What Is Veterinary Practice Management Software?
Mix (15 tools)
- License: 2 open source · 13 proprietary
- Hosting: 2 self-hosted · 11 SaaS · 2 both
Veterinary practice management software (veterinary PIMS – Practice Information Management System) is the operational backbone of an animal clinic or hospital. It handles patient records, scheduling, billing, inventory, lab integration, and client communication – replacing paper charts and manual workflows with a unified digital system.
Unlike a generic EMR or EHR, veterinary PIMS includes domain-specific features that human medical software cannot provide:
- Veterinary EMR – electronic medical records for animals tracking species, breed, weight, vaccination history, and species-specific treatment protocols
- SOAP notes – Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan clinical notes adapted for veterinary medicine with species-aware templates
- Treatment plans and estimates – pre-visit cost estimates for clients, with itemized procedures, medications, and expected outcomes
- Inventory management – drugs, vaccines, and supplies with expiration date tracking, automatic reorder points, and controlled substance logging
- Lab integration – IDEXX, Antech/Mars, Zoetis, and Heska reference lab connectivity for ordering tests and receiving results electronically
- Imaging integration – DICOM/PACS for veterinary radiology including digital X-ray, ultrasound, and dental imaging
- Client communication – appointment reminders, vaccination recalls, pet portals, two-way texting, and post-visit follow-ups
- Boarding and grooming – scheduling and management for non-medical services including kennel assignments, feeding schedules, and grooming appointments
- Controlled substance logging – DEA compliance for ketamine, diazepam, and other scheduled drugs with usage tracking and reporting
- Species support – companion animals (dogs and cats), equine, exotic, large animal (bovine, ovine, porcine), and mixed practice workflows
- Whiteboard – visual hospital workflow board showing patients currently in the clinic with status, location, assigned staff, and pending treatments
- PIMS – Practice Information Management System, the industry term for veterinary practice management software
About this data & disclaimer
The information on these pages was researched by a combination of human review and large language models. This catalogue serves as a reference for the resources, applications, devices, deployment payloads, and other components that the ResorsIT platform integrates, deploys, and manages. To suggest an addition or correction, please contact us. Prepared by Rhodium Systems Inc., author of the ResorsIT platform — a unified IT operations management platform for IT teams and MSPs that integrates a curated suite of open-source, commercial, and SaaS applications into a single system with shared identity, single sign-on, access control, and a common audit trail. This information is compiled on a best-effort basis: it may be incomplete, contain errors, and become out of date as tools, vendors, licences, and features change. Use this catalogue only as a starting point for your own research, and independently verify and review any tool carefully against your own requirements before relying on it.
Comparison
Feature Matrix
| Feature | OpenVPMS | GNU Health | eVetPractice | Cornerstone | Neo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EMR / SOAP | Yes | Basic | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Scheduling | Yes | Basic | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Billing | Yes | Basic | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Inventory | Yes | Basic | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Lab integration | Limited | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Imaging (DICOM) | No | No | Limited | Yes | Yes |
| Boarding | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Client portal | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Feature | AVImark | Pulse | Shepherd | Digitail | Rhapsody |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EMR / SOAP | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Scheduling | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Billing | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Inventory | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Lab integration | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Imaging (DICOM) | Yes | Limited | Limited | Limited | Limited |
| Boarding | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Client portal | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Feature | Provet Cloud | Vet Radar | Hippo Manager | NaVetor | DaySmart Vet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EMR / SOAP | Yes | Sheets* | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Scheduling | Yes | No* | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Billing | Yes | No* | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Inventory | Yes | No* | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Lab integration | Yes | No* | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Imaging (DICOM) | Limited | No | No | No | No |
| Boarding | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Client portal | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
* = Vet Radar is a treatment sheet / whiteboard add-on for ezyVet, not a standalone PIMS
Deployment Comparison
| Tool | Type | Platform | Cloud | On-Prem |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenVPMS | Server | Java/MySQL | No | Yes |
| GNU Health | Server | Python/PostgreSQL | No | Yes |
| eVetPractice | SaaS* | Browser | Yes | No |
| Cornerstone | Desktop | Windows | No | Yes |
| Neo | SaaS | Browser | Yes | No |
| AVImark | Desktop | Windows | No | Yes |
| Pulse | SaaS | Browser | Yes | No |
| Shepherd | SaaS | Browser | Yes | No |
| Digitail | SaaS | Browser | Yes | No |
| Rhapsody | SaaS | Browser | Yes | No |
| Provet Cloud | SaaS | Browser | Yes | No |
| Vet Radar | SaaS | Browser | Yes | No |
| Hippo Manager | SaaS | Browser | Yes | No |
| NaVetor | SaaS | Browser | Yes | No |
| DaySmart Vet | SaaS | Browser | Yes | No |
* = eVetPractice has been rebranded as Covetrus Pulse; listed separately for historical reference
Licensing Comparison
| Tool | License | Type | Cost Model |
|---|---|---|---|
| OpenVPMS | MPL-2.0 | Open source | Subscription ~AUD |
| GNU Health | GPL-3.0 | Open source | Free |
| eVetPractice | Proprietary | SaaS | Rebranded to Pulse |
| Cornerstone | Proprietary | Desktop | ~$420/mo |
| Neo | Proprietary | SaaS | ~$199/mo/user |
| AVImark | Proprietary | Desktop | Contact vendor |
| Pulse | Proprietary | SaaS | Contact vendor |
| Shepherd | Proprietary | SaaS | ~$299/mo (1 DVM) |
| Digitail | Proprietary | SaaS | Contact vendor |
| Rhapsody | Proprietary | SaaS | Contact vendor |
| Provet Cloud | Proprietary | SaaS | From 25 EUR/user/mo |
| Vet Radar | Proprietary | SaaS | Contact vendor |
| Hippo Manager | Proprietary | SaaS | ~$119/mo/vet |
| NaVetor | Proprietary | SaaS | Contact vendor |
| DaySmart Vet | Proprietary | SaaS | From ~$123/mo |
SSO / OIDC Comparison
OIDC is the preferred SSO protocol; the notes below flag which tools integrate with Authentik.
| Tool | OIDC | SAML | AD | Authentik Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenVPMS | No | No | No | No SSO support |
| GNU Health | No | No | No | No SSO support |
| eVetPractice | No | No | No | See Pulse |
| Cornerstone | No | No | Win | Windows auth only |
| Neo | No | No | No | Vendor-managed |
| AVImark | No | No | Win | Windows auth only |
| Pulse | No | ? | ? | Contact vendor |
| Shepherd | No | No | No | Vendor-managed |
| Digitail | No | ? | ? | Contact vendor |
| Rhapsody | No | ? | ? | Contact vendor |
| Provet Cloud | No | ? | ? | Contact vendor |
| Vet Radar | No | No | No | ezyVet auth |
| Hippo Manager | No | No | No | Vendor-managed |
| NaVetor | No | No | No | Vendor-managed |
| DaySmart Vet | No | No | No | Vendor-managed |
? = not publicly documented; contact vendor
SSO summary: The veterinary PIMS market lags behind other software categories in SSO adoption. No tool in this evaluation supports OIDC natively. Some enterprise-tier cloud platforms may offer SAML on request, but this is not publicly documented.
Desktop tools: Cornerstone and AVImark rely on Windows authentication with no modern SSO protocol support.
Multi-Location / Corporate Group Support
| Tool | Multi-Location | Corporate Focus | Centralized Mgmt |
|---|---|---|---|
| OpenVPMS | Limited | No | No |
| GNU Health | Yes | No | Basic |
| eVetPractice | Yes | Moderate | Yes |
| Cornerstone | Yes | Strong | Yes |
| Neo | Yes | Moderate | Yes |
| AVImark | Limited | No | No |
| Pulse | Yes | Moderate | Yes |
| Shepherd | Yes | Moderate | Yes |
| Digitail | Yes | Strong | Yes |
| Rhapsody | Yes | Strong | Yes |
| Provet Cloud | Yes | Strong | Yes |
| Vet Radar | Yes | Moderate | Via ezyVet |
| Hippo Manager | Yes | Moderate | Yes |
| NaVetor | Yes | Moderate | Yes |
| DaySmart Vet | Yes | Moderate | Yes |
Best for corporate groups: Cornerstone, Digitail, Rhapsody, and Provet Cloud offer the strongest multi-location centralized management features.
API Comparison
| Tool | REST API | Access | Documentation |
|---|---|---|---|
| OpenVPMS | Limited | HL7 interface | Limited |
| GNU Health | Yes | Tryton RPC | Moderate |
| eVetPractice | ? | See Pulse | See Pulse |
| Cornerstone | Yes | IDEXX partner program | Limited |
| Neo | Limited | IDEXX ecosystem | Limited |
| AVImark | Limited | Partner program | Limited |
| Pulse | Yes | Covetrus ecosystem | Limited |
| Shepherd | Limited | Contact vendor | Limited |
| Digitail | Yes | Open API | Moderate |
| Rhapsody | Yes | Marketplace API | Moderate |
| Provet Cloud | Yes | Open REST API | Good |
| Vet Radar | No* | Via ezyVet | Via ezyVet |
| Hippo Manager | Limited | Contact vendor | Limited |
| NaVetor | Limited | Patterson ecosystem | Limited |
| DaySmart Vet | Limited | Contact vendor | Limited |
? = not publicly documented * = Vet Radar integrates via ezyVet API
Best API: Provet Cloud has the most open and well-documented REST API with full data ownership. Digitail and Rhapsody also offer modern APIs.
AI Features
| Tool | AI SOAP | AI Diagnostics | AI Assistant |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shepherd | TranscribeAI | DiagnoseAI | Yes |
| Digitail | AI Dictation | Yes | 15+ AI agents |
| Provet Cloud | AI SOAP | No | AI assistant |
| Others | No | No | No |
AI features are an emerging differentiator in veterinary PIMS. Digitail leads with 15+ AI agents, Shepherd offers TranscribeAI and DiagnoseAI, and Provet Cloud includes an AI assistant for SOAP notes and discharge instructions.
Monitoring Integration
| Tool | Telegraf | Fluent Bit | Grafana |
|---|---|---|---|
| OpenVPMS | MySQL plugin | App logs | Custom |
| GNU Health | PostgreSQL plugin | App logs | Custom |
| Cornerstone | Windows + SQL | Event logs | Custom |
| AVImark | Windows services | Event logs | Custom |
| Cloud SaaS tools | Endpoint only | Endpoint only | N/A |
Note: Cloud SaaS tools (Neo, Pulse, Shepherd, Digitail, Rhapsody, Provet Cloud, Vet Radar, Hippo Manager, NaVetor, DaySmart Vet) do not expose server-side metrics. Monitoring is limited to endpoint and network infrastructure via monitoring.
Tools
15 tools.
AVImark (Covetrus)
AVImark is a widely deployed on-premise veterinary practice management system from Covetrus (part of Patterson Companies).
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas, direct · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Forward-auth · Vaulted credential
Cornerstone (IDEXX)
Cornerstone is IDEXX’s flagship on-premise veterinary practice management system and one of the most widely deployed veterinary PIMS in North America.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas, direct · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Forward-auth · Vaulted credential
DaySmart Vet
DaySmart Vet (formerly Vetter Software) is a cloud-based veterinary practice management system established in 2011, tailored for veterinary clinics of all sizes and specialties.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Vaulted credential
Digitail
Digitail is an all-in-one, cloud-based, AI-native veterinary practice management system founded in 2018 by Sebastian Gabor and Ruxandra Pui.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Vaulted credential
eVetPractice
eVetPractice was a cloud-based veterinary practice management system serving over 23,000 practices worldwide. Originally an independent product, it was acquired by Henry Schein and subsequently rebranded as Covetrus Pulse.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Vaulted credential
GNU Health
GNU Health is a free/libre hospital information system focused on public health and social medicine.
License: GPL-3.0-only (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: direct, package · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Forward-auth · Vaulted credential
Hippo Manager
Hippo Manager is a cloud-based veterinary practice management solution designed for small and midsize clinics, hospitals, specialists, and independent contractors.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Vaulted credential
NaVetor
NaVetor is a cloud-based veterinary practice management system distributed by Patterson Veterinary. It provides electronic medical records, a quick-view dashboard, and a customisable appointment calendar with SOAP-based clinical notes.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Vaulted credential
Neo (IDEXX)
Neo is IDEXX’s cloud-native veterinary practice management system, designed as a modern alternative to the on-premise Cornerstone platform. It is 100% cloud-based, giving practices the freedom to access it anywhere, anytime, on any device.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Vaulted credential
OpenVPMS
OpenVPMS is the first open-source veterinary practice management system built by and for the veterinary industry.
License: MPL-2.0 (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: direct · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Forward-auth · Vaulted credential
Provet Cloud
Provet Cloud is a cloud-based veterinary practice management system developed in Finland with a growing international presence across Europe and the United States.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Vaulted credential
Pulse (Covetrus)
Covetrus Pulse (formerly eVetPractice) is described as the industry’s first all-in-one Veterinary Operating System (VOS).
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Vaulted credential
Rhapsody
Rhapsody is a cloud-based veterinary Practice Information Management System (PIMS) created by Petabyte Technology, now part of the Chewy ecosystem.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Vaulted credential
Shepherd Veterinary Software
Shepherd is a cloud-based veterinary practice management system designed by veterinarians for veterinarians. It focuses on reducing administrative burden and enhancing clinical efficiency with a modern, intuitive interface.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Vaulted credential
Vet Radar
Vet Radar is a cloud-based clinical workflow and treatment sheet system designed as a companion to ezyVet, one of the world’s leading cloud-based veterinary practice management systems (acquired by IDEXX).
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Vaulted credential
