Veterinary · head to head
Shepherd vs Covetrus Pulse
Shepherd
Veterinary
Cloud veterinary practice management built by a practising vet
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
Covetrus Pulse
Veterinary
Veterinary operating system with pharmacy and client engagement
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Shepherd quote-only pricing with no published rates; Covetrus Pulse ties clinical software to a supply and pharmacy relationship, which is a commercial dependency worth deciding on deliberately
- They diverge on capability: Shepherd covers Consultation-first records, Covetrus Pulse covers Practice management.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Shepherd and Covetrus Pulse actually diverge.
| Attribute | Shepherd | Covetrus Pulse |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Web, Cloud | Web, Cloud, iOS, Android |
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 Shepherd
- Consultation-first records
- Charges from treatment
- Inventory
- Cloud-based
Only in Covetrus Pulse
- Practice management
- Integrated prescription management
- Client engagement
- Analytics
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
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
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
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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
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
Pricing, plan by plan
Shepherd
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the Shepherd review.
Covetrus Pulse
On requestNo published plan breakdown. See the Covetrus Pulse review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Shepherd if
- You need consultation-first records.
- You work on Web, Cloud.
- You also want charges from treatment.
Choose Covetrus Pulse if
- You need practice management.
- You work on Web, Cloud, iOS, Android.
- You also want integrated prescription management.
Questions people ask
- Is Shepherd or Covetrus Pulse better?
- Neither clearly leads. Shepherd starts at On request and Covetrus Pulse at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Shepherd or Covetrus Pulse?
- Shepherd starts at On request and Covetrus Pulse at On request.
- Does Shepherd or Covetrus Pulse run on more platforms?
- Shepherd runs on Web, Cloud. Covetrus Pulse runs on Web, Cloud, iOS, Android.
- What is Shepherd best used for?
- Shepherd is most often used for practices losing revenue to treatment delivered but never billed, clinics replacing on-premise legacy systems, independent practices wanting something designed around clinical work rather than administration. Of those, practices losing revenue to treatment delivered but never billed and clinics replacing on-premise legacy systems are not what Covetrus Pulse is typically brought in for.
- What can Shepherd do that Covetrus Pulse cannot?
- Shepherd covers Consultation-first records, Charges from treatment, Inventory, Cloud-based. Covetrus Pulse covers Practice management, Integrated prescription management, Client engagement, Analytics.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Shepherd: What does Shepherd cost?
Pricing is quoted per practice and not published.
Covetrus Pulse: What does Covetrus Pulse cost?
Pricing is quoted per practice and not published.
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: 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: Is it cloud-only?
Yes, which removes server maintenance and makes connectivity a dependency.
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.