Best Veterinary Software for Startup Practices in 2025

Key Takeaways

• Covetrus Ascend stands out as one of the top-rated veterinary practice management software options for startup practices due to its intuitive interface and comprehensive features
• Cloud-based systems offer the most value for new practices with their accessibility and reduced IT overhead
• Essential features to prioritise include appointment scheduling, patient records, client communication, and inventory tracking
• Look for solutions with strong integrations and dedicated support to ensure smooth implementation

Many startups struggle with clunky systems that take “millions of clicks” just to open a patient page or pull up a medical history.

So what is the best vet software for a startup? Amongst the highest rated options is Covetrus Ascend. Built to cut through the daily chaos, Ascend gives you cloud-based access, feature-rich functionality, 24/7 technical support and a customer success specialist.

This article will walk you through how Ascend streamlines appointment booking, connects to lab integrations, streamlines inventory management, and keeps your team in sync. You’ll see why it’s the smartest choice for startup veterinary practices.

Ascend: Best Vet Software for Startup

Covetrus Ascend is cloud-based veterinary practice management software built for flexibility and simplicity. It’s designed to make everyday work easier at your vet practice, especially for new teams that can’t afford wasted time or steep learning curves.

Say it’s 7 AM and you’re reviewing your day’s appointments over coffee at home. Your phone buzzes with a client asking about their pet’s recent consult and next steps. Instead of panicking about accessing files locked away on your office computer, you simply tap your phone screen and have the answer instantly.

This level of freedom defines what modern practice management software should deliver. Ascend’s visual interface makes sense from day one.

No more clicking through endless menus or struggling to find basic functions that should be simple.

Key Features

Ascend delivers the essential features every startup practice needs:

• Appointment scheduling and calendar management that syncs across all devices
• Complete patient records and medical history tracking with easy search functionality
• Client communication tools including automated reminders and online appointments
• Inventory management with tracking and supplier connectivity
• Billing and payments with in-person and digital online options
• Mobile apps for on-the-go access to practice data
• Lab integrations for seamless diagnostic results import
• Reporting and business intelligence capabilities to track practice growth and financial performance

Pricing

With Ascend, you get competitive pricing compared to most vet software solutions in the market.

Contact us for pricing for your startup practice.

Pros

• Intuitive Design: The interface feels familiar from day one. Your staff won’t need weeks of training to handle basic tasks like booking appointments or updating patient weights
• Mobile Flexibility: House calls or simply checking tomorrow’s schedule from home, everything works seamlessly across devices
• Comprehensive Integration: The system connects with lab equipment, diagnostic tools, and payment processors to create a unified workflow that eliminates double data entry

Cons

• Cloud Dependency: Practices that prefer traditional server-based systems may find the cloud-based approach requires adjusting their workflow expectations

User Reviews

• “The Ascend team are frequently turning out new updates, developing ease of use and great features. We’ve never had any trouble getting in touch with the support team, with all of them being very helpful. The integration process was smooth and the 24 hour support during transition was incredible.” – Verified g2 review
• “Ascend is really user friendly – it is like browsing the internet on your smart phone. All the features are located in the same places as on your phone. It is intuitive. I like that you can have multiple tabs open and the system automatically saves your work as you go – no longer do you have to worry about losing that long history. I do like the customer support tab and the ability to suggest improvements.” – Verified g2 review

Who Ascend is Best For

• Startup Practices: Perfect for new clinics needing comprehensive features without overwhelming complexity
• Mobile Veterinarians: Ideal for practices offering house calls and field services
• Growing Teams: Scales easily as you add staff and expand services
• Tech-Forward Clinics: Best suited for practices embracing modern veterinary technology

As a startup, you’ll know it’s essential to get staff up and running quickly with your veterinary software. Newstead Vets staff were able to learn Covetrus Ascend within 1-2 days and you can see exactly how they use it to reduce training time and streamlining operations by clicking on the recorded demo below:

Join the startups growing smarter with Ascend

How to Choose the Right Software for Your Practice

Selecting the right veterinary practice management software determines whether your startup thrives or struggles with daily operations. The wrong choice can cost you thousands in lost productivity and frustrated staff turnover.

Cloud-Based Accessibility and Mobility

What happens when a client calls at 9 PM worried about her cat’s unusual behaviour after today’s vaccination?

Traditional systems leave you helpless. The patient file sits locked on your office computer, and you can only offer generic advice or ask her to call back tomorrow. This creates anxiety for pet owners and damages the trust you’ve worked hard to build.

Cloud-based systems solve this completely. You grab your phone, pull up the patient record, review the exact vaccination given and timing, then provide specific, personalised guidance that reassures the owner and demonstrates your professionalism.

This accessibility extends beyond emergency calls. You can review staff training materials during your commute, check appointment schedules before leaving home, or update patient records while walking between exam rooms.

The flexibility becomes even more valuable as your practice grows. New staff can access training resources from home, part-time employees can work remotely on administrative tasks, and you can maintain operations even when someone calls in sick.

Integrated Patient Records

Your patient records system should make you a better veterinarian, not just a better record keeper. Yet most practices struggle with systems that bury important information under layers of confusing menus and poorly organised data.

Consider the frustration of trying to track a patient’s ongoing skin condition across multiple visits. Traditional systems often scatter this information across different screens, making it difficult to spot patterns or track treatment effectiveness.

Modern systems organise history chronologically while highlighting key information like allergies, chronic conditions, and treatment responses.

The system should also make it easy to create detailed treatment plans and follow-up reminders. For instance, when you recommend a recheck in two weeks, the system might automatically schedule that appointment and send reminders to both your staff and the pet owner.

Integration with diagnostic equipment becomes important here. When lab results arrive electronically, they should automatically attach to the correct patient record. This eliminates the risk of missing critical results in busy practices.

Practice Operations and Workflow Management

Startup practices especially can’t afford to waste time on inefficient workflows when every appointment matters for building your reputation and revenue.

Yet most practice management software forces you to adapt your workflow to match their rigid system design. This backwards approach creates frustration and reduces efficiency rather than improving it.

The right system adapts to how veterinary practices actually work:

• Appointment scheduling should be visual and intuitive.
• Invoice creation should happen automatically as you add services and medications to a patient’s visit, not require separate data entry that doubles your work and increases error risk.
• The system should remember your most common procedures and medications, making data entry faster through predictive text and templates.

Communication tools go a long way in maintaining client relationships and reducing phone calls. Automated appointment reminders decrease no-shows while post-visit follow-up messages show clients you care about their pet’s recovery.

Streamline your vet practice operations and win back 16 hours per week today

Financial Management and Growth Tracking

Your billing system determines whether you capture every dollar earned or slowly bleed revenue through missed charges and inefficient processes. Many startup practices lose huge potential revenue simply because their software doesn’t properly track services and follow-up care.

One of our customers, Stones Corner Veterinary Surgery saves five hours a week and thousands of dollars a year using Acend, as Jodie Swan explains:

“The monthly Ascend costs were a big, big drawcard and are really reasonable. It’s also a lot easier to manage our cash flow versus the yearly license fee that we used to have. Plus, it’s actually worked out cheaper than I expected, which I love!”

For veterinary practices, analytics means fewer losses and measurable growth. Reporting capabilities help you identify trends and opportunities.

These key metrics for practice success help you make data-driven decisions about pricing, staffing, and service offerings.

Integration Capabilities and Third-Party Connections

Say a typical day looks like you running blood work, dispensing medications, and processing payments. With proper integrations, results flow directly into patient records, appointments are booked online, and payments are processed without manual intervention.

Without integrations, each of these actions requires separate data entry across different systems. The time adds up quickly, and mistakes become inevitable.

Your practice management software should play nicely with the other tools you rely on daily.

Lab integrations eliminate manual data entry when test results arrive. Payment processors need to sync with your billing system seamlessly.

Practices that choose isolated systems end up with data silos and double-entry requirements. This creates more work for staff and increases the risk of errors.

Pro tip: Understand how these integrations work when preparing for cloud-based systems and plan your implementation accordingly.

Customer Support and Implementation

Tech support that doesn’t understand veterinary workflows can turn a minor problem into a big one.

The best software providers offer 24/7 support. They can quickly diagnose problems and provide solutions that make sense for your specific situation.

Ascend takes the expert approach: implementation specialists guide your team through a safe, step-by-step switch with minimal disruption. Data migration is handled with precision, while training focuses on real-world use cases so your staff is ready from day one.

The support team should also provide ongoing training resources as the software evolves and your practice grows. Video tutorials, user forums, and regular webinars help your staff stay current with new features and best practices.

Get the Best Software for New Vet Practices: Try Ascend

Starting a new practice already involves countless decisions and challenges. Your software implementation should be the easy part, not another source of stress and confusion.

So, what is the best vet software for startup practices? The answer depends on your specific needs, but Covetrus Ascend consistently delivers the combination of functionality, ease of use, and growth potential that new veterinary practices need to succeed.

You get comprehensive practice management features without the complexity that bogs down traditional systems. The cloud-based architecture ensures you can work from anywhere while maintaining complete control over your practice data and operations.

The platform’s intuitive design means your staff can focus on patient care rather than fighting with complicated software interfaces.

Book a personalised demo to build the practice you’ve always envisioned while serving the pets and families who depend on your expertise.

Alternatively, you can watch the recorded demo below to see how Newstead Vets use Ascend to reduce staff training time and streamline their practice operations across the team: