Simplify your clinic with PetDesk + Shepherd

PIMS were built for medical records, billing, and payment processing, not client connection. These systems were designed for staff, not pet owners. They do not have a veterinary client loyalty program or integrated phone system, and do not offer a way to help pet parents discover your clinic.

If a clinic only uses their PIMS, or uses their PIMS with their client communications tool, they are locked into the features and pricing of one vendor.

Clinics that choose PetDesk get an exceptional client engagement system built for veterinary clinics, along with the top-rated pet parent mobile app. Plus:

• Marketing tools that help pet parents find clinics, book, and stay loyal.

• The ability to see all calls and texts in one dashboard—with everything connected to the PIMS.

• Click-to-call or click-to-text functions from one location.

• Granular control over your schedule for direct booking (e.g., Dr. Jones doesn't see dogs over 50 pounds, or Dr. Smith only sees rabbits on Wednesdays).

• AI-generated call summaries that sync back to your PIMS.

• A consistent pet parent experience, no matter what PIMS you have.

Think of it as a clean division of labor. Shepherd owns the clinical side—patient records, medical history, practice workflows. PetDesk owns the client-facing side—reminders, texts, phone calls, online booking, and digital forms. The two systems sync directly, so when a pet parent confirms an appointment through a PetDesk reminder, Shepherd reflects it. When your team sends a text through PetDesk, it logs to the client record. Neither system tries to do the other's job, and the result is a practice that runs more efficiently end to end.

Yes, and that division is actually what makes the combination work. Your clinical team stays in Shepherd—that does not change. Your front desk uses PetDesk to manage client interactions, which are then automatically reflected in Shepherd. Rather than one system trying to do everything passably, each platform does what it is purpose-built for. The sync between them means your staff is never manually transferring information, and Shepherd always has an accurate, up-to-date picture of your client relationships.

All core PetDesk products connect directly to Shepherd. PetDesk Communications automates appointment reminders, handles two-way texting, powers mass outreach to targeted client groups, and collects digital intake forms—with all data synced to Shepherd. PetDesk Phones displays Shepherd client and patient details on every incoming call so your team answers with context, not just a greeting. PetDesk Direct Booking draws real-time availability from Shepherd for 24/7 self-scheduling.

The biggest categories are appointment reminders, confirmation follow-ups, recall outreach, and inbound phone calls. PetDesk automates all of these, and the impact adds up fast—practices typically recover more than 70 hours per month. Your front desk stops spending the morning calling through a reminder list and starts managing exceptions instead of routine tasks. Shepherd always reflects the latest appointment status and client communication without anyone manually updating it, because PetDesk handles that automatically.

Pet parents can visit your website or open the PetDesk app at any time and see real appointment availability pulled directly from Shepherd. You control the parameters—appointment types, time slots, any advance notice requirements. When a pet parent books, the request appears in Shepherd right away. You capture appointments overnight, on weekends, and during busy hours when your team cannot get to the phone. For many clinics, this alone justifies the investment in PetDesk.

The moment a client's call comes in, PetDesk Phones pulls their profile from Shepherd and displays it on your team's screen—name, pets' names, recent visits, and other key details. Your staff answers with a personal greeting instead of a generic hello, and they can pull up the relevant record in Shepherd without asking the client to wait. After the call, an AI-generated summary can be synced back to Shepherd, so the communication history lives alongside the clinical record where it belongs.

Growth creates volume: more clients, more calls, more appointment requests, more follow-ups. Without the right systems, that volume buries your front desk. PetDesk automates the routine communication that scales poorly when handled manually, so your team can handle more clients without proportionally more admin work. Automated reminders cut no-shows. Online booking captures demand you would otherwise miss. Proactive outreach using Shepherd data keeps existing clients coming back. Clinics using PetDesk see up to a 10% improvement in client retention, and that compounding effect is significant as your practice grows.