Veterinary software for clinics, groomers and dog daycares: what to buy
Short answer: Veterinary software keeps patient records, appointments, reminders, invoices and inventory for an animal clinic in one place. As of October 2026, Shepherd lists $299 a month for one doctor with its payments service, and ezyVet starts from $260.50 a month. Groomers and dog daycares use lighter tools such as MoeGo, from $49 a month, and Gingr, from $100 a month billed yearly. A custom build fits pet businesses that mix services, such as a clinic with boarding and grooming, that no single product covers well.
You're trying to work out which veterinary or pet care software actually fits your clinic, grooming business or daycare.
I'm Ranjit, and I run Blur Studio: 15+ years building software, 120 apps taken live, and clients who have gone on to raise $10M+. I build AI systems and processes that help businesses do a lot more with a lot less time. I also work differently from most of what else is out there, more on that further down this page. Say hello.
What should veterinary software do?
A clinic system has to work in the exam room and at the front desk. Look for these features.
- Medical records: SOAP notes (the standard exam note format: what the owner reports, what the vet finds, the diagnosis and the plan), vaccines, weights, lab results and images for each pet.
- Scheduling: Book by doctor, room and visit type, with online booking for owners.
- Reminders: Automatic texts and emails for vaccines, dental cleanings and follow-ups.
- Invoicing and payments: Charges from the exam flow straight to the bill, and owners pay at the desk or online.
- Inventory: Track drugs and supplies, with alerts when stock runs low.
- Lab links: Send orders to labs and get results back into the record.
- Pet owner portal: Owners see records, book visits and pay bills from their phone.
- Wellness plans: Monthly plans that bundle routine care, billed automatically.
Groomers and daycares need a different list. They want booking by groomer or play group, vaccine record checks, waivers, capacity limits and kennel or room assignments.
Which veterinary software leads, and what does it cost?
These details come from each vendor's own pricing page as of October 2026. Check again before you buy.
Shepherd
Shepherd prices by doctor and includes unlimited users. One doctor costs $299 a month with Shepherd Pay, its payment service, or $349 a month without it. Two doctors cost $398 with Shepherd Pay. Setup and onboarding are free. Data migration from your old system is a one-time $2,475, or $230 a month for 12 months. Texting is an add-on at $99 per 5,000 messages. Every plan includes a pet owner portal, reminders, AI transcription and AI discharge instructions. Shepherd also offers new practices that qualify 50% off the subscription for the first 12 months.
ezyVet
ezyVet says you can get started for as little as $260.50 a month. It sells one model with all features included. That covers clinical records, inventory, invoicing, reports, lab ordering and client messages, plus a link to IDEXX lab results. Enterprise pricing for groups is by quote.
Digitail
Digitail lists four plans and no prices, so you book a demo for a quote. The Mobile plan is for mobile vets. Growth adds Tails AI Scribe, dental charts and a boarding calendar. Growth AI adds an AI assistant, intake, record summaries and a tool that turns voice notes into invoice items. Digitail says onboarding, data migration and 24/7 support are included in every plan.
| Product | Price shown (Oct 2026) | Pricing basis | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shepherd | $299 a month for 1 doctor with Shepherd Pay | Per doctor, unlimited users | Small and mid-size clinics that want clear prices |
| ezyVet | From $260.50 a month | One all-features model | Clinics that want many lab and app links |
| Digitail | Quote only | By plan | Clinics that want built-in AI tools |
What about pet grooming and dog daycare software?
Groomers and daycares rarely need medical records. They need fast booking, reminders and a way to track how many dogs are on site.
MoeGo
MoeGo's pricing page shows its mobile grooming plans, billed monthly. Basic is $49 a month for one team member. Growth is $99 a month per van with unlimited team members, route planning, a waitlist and CRM tools. Ultimate is $159 a month per van and adds a branded phone number and business reports. MoeGo lists daycare and boarding prices on separate pages.
Gingr
Gingr is built for daycare, boarding and grooming. Its Spa plan for groomers and trainers is $109 a month, or $100 a month billed yearly. Play adds day bookings and capacity limits for dog daycare at $169 a month, or $142 billed yearly. Stay adds overnight bookings, kennel management and feeding and medicine tracking. Stay costs $209 a month, or $179 a month billed yearly, and less with Gingr's own payments. Every plan includes a customer portal and a mobile app.
| Product | Price shown (Oct 2026) | Best fit |
|---|---|---|
| MoeGo | From $49 a month | Mobile groomers |
| Gingr Spa | $109 a month, or $100 billed yearly | Groomers and trainers |
| Gingr Play | $169 a month, or $142 billed yearly | Dog daycares |
| Gingr Stay | $209 a month, or $179 billed yearly | Boarding kennels |
Do privacy rules apply to veterinary records?
HIPAA, the federal health privacy law, does not apply to animals. A 2019 article in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association says this plainly. The same article says many states require vets to keep medical records confidential. There is no national standard, and state laws range from strict to light.
So check your own state's veterinary practice rules before you choose a system. Ask each vendor three things. Where is the data stored? Who on their side can see it? How do you export or delete records if you leave? Your owner contact details and payment data still deserve strong protection, even where the law is light.
What are the real controlled substance logging rules for a clinic?
If your practice stocks ketamine, opioids or other scheduled drugs, this is worth getting right in your software, separate from the general privacy question above. The DEA requires every dose administered, dispensed or wasted to be logged immediately, in two places: the patient's own record, and a separate controlled substances log with a running balance. Paper logbooks still need pre-numbered, bound pages. Schedule II drugs need a DEA Form 222 to order and a separate, securely anchored safe from Schedule III to V drugs.
The DEA expects these records to be readily retrievable and physically separated from your ordinary business records, with a biennial inventory at minimum and at least two years of retention on receipt, audit and disposal records. A vet who was recently fined $15,000 by the Department of Justice over inadequate controlled substance records is a reminder this gets enforced. If your software vendor offers a built-in controlled substance log with running balances and an audit trail, that is worth asking about directly, since not every veterinary platform includes it.
What should a clinic check before buying?
Run a real day through the system before you sign.
- The exam room flow: Have a vet write a full SOAP note and send charges to the invoice. Time it.
- Reminder setup: Build your vaccine reminder rules and send test messages to your own phone.
- Migration: Ask exactly what moves over from your old system. Records, images and reminder dates matter most.
- Lab and imaging links: List your labs and imaging tools. Ask the vendor to show each connection on its own site.
- Real total cost: Add per-doctor fees, texting, payments and migration into a yearly figure.
- Staff on phones and tablets: Techs and kennel staff should be able to update records away from a desk.
Which AI features help vets and pet businesses?
AI is most useful for the writing and phone work that keeps staff away from animals.
Exam notes from voice
The vet talks through the exam, and AI drafts the SOAP note. Shepherd and Digitail both list AI tools for this. The vet reads and signs the note. This can cut the paperwork that piles up at the end of each shift.
An AI receptionist for booking calls
Clinics and groomers get many calls about prices, opening hours and open slots. An AI receptionist can answer those, book visits into your calendar and send urgent calls straight to staff. It should never give medical advice. Its job is to book the visit and pass on the details.
Smarter reminders and win-back messages
AI can look at each pet's history and write a short, personal reminder. A dog that missed its dental cleaning gets a message about that one visit. A daycare client who has not booked in two months gets a friendly check-in. My guide to appointment reminder software covers the tools that send these.
When does custom veterinary software make sense?
Most clinics, groomers and daycares should buy one of the products above. They cover the common work well, and the vendors handle updates and support.
A custom build makes sense in a few cases.
- Mixed pet businesses: You run a clinic, boarding, grooming and daycare under one roof. Staff switch between two or three systems for the same pet.
- Your own owner app: You want one branded app or client portal where owners book any service, see records and pay.
- Many locations with their own rules: A group with different services at each site may outgrow standard plans.
- Deep links to your own tools: You need records or bookings to feed your own reports, payroll or marketing.
Many clinics get the most value from a mix. They keep their clinic system and add one custom piece, such as an owner app or an AI phone line tied to the schedule.
How would Blur Studio approach a pet care build?
I start by following one pet through your business, from the first call to the follow-up after the visit or stay. I note where staff retype details, check two screens or call owners for missing vaccine records. If a product covers your needs, I point you to it. Where products fall short, I build the missing piece. That could be an owner app across all your services, an AI receptionist linked to your calendar, or a dashboard across several sites. Patient records and code stay in accounts your practice owns, and I keep the system running after launch.
Questions people ask
What is the best veterinary software for a small clinic?
Shepherd suits small clinics that want clear per-doctor prices, starting at $299 a month for one doctor with Shepherd Pay as of October 2026. ezyVet and Digitail are other strong options, so book demos with two or three and test a full exam day.
How much does veterinary software cost?
As of October 2026, Shepherd lists $299 to $349 a month for one doctor, and ezyVet starts from $260.50 a month. Digitail gives prices only through a quote, and data migration and texting often cost extra.
What is the best software for a dog daycare?
Dog daycares need day bookings, capacity limits and vaccine checks. Gingr's Play plan covers these at $169 a month, or $142 a month billed yearly, as of October 2026.
How much does pet grooming software cost?
As of October 2026, MoeGo's mobile grooming plans start at $49 a month for one team member. Gingr's Spa plan for groomers costs $109 a month, or $100 a month billed yearly.
Does HIPAA apply to veterinary records?
No, HIPAA does not apply to animals. Many states have their own rules on keeping veterinary records confidential, so check your state's veterinary practice laws.
Do I need to log controlled substances separately from patient records?
Yes. The DEA requires controlled substance doses logged in both the patient record and a separate controlled substances log with a running balance, kept for at least two years and readily retrievable for an audit. Ask your software vendor whether this is built in before you assume a general records feature covers it.
Roughly what does this cost?
As a broad reference, fixes and finishes start at around $1,500, and new builds start higher, always a fixed price agreed in writing before I start, never an hourly rate. My AI app cost guide explains what actually drives a quote up or down.
Is my project too small for this?
No. Most of the owners I work with have no tech team at all, that is the whole point. If the smarter move is a cheap software subscription instead of custom software, I will tell you that on the first call, even though it means I do not get paid.
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