Veterinary · head to head
Covetrus Pulse vs Shepherd
Covetrus Pulse
Veterinary
Veterinary operating system with pharmacy and client engagement
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
Shepherd
Veterinary
Cloud veterinary practice management built by a practising vet
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Covetrus Pulse ties clinical software to a supply and pharmacy relationship, which is a commercial dependency worth deciding on deliberately; Shepherd quote-only pricing with no published rates
- They diverge on capability: Covetrus Pulse covers Practice management, Shepherd covers Consultation-first records.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Covetrus Pulse and Shepherd actually diverge.
| Attribute | Covetrus Pulse | Shepherd |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Web, Cloud, iOS, Android | Web, Cloud |
Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Veterinary).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Covetrus Pulse
- Practice management
- Integrated prescription management
- Client engagement
- Analytics
Only in Shepherd
- Consultation-first records
- Charges from treatment
- Inventory
- Cloud-based
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Covetrus Pulse
- Practices dispensing heavily that want prescriptions filled without leaving the systemnot Shepherd
- Groups wanting one platform across clinical, client and pharmacynot Shepherd
- Clinics moving off legacy on-premise systems such as AVImarknot Shepherd
Shepherd
- Practices losing revenue to treatment delivered but never billednot Covetrus Pulse
- Clinics replacing on-premise legacy systemsnot Covetrus Pulse
- Independent practices wanting something designed around clinical work rather than administrationnot Covetrus Pulse
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Covetrus Pulse
- Ties clinical software to a supply and pharmacy relationship, which is a commercial dependency worth deciding on deliberately
- Quote-only pricing with no published rates
- Covetrus also owns older systems, and roadmap attention across a portfolio is a fair question
- Cloud-only, so consultations depend on clinic connectivity
Shepherd
- Quote-only pricing with no published rates
- A smaller vendor than the established systems, with a correspondingly shorter track record
- Cloud-only, so consultations depend on clinic connectivity
Pricing, plan by plan
Covetrus Pulse
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the Covetrus Pulse review.
Shepherd
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the Shepherd review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Covetrus Pulse if
- You need practice management.
- You work on Web, Cloud, iOS, Android.
- You also want integrated prescription management.
Choose Shepherd if
- You need consultation-first records.
- You work on Web, Cloud.
- You also want charges from treatment.
Questions people ask
- Is Covetrus Pulse or Shepherd better?
- Neither clearly leads. Covetrus Pulse starts at On request and Shepherd at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Covetrus Pulse or Shepherd?
- Covetrus Pulse starts at On request and Shepherd at On request.
- Does Covetrus Pulse or Shepherd run on more platforms?
- Covetrus Pulse runs on Web, Cloud, iOS, Android. Shepherd runs on Web, Cloud.
- What is Covetrus Pulse best used for?
- Covetrus Pulse is most often used for practices dispensing heavily that want prescriptions filled without leaving the system, groups wanting one platform across clinical, client and pharmacy, clinics moving off legacy on-premise systems such as avimark. Of those, practices dispensing heavily that want prescriptions filled without leaving the system and groups wanting one platform across clinical, client and pharmacy are not what Shepherd is typically brought in for.
- What can Covetrus Pulse do that Shepherd cannot?
- Covetrus Pulse covers Practice management, Integrated prescription management, Client engagement, Analytics. Shepherd covers Consultation-first records, Charges from treatment, Inventory, Cloud-based.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Covetrus Pulse: What does Covetrus Pulse cost?
Pricing is quoted per practice and not published.
Shepherd: What does Shepherd cost?
Pricing is quoted per practice and not published.
Covetrus Pulse: What makes it different?
Covetrus is an animal-health distributor and pharmacy, so prescription fulfilment and home delivery sit inside the same company rather than behind an integration.
Shepherd: What makes it different from other veterinary systems?
It was designed by a practising vet around the consultation workflow, so charges accrue from recorded treatment rather than being entered as a separate billing step.
Covetrus Pulse: Is the supply relationship a concern?
It is worth deciding deliberately. The convenience is real, and so is tying your clinical system to a distributor you also buy from.
Shepherd: Is it cloud-only?
Yes, which removes server maintenance and makes connectivity a dependency.