Softwr

Veterinary · head to head

ImproMed vs Shepherd

I

ImproMed

Veterinary

On-premise Windows practice management with deep inventory and financial reporting, now inside Covetrus

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Shepherd logo

Shepherd

Veterinary

Cloud veterinary practice management built by a practising vet

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: ImproMed it is a server-based Windows product, so the practice owns the hardware, the SQL database, the patching and the backup regime, and those costs never appear in the software quotation.; Shepherd quote-only pricing with no published rates
  • They diverge on capability: ImproMed covers Multi-location inventory, Shepherd covers Consultation-first records.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ImproMed and Shepherd actually diverge.

Attributes where ImproMed and Shepherd differ
AttributeImproMedShepherd
PlatformsWindowsWeb, 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 ImproMed

  • Multi-location inventory
  • Production reporting
  • Wellness plans
  • Laboratory and imaging integration
  • On-premise deployment
  • Covetrus prescription management

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.

ImproMed

  • A multi-doctor hospital carrying significant inventory value that needs reorder points and vendor price comparisonnot Shepherd
  • A practice manager who has to analyse production by veterinary surgeon and reconcile it against the general ledgernot Shepherd
  • A hospital in an area with unreliable internet that will not put the appointment book and records on a cloud connectionnot Shepherd
  • A small group running wellness plans that need recurring billing and compliance tracking against patientsnot Shepherd

Shepherd

  • Practices losing revenue to treatment delivered but never billednot ImproMed
  • Clinics replacing on-premise legacy systemsnot ImproMed
  • Independent practices wanting something designed around clinical work rather than administrationnot ImproMed

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

ImproMed

  • It is a server-based Windows product, so the practice owns the hardware, the SQL database, the patching and the backup regime, and those costs never appear in the software quotation.
  • Covetrus markets Pulse as its strategic cloud platform while holding three legacy practice management systems, so ask directly what development ImproMed still receives and get the support commitment and end-of-life notice period in writing.
  • Remote and mobile access is weak compared with cloud systems, which matters for on-call work, home record review and multi-site groups sharing patients.
  • The interface is dense and dated, and training a new receptionist or technician on it takes materially longer than on a modern cloud system.
  • If Covetrus does steer customers to Pulse, the migration is a full data conversion with retraining, so the cost of the eventual move should be priced into the decision now rather than later.

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

ImproMed

On request
  • ImproMed Infinity$undefined/year
    • Quoted per practice with a licence and an annual support agreement
    • Server hardware and database licensing are the responsibility of the practice
    • Data conversion and training charged separately

Shepherd

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Shepherd review.

Which should you pick?

Choose ImproMed if

  • You need multi-location inventory.
  • You work on Windows.
  • You also want production reporting.
ImproMed review

Choose Shepherd if

  • You need consultation-first records.
  • You work on Web, Cloud.
  • You also want charges from treatment.
Shepherd review

Questions people ask

Is ImproMed or Shepherd better?
Neither clearly leads. ImproMed 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, ImproMed or Shepherd?
ImproMed starts at On request and Shepherd at On request.
Does ImproMed or Shepherd run on more platforms?
ImproMed runs on Windows. Shepherd runs on Web, Cloud.
What is ImproMed best used for?
ImproMed is most often used for a multi-doctor hospital carrying significant inventory value that needs reorder points and vendor price comparison, a practice manager who has to analyse production by veterinary surgeon and reconcile it against the general ledger, a hospital in an area with unreliable internet that will not put the appointment book and records on a cloud connection, a small group running wellness plans that need recurring billing and compliance tracking against patients. Of those, a multi-doctor hospital carrying significant inventory value that needs reorder points and vendor price comparison and a practice manager who has to analyse production by veterinary surgeon and reconcile it against the general ledger are not what Shepherd is typically brought in for.
What can ImproMed do that Shepherd cannot?
ImproMed covers Multi-location inventory, Production reporting, Wellness plans, Laboratory and imaging integration. Shepherd covers Consultation-first records, Charges from treatment, Inventory, Cloud-based.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

ImproMed: Is ImproMed still being developed?

Ask Covetrus for a release history and a written support commitment. Pulse is the stated strategic cloud product, and ImproMed, AVImark and RxWorks are all legacy systems in the same portfolio.

Shepherd: What does Shepherd cost?

Pricing is quoted per practice and not published.

ImproMed: Can it run in the cloud?

It is designed for an on-premise server. Hosting it on a remote desktop service is possible but it is not a native cloud application and does not behave like one.

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.

ImproMed: What is it better at than cloud alternatives?

Inventory control and financial and production reporting. Practices with high stock value and several veterinary surgeons are the ones that notice the difference.

Shepherd: Is it cloud-only?

Yes, which removes server maintenance and makes connectivity a dependency.

ImproMed: What happens to my data if we move to Pulse?

A conversion project. Establish before signing what Covetrus will convert, what it will not, and who pays for it.

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