Veterian vs Shepherd
Both built so the medical record writes the invoice. Where we differ is how far the AI goes, and what each of us publishes about price.
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Veterian and Shepherd side by side
Every Shepherd entry below is taken from Shepherd’s own published pages and linked underneath, with the date we read it. Where a capability is not documented publicly, the table says so rather than assuming it is missing. A cross in the Shepherd column appears only where Shepherd states the answer on the page the footnote links to. Our own marks are evidenced the same way: each one links to the page on this site that documents the capability.
| Capability | Veterian | Shepherdas published 9 September 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Platform and access | ||
| Cloud-based, nothing to install or maintain | Included — see the page documenting this | Included[1] |
| No limit on clients, patients or records | Included — see the page documenting this | Not published |
| Role-based permissions | Included — see the page documenting this | Not published |
| Multi-location and multi-branch management | Partly included — see the page documenting thisEnterprise plan, custom pricing | Included[1] |
| Clinical workflow | ||
| Medical records in SOAP format | Included — see the page documenting this | Included[2] |
| Treatment plans and prescriptions | Included — see the page documenting this | Included[1] |
| Vaccination calendar with automatic reminders | Included — see the page documenting this | Not published |
| Inpatient and boarding tracking | Included — see the page documenting this | Not published |
| Real-time patient flowboard | Included — see the page documenting this | Not published |
| Client and patient history in one profile | Included — see the page documenting this | Not published |
| AI-assisted dictation and SOAP notes | Included — see the page documenting this | Included[1] |
| Lab results and imaging held in the patient file | Included — see the page documenting this | Not published |
| Consent forms with electronic signature | Partly included — see the page documenting thisConsent forms; no e-signature | Partly includedCustomisable client forms[2] |
| Scheduling | ||
| Appointment management | Included — see the page documenting this | Not published |
| Per-vet and per-staff calendar | Included — see the page documenting this | Not published |
| Online appointment booking | Included — see the page documenting this | Not published |
| Shift and leave management | Included — see the page documenting this | Not published |
| Client communication | ||
| SMS, email and mobile notifications | Included — see the page documenting this | Included[2] |
| WhatsApp integration | Included — see the page documenting thisClinic plan | Not published |
| Bulk notifications and announcements | Included — see the page documenting this | Not published |
| Pet owner mobile app | Included — see the page documenting thisFree for pet owners | Partly includedPet portal[2] |
| Finance and stock | ||
| Invoice, payment and balance tracking | Included — see the page documenting this | Included[2] |
| Product and stock tracking | Included — see the page documenting this | Included[1] |
| E-invoice and e-archive integration | Included — see the page documenting this | Not published |
| POS integration | Included — see the page documenting this | Not published |
| Pricing and trial | ||
| Prices published on the vendor's own website | Included — see the page documenting thisFrom €29/month | Not published |
| Free trial | Included — see the page documenting this14 days | Not published |
| Reporting, migration and support | ||
| Reporting and analytics | Included — see the page documenting this | Included[1] |
| Data migration from your current software | Included — see the page documenting thisFree on every plan | Not published |
| Live chat support | Included — see the page documenting this | Not published |
Cloud-based, nothing to install or maintain
- Shepherd
- Included[1]
No limit on clients, patients or records
- Shepherd
- Not published
Role-based permissions
- Shepherd
- Not published
Multi-location and multi-branch management
- Veterian
- Partly included — see the page documenting thisEnterprise plan, custom pricing
- Shepherd
- Included[1]
Medical records in SOAP format
- Shepherd
- Included[2]
Treatment plans and prescriptions
- Shepherd
- Included[1]
Vaccination calendar with automatic reminders
- Shepherd
- Not published
Inpatient and boarding tracking
- Shepherd
- Not published
Real-time patient flowboard
- Shepherd
- Not published
Client and patient history in one profile
- Shepherd
- Not published
AI-assisted dictation and SOAP notes
- Shepherd
- Included[1]
Lab results and imaging held in the patient file
- Shepherd
- Not published
Consent forms with electronic signature
- Veterian
- Partly included — see the page documenting thisConsent forms; no e-signature
- Shepherd
- Partly includedCustomisable client forms[2]
Appointment management
- Shepherd
- Not published
Per-vet and per-staff calendar
- Shepherd
- Not published
Online appointment booking
- Shepherd
- Not published
Shift and leave management
- Shepherd
- Not published
SMS, email and mobile notifications
- Shepherd
- Included[2]
WhatsApp integration
- Veterian
- Included — see the page documenting thisClinic plan
- Shepherd
- Not published
Bulk notifications and announcements
- Shepherd
- Not published
Pet owner mobile app
- Veterian
- Included — see the page documenting thisFree for pet owners
- Shepherd
- Partly includedPet portal[2]
Invoice, payment and balance tracking
- Shepherd
- Included[2]
Product and stock tracking
- Shepherd
- Included[1]
E-invoice and e-archive integration
- Shepherd
- Not published
POS integration
- Shepherd
- Not published
Prices published on the vendor's own website
- Veterian
- Included — see the page documenting thisFrom €29/month
- Shepherd
- Not published
Free trial
- Veterian
- Included — see the page documenting this14 days
- Shepherd
- Not published
Reporting and analytics
- Shepherd
- Included[1]
Data migration from your current software
- Veterian
- Included — see the page documenting thisFree on every plan
- Shepherd
- Not published
Live chat support
- Shepherd
- Not published
Sources
- [1] https://www.shepherd.vet/ — as published on 9 September 2026.
- [2] https://www.shepherd.vet/features — as published on 9 September 2026.
11 of 30 rows have a published Shepherd source.
Why practices choose Veterian over Shepherd
Shepherd's idea: the record writes the invoice
Their charge-capture line is "if it's in the medical record, it's on the invoice", and treatments administered update the invoice and the stock count as they happen. It is a good idea, well expressed, and worth understanding before you compare anything else.
Veterian works the same way in substance — the visit is managed on one screen from exam to payment, treatments post to the invoice, and stock moves with them. If avoiding missed charges is why you are looking, both of us are answering that question.
Where each of us draws the line on AI
Shepherd publishes transcription and summarisation, and also a tool that suggests diagnoses and treatments. Veterian's AI stops at the note: dictation becomes a structured SOAP record for the vet to review and correct.
That is a scope decision rather than a gap. We built the drafting step and stopped there. How far an assistant should reach into the consult is a genuine difference of view in this market, and Shepherd has built for the other answer — which is a reason to look at both, not a mark against either.
Pet portal, pet owner app
Shepherd publishes a pet portal where clients see appointments, prescription refills and history. Veterian publishes a pet owner mobile app on iOS and Android, free to your clients, covering appointments, vaccination records and invoices.
A portal and an app are not the same thing and we have marked their row partial rather than equal. Which suits you depends on whether your clients would install something.
Neither their price nor their migration terms are published
We could not find a pricing page, a trial offer or migration terms on Shepherd's site. Most of their column above reads "Not published" for that reason, and that means we have read their public pages rather than used the product.
Ours are all on the pricing page: €29, €59 and €89 a month, a 14-day free trial, and migration free on every plan.
Frequently asked questions
Both build around charge capture from the medical record, and both run in the browser. The table above shows where each is documented, with links to Shepherd's own pages.
Two differences we can point at: our prices, trial and migration terms are published where theirs are not, and we hold a deliberate line on how far AI reaches into the consult.
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Trademarks and methodology
Shepherd and all associated names, marks and logos are the property of their respective owners. Veterian is not affiliated with, authorised by, sponsored by or endorsed by them, and their marks are used here only to identify the products being compared.
These pages are published for veterinary practices in English-speaking markets.
This comparison reflects information published by each vendor on its own website, read on the dates given beside each source and reviewed on 9 September 2026. Vendors change their products and their documentation without notice, so entries may be out of date. Where a vendor does not publish information about a capability we record it as “Not published”; we do not treat silence as evidence that a capability is absent.
If you believe an entry misrepresents your product, write to support@veterian.com and we will correct it.