Shepherd Review 2026: Features, Pricing, Pros & Cons

Shepherd is Second Nature Software™, a cloud-based veterinary practice information management software (PIMS) built for the way veterinary teams really work. Designed around the natural flow of a patient visit, Shepherd helps practices complete records faster, reduce duplicate work, and keep the entire clinic in sync. At the center of the platform is Shepherd's workflow-first SOAP medical record. As doctors document the visit, treatments flow into the invoice, discharge instructions are generated, reminders stay connected, and inventory updates automatically. The result is less manual work, fewer missed charges, and cleaner handoffs across the team. Simply put, if it's in the medical record, it's on the invoice. ShepherdAI adds optional, doctor-controlled tools that help veterinarians review patient history, generate summaries, support differential diagnoses, calculate drug dosages, and document appointments more efficiently, all without leaving the medical record. Beyond the exam room, Shepherd connects the rest of the practice with built-in two-way texting, an online pet portal, automatic appointment reminders, integrated payment processing, and reporting for growing practices and multi-location groups. An open integration ecosystem connects laboratories, imaging providers, pharmacies, client financial services, and other veterinary technologies, while clinically trained support helps teams get up and running with confidence. By connecting every step of the patient journey, from appointment to SOAP, invoice, payment, discharge, and follow-up, Shepherd helps practices save time, capture up to 17.3% more revenue, improve the client experience, and spend more time focused on exceptional patient care.