Covetrus Avimark vs Shepherd

DaySmart Vet

Instinct Science

Covetrus Pulse

DaySmart Vet provides easy-to-use practice management software to automate tasks, streamline workflows, and improve communication.

Instinct is the new cloud-based operating system for the modern veterinary hospital: a full electronic medical records and practice management system.

Meet Covetrus Pulse, the industry’s first all-in-one vOS. With Covetrus AI, save 6+ hours a week*, streamline visits, and auto-generate SOAP notes, all while focusing on delivering exceptional patient care. And it's all at no extra cost!

Hospital Manager/Lead Technician

They have a great customer support team whenever I have questions which gives me great comfort because this program can do so much.

Acting Hospital Manager, Director of Public Contact

The software support team is incredible at quickly answering questions and walking us through troubleshooting.

AVImark by Covetrus is an on-premise practice management software designed to help veterinarians and vet hospitals automate and manage finance and administration tasks, such as appointment scheduling, invoicing, budgeting, and medical records management.

Accounting

Activity Dashboard

Appointment Scheduling

Billing & Invoicing

Charting

Communication Management

Confirmations/Reminders

Customer Database

Document Management

Electronic Signature

Email Reminders

Imaging and X-rays

Inventory Management

Invoice Management

Patient Records Management

Payment Processing

Prescription Processing

Reminders

Reporting & Statistics

SMS Messaging

SOAP notes

Telemedicine

Third-Party Integrations

Treatment Planning

By industry, Covetrus Avimark reviewers are most commonly professionals in veterinary (92%). The most frequent use case cited by reviewers is veterinary (100%).

Users and use cases

Some users say Covetrus Avimark offers reasonable upfront costs and competitive support fees, and reviewers appreciate the included customer support. However, some reviewers feel ongoing fees are high, and users indicate frustration with accumulating costs and lack of tiered pricing.

Value for money

Covetrus Avimark is a veterinary solution with key features that include patient records management, prescription processing, billing and invoicing, appointment scheduling, confirmations and reminders, inventory management, and more.

Covetrus Avimark

Windows

Cornerstone Software

Covetrus Impromed

ezyVet

Digitail

Weave

PetDesk

Acuity Scheduling

Complicated and limited search tools

Receptionist

The software is not user friendly at all and is very hard to search for and look up medical and test results,  unable to delete patients when there are duplicates, not easy to enter a new breed or characteristic of patients,  updating patients weight requires lots of unnecessary steps and linking records from other hospitals can be extremely time consuming.  

Practice Manager

Searches are simply too complex for the technology that exists today, filtering should be possible within the system but it is sorely lacking (not many or none).  

61% of reviewers feel negative about Search Functionality. Reviewers indicate that searching for clients, patients, or records is often confusing and unintuitive. Some users report that custom searches require technical support to set up, and that the system struggles to recognize duplicates or filter results effectively. They say finding specific information or generating detailed reports can be time-consuming and difficult, leading to inefficiencies. Users feel the search and reporting features are outdated and not user-friendly, especially for complex queries.

Problematic software updates

Practice Manager and Co-owner 

Whenever we do an Avimark update, we have technical problems, our third parties have to update, and our IT person has to do a system reboot.

Owner / Veterinarian

Finally, it seems that every time we download an update several of our 'settings' are lost and have to be re-done.  

57% of reviewers feel negative about Updates. Some users report that software updates often introduce new technical problems or disrupt existing features. Reviewers say updates can be time-consuming, sometimes requiring the clinic to close or IT support to complete the process. They mention that information about updates is not always communicated clearly, and that updating can lead to lost settings or slow system performance. Users feel the update process is cumbersome and worry about potential data loss or downtime.

Inconsistent and slow phone support

My primary frustrations with Avimark have stemmed from calling customer service and getting an answer to my problems that amount to, "That's just the way Avimark is" or "Just restart the program and that will solve the problem".

61% of reviewers feel negative about Phone Support. Some users say reaching knowledgeable support staff is difficult, with long wait times and multiple calls often needed to resolve issues. Reviewers indicate that responses can be unhelpful or dismissive, and that customer service sometimes blames problems on users’ systems. They report frustration with having to call for assistance with basic functions or updates, and mention that follow-up on support tickets is often lacking. Users feel the quality of phone support has declined over time.

Cumbersome inventory processes

practice manager

Issues with it not tracking inventory correctly without re-indexing on a regular basis.

Hospital Manager

The inventory module is cumbersome as well as the vaccination set up.

57% of reviewers feel negative about Inventory Management. Users report that managing inventory is complicated, with multi-step processes for ordering and receiving items. Some reviewers say the system frequently produces inaccurate inventory counts, requiring regular manual adjustments or index rebuilds. They find it difficult to audit or track specific items, and mention that the inventory module is not intuitive. Reviewers indicate that glitches and reporting issues further complicate inventory management, making it challenging to maintain accurate records.

Frequent glitches and crashes

Operations Manager

There are a variety of weird glitches and the help document is very limited in helping you troubleshoot issues, so calls to support are common.

85% of reviewers feel negative about Bugs and Issues. Users report recurring glitches, error codes, and system crashes that disrupt daily operations. Some reviewers say the software can freeze, slow down, or require frequent restarts, especially in busy environments. They mention that troubleshooting is often time-consuming, with solutions like rebuilding indexes not always resolving problems. Reviewers indicate that integration with other programs can be unreliable and that technical support is not always able to fix persistent issues, leading to frustration and workflow interruptions.

Flexible practice management tools

Lead Client Care Specialist

Great, user friendly practice management system.

82% of reviewers feel positive about Practice Management. Some reviewers find the software adaptable for different types and sizes of veterinary practices, with customizable settings for individual users. Users say it is efficient for daily operations and supports practice growth over time. They appreciate that the platform is user-friendly and makes training staff straightforward. Reviewers indicate that the system helps manage all aspects of the clinic, from scheduling to reporting, and value its ability to adjust to evolving business needs.

Tailored for veterinary needs

CSR Supervisor

Of every veterinary software I've ever used- Avimark is definitely the most user friendly and has the most features integrated directly into the software.  

Director of IT

It has a broad feature set that meets the vet clinic's needs.

92% of reviewers feel positive about Veterinary Practice. Reviewers indicate that the software addresses the unique requirements of veterinary clinics, such as detailed record-keeping, client communication, and compatibility with industry-specific programs. Some users say it adapts well to both small and large animal practices and supports clinic growth over time. They find the platform dependable for daily operations and appreciate its comprehensive feature set, which meets most veterinary business needs. Users think its long-standing presence in the industry contributes to its reliability and familiarity among staff.

Comprehensive feature set

Veterinarian in Charge/Owner

It's very feature packed, and its one of the easiest Practice Management software packages to setup and to get everyone up to speed.

office manager

This is the only operating system we've used but we are very pleased with the the ease of use and all the features it offers . Although we don't use all the features at this moment it's nice to be able to have them available if things were to change.

82% of reviewers feel positive about Features. Reviewers appreciate the wide range of built-in tools and customizable options that allow them to tailor the software to their clinic’s needs. Some users report that the system offers more features than they currently use, but value having them available for future needs. They find the integration of various functions helpful for daily operations and note that online guides and support make it easier to explore advanced capabilities. Users think the feature-rich environment supports efficient practice management.

Quick staff onboarding experience

You can learn the program quickly and accomplish complete a task a few different ways, which allows employees to find a protocol that they best click with.

The areas for including patient notes is easy to use and easy to train new staff members on.

93% of reviewers feel positive about Training and Learning Curve. Some users report that new staff can be trained quickly, often within days or even hours, thanks to the intuitive design and multiple ways to complete tasks. Reviewers appreciate that the software is user-friendly for beginners and allows employees to personalize their workflow. They say ongoing learning is supported by helpful resources and integrations, making it easy to pick up new features. Users think this ease of training reduces onboarding stress and increases staff efficiency in veterinary practices.

Vet Tech

Avimark is great to manage your pet hospital, you can customize it according to your needs.

Certified Veterinary Technician

It has been greatly utilized for scheduling and inventory management.  

Data analysis for specific things is a little complicated.  

Allows for efficient and easy training for new staff.

Veterinary Assistant

The format was not very updated and when we did heavy amounts of boarding the schedule was a mess.

We utilize the timeclock feature as well as the different reporting features as well.

Can be slow, often when it updates we have issues with labs and error messages and have to call tech support for assistance

Owner Veterinarian

I absolutely love Avimark for my veterinary clinic.

It was a good product for awhile, but ultimately couldn’t compare to other cloud based PIMS as our practice grew.

The customer support has always been absolutely phenomenal and efficient.

When there are technical difficulties / glitches, it affects the entire system.

It also has a lot of additional functions / integration capabilities.

All i. One place PIMS, ordering, online pharmacy and more

I will continue to use this program for the life of my practice.

It covers every need that my hospital needs.

Visual appearance of screens, and patients

Avimark was nice as it had short hand codes that you could use to get to different areas within the program and also to check clients out.

Operations Specialist

We changed online pharmacies and found that Covetrus has a compounding side of the online pharmacy.  

We are able to keep track of all clients and patients in an orderly manner.

I love the online pharmacy and the fact that they try to match the prices of other online pharmacies.  

I only wish there were periodic email reminders, such as "Hey, have you tried this Hotkey/Shortcut idea?"

Seemed outdated by the look of it and since it wasn’t cloud based couldn’t use it from home.

Farmer

The Electronic Signature pads for paper less flow of practice and the use of Zoasis web service for requisition

Veterinarian 

Overall this is a satisfactory product that does what I need it to do, albeit difficult to navigate in some areas.

You can scan and attach outside documents and easily print certificates and records.

Some very obvious defects: When you change  a date in 1 patient's file, every other code for the rest of the day goes under that previous date - should default to current date when you switch to another patient's file. When one doctor is working on a patient & we go to another terminal, we have to select the doctor again - should default to the doctor who had already entered items that day .

Client Services Coordinator

There are very few Credit Card Merchants that are able to integrate with this system smoothly, that is our one struggle when we wanted to switch processors, we were unable to find one that would work with this system since there are only 2 that are interactable.

Everything can be done in Avimark - treatment, billing, appointments, etc.  

Hospital Administrator 

The custom reporting-info search allows you to narrow down anything and everything to market certain services to a group if clients.

Client Liaison

Save your emails that you're sending through avimark because if you have a space at the end after copying and pasting a clients email in the "to" line, it counts it as an invalid email and closes out the entire message you just typed out.

We get alot of use out of this feature.  

We were able to train people very quickly

Manager

Integration between Zoetis Labs is a nightmare, and pretty much any product that is not manufactured by Covetrus.

I liked that this software turns a paper-heavy practice in a paper-light or paperless one (great for the environment!).  

Idexx promised that with switching to Cornerstone that all of our inventory issues would be fixed and they were not at all.  

Office Manager

Somethings seem overly complicated when they could be kept much simpler, ie: the look of the schedule itself, the process of rescheduling an appt, attaching images/documents to records, taking/processing payments...

I was informed several years ago that this was being worked on but it is still an issue.   When you enter orders and change expiration dates on items (even when there are still some in stock) the system does not recognize and keep track of the items under the previous expiration date.  

There are a few features that have glitches that affect inventory, such as invoices that randomly do not post/close out.

There are definitely things that need to be updated, such as the ability to remind clients of upcoming appointments automatically via email or text through the software.

I think it is user friendly and easy for new staff to learn.    

Much easier to use than other veterinary platforms!

CVT, Head Technician

Inventory module was a bit clunky with certain features.

There's no check in and check out color feature that allows you to see checked in/out patients without clicking on them.

Receptionist/ IT Manager

We like using this software and recognize it is the best in the industry, however as the times change and the digital age is more prevalent, updates to the software for ease of use and utilization need to be made.  

We had to use an outside app for reminders.  

Reviewers indicate Covetrus Avimark’s Inventory Management helps track products, set reorder points, and view real-time stock. Users report it’s useful for managing controlled substances and generating purchase orders, but find the system complex and difficult to learn. They say manual entry, multi-step processes, and inaccurate counts are common issues, and integration with Intelligent Inventory is sometimes confusing. Users mention physical inventory checks are still necessary, and better navigation and automation would improve Covetrus Avimark’s inventory aspect. Of the 55 Covetrus Avimark users who gave detailed accounts of their use of Inventory Management, 82% rated this feature as important or highly important.

Patient Charting

Clinic Management

Training and Learning Curve

Updates

Veterinary Practice

Paperless Records

Scheduling

Features

Large Enterprises

Mid-size Business

Small Business

Freelancers

Covetrus Software Services

The workflow-first PIMS built and driven by practicing veterinarians, so it feels second nature. 

Alerts/Notifications

Calendar Management

Client Management

Data Import/Export

Document Storage

Electronic Payments

EMR/EHR

Historical Reporting

Live Chat

Patient Intake

Patient Portal

Self Service Portal

Status Tracking

Task Scheduling

Template Management

Workflow Management

Shepherd

Web-based

Android

iPhone

iPad

Owner, veterinarian

The automated features (tasks like callbacks, forms to send to clients when booking online, discharges, approving estimates and pushing to the treatment and invoice) improves efficiency for the whole team as well as communication with clients.

Scheduling features are constantly being updated for better management, which we really appreciate - I also love that customers have access to their profiles through Pet Portal to request medications, see records, and book appointments!

In our legacy PIMS we had a "line item history we could print for quick access, but in the INVOICE LINE ITEMS tab on Shepherd - you cant print them.

Veterinarian-Owner

For example "Growth Removal <2cm" to "Growth Removal <2cm: Sternum" to differentiate from the 2nd item "Growth Removal <2cm: Right Hip" to best define estimates, communicate with client and the next day's team members.

I especially appreciate the ability for each user to provide feed back and suggested new features- and even more impressive: the Shepherd Team's responsiveness to those suggestions.

I love how customizable it can be: each DVM can create their own exam template, each user can create their own shortcuts.

Client Service Manager

I really like that Shepherd is cloud based, it makes it to where we can work from anywhere including invoicing during our large animal farm calls.

The ease of scheduling, the ease of managing client and patient information, the reports available, the fact that we can be even more paperless...these are just the tip of the iceberg as to why I would recommend Shepherd to any clinic.

Covetrus Avimark vs Shepherd Comparison (2026)

Covetrus Avimark

Shepherd

Overview

Video & Screenshots

Pricing

User reviews

Key features

Integrations

Alternatives