Paper: Companion Animal Veterinary Software and AI

A 2026 landscape view of companion animal practice challenges, consumer AI behavior, PIMS as system of record, and why integration quality determines whether AI reduces work or adds admin.

• Consumer AI and what it changes for clinics
• PIMS switching disruption and integration readiness
• AI-assisted radiology as a case study for expanded care

Industry feedback and post-conference insights validating the openness thesis, introducing agentic engineering, and outlining why agent-native platforms and practice-controlled data access are becoming essential.

• PIMS openness thesis validated by market feedback
• Agentic engineering and veterinarian-built tools
• AI reduces pressure for single-PIMS standardization
• Strategic imperative: enable innovation, do not gatekeep it

Part III surveys emerging categories of AI-enabled software reshaping how practices operate, communicate, and deliver care, and reinforces why PIMS interoperability determines how much value clinics can capture.

• AI innovation presents an enormous opportunity for veterinary medicine
• AI is also coming to your clients (and your competitors) fast
• Start now, sequentially and strategically
• PIMS are a gating factor and market pressure is building

Part IV breaks down the PIMS into its database (systems of record vs contributory databases) and application layer, and argues that AI will reshape workflows while the enduring moat becomes governance and trust.

• Systems of record vs contributory databases: what must stay authoritative
• AI will replace/evolve the application layer; governance persists
• The moat shifts from UI to trust, auditability, and agent-safe boundaries
• Incumbents face pressure from horizontal AI platforms and enterprise groups