Shepherd and PetDesk: Better Communication for Veterinary Clinics

Great communication isn’t just a luxury for veterinary practices—it’s a necessity. 98% of pet parents want to hear from their vets by email, for instance, and yet only 41% actually have. As 31% of pet parents are currently considering switching vets in 2025 alone, this lack of digital convenience runs the risk of customer churn and losing out on a large client base.
But between scheduling appointments, updating patient records, answering questions, and maintaining consistent client outreach, veterinary teams have a lot on their plates as it is. And for front desk staff, keeping everything running smoothly can be especially overwhelming.
With the combined strength of PetDesk and Shepherd, daily clinic life becomes less stressful and easier to manage. While Shepherd remains your practice’s core information management system for medical records, billing, and workflows, PetDesk specializes in automating client communication and providing the seamless digital experience pet parents demand.
Together, this flawless integration creates a powerful client engagement ecosystem that simplifies communication, automates repetitive manual tasks, and enhances every interaction between clients and staff, providing a complete game-changer for veterinary practices like yours.
Fully-integrated data, perfectly simplified practice
The combination of Shepherd and PetDesk creates a more connected and productive veterinary environment by bridging the gap between client communication and record management. When you integrate PetDesk with Shepherd, all details of client interactions—whether it’s a phone call, text, reminder, form, payment, or appointment—are automatically reflected in Shepherd, without requiring any manual input.
Here’s how it works:
- While you keep Shepherd as your operational hub, all client interactions from PetDesk Communications (like reminders, texts, forms, and payments) automatically pop directly into Shepherd. That means less manual entry, and your records stay accurate.
- To take your efficiency up an extra level, integrate PetDesk Phones with Shepherd to see all your call details flow directly into your PIMS as well. You’ll enjoy conveniently capturing each inbound and outbound client interaction within one user-friendly dashboard.
Integrating PetDesk with Shepherd removes double data entry and the need to toggle from place to place—you’ll have one complete ecosystem where your client communication and appointment management is fully integrated into your daily operations. Having the best veterinary solution for data management gives you the peace of mind that your records are always up to date and complete.
Free your front desk and reclaim time
Your front desk staff are often stretched thin. Repeating the same tasks—confirming appointments, fielding basic client inquiries, or manually sending reminders—takes up hours each week. But with PetDesk’s intelligent communication tools, those repetitive tasks are automatically handled for you.
PetDesk automates appointment reminders, confirmations, and routine follow-ups, allowing your team to focus on more meaningful client interactions and patient care. In fact, practices that use PetDesk’s Two-Way Texting feature have saved 12 hours per week—a huge win for time-crunched teams.
When you add in PetDesk Phones, all your phone calls become more efficient, too. Calls are integrated into Shepherd, and teams can access caller details quickly, cutting down on call times and improving response quality. Together, PetDesk and Shepherd give your team back valuable time while keeping communication clear, productive, and client focused.
Enjoy happier staff and pet parents
Clients today want modern solutions, with over 75% of pet parents expecting to schedule appointments on any device, send quick questions by SMS, and easily access their pets’ health records on their own. PetDesk’s #1 rated veterinary mobile app helps your team easily meet these expectations and is already loved by over 7 million pet parents! You’ll simplify staff workflows by allowing your team to view client communications, respond to texts, and manage interactions in one place. At the same time, you’ll give pet parents the convenient, self-serve options they expect, including easy appointment management, two-way texting, access to health records, and more.
With the increased power and productivity of PetDesk Phones and Shepherd, you’ll make daily interactions even easier for your team—from the first phone call to sending that follow-up message.
Grow your practice—without growing your workload
More than supporting daily operations, great communication fuels the success of your practice. Integrating PetDesk Communications with Shepherd allows you to automatically send timely appointment reminders and confirmations, which alone have proven to save DVMs more than 45 minutes per day.
In addition to securing revenue, you can use PetDesk Phones directly with Shepherd to effortlessly identify overdue compliance for proactive outreach, which helps to strengthen long-term client loyalty.
When everything is working together (phone calls, messages, reminders, payments, forms, appointment management) directly in Shepherd, your practice will begin running as smoothly as possible. That means you can grow, take on more patients, and provide better care—without adding to your workload.
The ultimate “better together”: complete PIMS and client engagement ecosystem
This integration is more than just convenient—it’s a pivotal shift for veterinary teams. By combining the familiar functionality of Shepherd’s PIMS with the automation, engagement, and convenience of PetDesk, veterinary practices can finally operate at the level today’s clients expect—without burning out their teams.
When you use PetDesk Communications, you’re investing in the ultimate veterinary ecosystem with Shepherd. Every call, text, reminder, payment, and appointment works in sync with your PIMS, eliminating data silos, manual updates, and communication breakdowns.
Most importantly, when your tools are integrated and your processes simplified, clinic stress goes down, team morale goes up, and client satisfaction skyrockets. That’s what you get with the combined strength of PetDesk and Shepherd.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
How does the Shepherd and PetDesk integration work?
The integration connects PetDesk Communications and PetDesk Phones directly with your Shepherd PIMS. All calls, messages, reminders, forms, payments, and appointments sent through PetDesk are automatically reflected in Shepherd’s patient records, eliminating the need for manual entry.
What types of data sync between PetDesk and Shepherd?
Client interactions including appointment reminders and confirmations, two-way text messages, digital forms, payments, and appointments are synced into Shepherd. If your practice uses PetDesk Phones, call details are also captured and logged directly into Shepherd.
Does the integration help reduce no-shows?
Yes! PetDesk features like digital payments have helped reduce appointment no-shows by 90%, which saves time, improves scheduling efficiency, and protects your clinic’s revenue. Reminders and confirmations alone have also proven to save DVMs more than 45 minutes per day.
How much time can my team save with this integration?
Practices that use PetDesk’s automated communication tools have hundreds of hours, including one practice who saved 12 hours per week with just the mobile app and two-way texting—valuable time that frees clinic staff to focus more on excellent patient care and high-value client interactions.
Is PetDesk’s mobile app included?
Yes. PetDesk’s top-rated mobile app, used by over 7 million pet parents, is part of the client engagement experience of PetDesk Communications. It allows pet parents to manage appointments, view health records, and communicate with your clinic on their own time.
**Do I need to use PetDesk Communications and Phones to benefit from the integration?**Not at all! The integration is powerful whether you use PetDesk Communications and PetDesk Phones individually or as a pair. However, using both solutions offers a comprehensive client engagement ecosystem for maximum efficiency and impact.
Is the integration difficult to set up?
Nope! The setup process is easy with support from both the PetDesk and Shepherd teams, making implementation quick and hassle-free.
Ready to take client communication to the next level?
Support your team in becoming less stressed and more productive than ever. With PetDesk and Shepherd, it’s time to work smarter—together. Learn more
Sources
1 Blue Research: Insights to Drive Growth in the Companion Animal Market
2 PetDesk’s 2025 Pet Parent Research Report
