window.

Alternatives

NaVetor is the better starting point for practices seeking a freemium option, mobile apps and a free Patterson Pay plan subject to transaction-volume eligibility.

Choose Provet Cloud instead if a published Core price, Android and iOS apps, API access and a free plan for non-vet staff are priorities.

Vetspire is another paid, demo-led veterinary platform with broad desktop and mobile operating-system coverage.

Pick DaySmart Vet when a published entry price starting at $123 per month is more useful than Shepherd’s custom quote.

Covetrus Pulse is a web-based paid alternative with pricing handled through a demo.

Vetstar is an alternative offered as self-hosted or web software.

ezyVet suits practices wanting a paid cloud package starting at $199 per month, with pricing varying by practice size and broad platform support.

Digitail is worth considering for a cloud system with SOAP records, scheduling, online booking, inventory, billing, payments, 40-plus integrations and a free trial.

Verdict

Choose Shepherd if your veterinary clinic wants a browser-based system that unifies SOAP records, client-portal service and payments, with unlimited users and veterinary-focused training and support included. Look elsewhere if you need native mobile apps, a transparent starting price or a faster rollout for a practice with historical records to migrate.