Rabies certificates in Shepherd allow you to generate, track, and share proof of rabies vaccination for patients. Certificates can be created automatically each time a rabies vaccine is administered, or added manually when needed. Both methods produce a certificate that is ready to print or email directly to the client.
To view/add rabies certificates to patients, navigate to: Patient Profile > Vaccinations tab > Certifications section
To set up rabies affiliated products, navigate to: Admin > Products
Rabies Certificate Checklist
Before administering a rabies vaccine, confirm the following so the certificate generates correctly.
1. The vaccine product is marked as a Rabies Vaccine
Go to Admin > Products, open the vaccine product, and confirm the Rabies Vaccine checkbox is selected. If this is not enabled, the rabies tag field will not appear and the certificate will not generate automatically.
2. A supervising DVM is assigned to the SOAP
The supervising doctor must be assigned in the SOAP Summary before the rabies tag field is available in Tx History.
3. The supervising DVM has a license number and signature saved
The doctor's license number and signature pull onto the certificate from My Profile > Personal Info. The Blue Signature checkbox must also be enabled — blue ink is required for rabies certificates to be legally valid.
4. A rabies tag number is entered after the vaccine is administered
Enter the tag number from Tx History or the invoice line item. If no physical tag was issued, enter N/A. Entering a value in this field — even N/A — is what triggers certificate creation.
5. The certificate is reviewed after generation
Go to the patient's Vaccinations tab > Certifications section to review, print, or email the certificate.
Setting Up Automatic Rabies Certificates
Automatic certificate generation is controlled at the product level. Once a vaccine product is marked as a Rabies Vaccine, Shepherd will generate a certificate each time that product is administered. The tag number field will also become available on the treatment record at the time of administration.
To enable automatic certificate generation:
Go to Admin > Products.
Select the rabies vaccine product to edit.
Check the Rabies Vaccine checkbox.
Click Save.
Entering Rabies Tag Numbers
Entering a value in the tag number field is what triggers rabies certificate creation. Without an entry in this field, a certificate will not be generated — even if the vaccine product is correctly marked as a Rabies Vaccine. If the patient was not issued a tag, enter N/A in the tag field. This will still trigger certificate creation.
There are two places to enter the tag number after administering a rabies vaccine:
Via Tx History
Before you begin: A supervising doctor must be assigned in the SOAP Summary section before the tag number field will be available in Tx History.
Administer the rabies vaccine in the patient's treatment plan.
Navigate to the Tx History tab in the Plan tab of the SOAP.
Locate the rabies vaccine treatment and select the down arrow on the left to expand it.
Enter the tag number in the Rabies Tag Number field.
Click Save.
Via the Invoice
Administer the rabies vaccine in the patient's treatment plan.
Open the invoice for the SOAP.
Navigate to the rabies vaccine line item.
Select Add Rabies Tag Number on the line item.
Enter the tag number in the modal that appears.
Click Save.
Once the tag number is saved by either method, the certificate generates automatically. Lot numbers and expiration dates configured during vaccine product setup will also auto-populate on the certificate. The completed certificate can be reviewed under the Vaccinations tab > Certifications section on the patient profile, where it can be printed or emailed directly.
Printing Rabies Certificates with Invoices
You can configure Shepherd to automatically include the rabies certificate when an invoice is printed, so clients receive both documents together as a combined PDF.
To enable this setting:
Go to Admin > Clinic Settings > Financial Settings > Invoice Settings.
Enable Include Rabies Certificates on Invoices.
Click Save.
Once enabled, any rabies certificate associated with that visit will print alongside the invoice automatically.
Creating a Manual Rabies Certificate
Manual certificates are useful when a vaccine was administered outside of Shepherd, or when a certificate needs to be added retroactively to a patient record.
To create a certificate manually:
Open the patient profile and go to the Vaccinations tab.
Scroll to the Certifications section and select + Add Rabies Certificate.
From the Vaccinations dropdown, select the rabies vaccination previously administered to this patient. Only rabies vaccinations on record for this patient will appear.
Fill in the vaccine information fields as needed:
Rabies Tag
Administration Date
Due Date
Vaccine Name
Manufacturer
Lot Number
Expiration Date
Serial Number
Note
Supervising Doctor
Click Save. The new certificate will appear in the Certifications section with the updated information.
Correcting a Rabies Certificate
Existing rabies certificates cannot be edited directly. The correction method depends on what needs to be fixed.
Correcting a Tag Number
If only the tag number is wrong, create a new certificate to replace it:
Open the patient profile and go to the Vaccinations tab.
Scroll to the Certifications section and select + Add Rabies Certificate.
From the Vaccinations dropdown, select the rabies vaccination for this patient.
Enter all correct information including the updated tag number.
Click Save. The corrected certificate will replace the previous one, and the patient's rabies tag detail will update automatically. The deletion of the old certificate will be recorded in the patient's activity log.
Correcting a Lot or Serial Number
If the wrong lot or serial number was recorded when the vaccine was administered, correcting it requires adding the correct lot to your inventory first, then unadministering and re-administering the vaccine in the original SOAP so the correct lot can be selected. A certificate cannot be corrected by creating a new one alone — the underlying vaccine record must reflect the correct lot.
This is a permission-based action. Only users with the appropriate role can unlock and reactivate a SOAP and invoice.
Step 1 — Add the correct lot to inventory
Go to Admin > Products and select the rabies vaccine product.
Scroll to the Track Product Lots section.
Enter the correct lot details in the input fields:
Manufacturer
Serial Number
Lot Number
Lot Expiration Date
Bottle Number (if applicable)
Click Save Lot. The new lot will now be available for selection when administering the vaccine.
Locate the old or incorrect lot in the Lot History table below and archive it.
Step 2 — Unlock the SOAP and invoice
Open the relevant SOAP and navigate to the SOAP Summary page.
Use the Status dropdown to set the SOAP status to Active, In Review, or Lab Pending.
Open the invoice and use its Status dropdown to change the status from Checked Out to Active.
Step 3 — Reverse and re-administer the vaccine
Reverse the rabies vaccine in the SOAP.
Re-administer the vaccine, selecting the correct lot with the updated information.
To backdate the administration date to match the original visit, select the three dots next to the relevant line item under Tx History and edit the administration date directly.
Step 4 — Verify the certificate
Navigate to the patient's Vaccinations tab > Certifications section and confirm the certificate reflects the correct lot information. If the incorrect certificate is still present, use + Add Rabies Certificate to generate a corrected certificate, which will replace the previous one automatically.
Setting a Default Rabies Certificate Note
You can configure a default note that will automatically appear on every rabies certificate your clinic generates. This is useful for including standard disclaimers, clinic policies, or state-required language.
To set a default note:
Go to Admin > Clinic Settings > Practice Management > Notes & Disclaimers.
Enter your text in the Rabies Certificate field.
Click Save.
This note will appear on all certificates going forward. It can be updated at any time.
Doctor's Signature and Compliance
Setting Up a Doctor's Signature
Each DVM manages their own signature in Shepherd through their personal profile. The signature and license number stored here will auto-populate on rabies certificates and written prescriptions.
To set up a signature:
Log in as the DVM and navigate to My Profile > Personal Info.
Enter the doctor's License Number.
Check the Blue Signature checkbox. This renders the signature in blue ink on printed documents, which is required for rabies certificates to be legally valid.
Click Add Signature to upload or draw the doctor's signature.
Click Save.
Only the doctor themselves can add or update their signature — this cannot be configured by an admin on their behalf. A doctor's saved signature will also auto-populate on written prescriptions in Shepherd.
Who Should Be Listed as the Signing Veterinarian?
The Doctor's Signature and License Number on a rabies certificate must reflect the supervising DVM, even when a Certified Veterinary Technician (CVT) administered the vaccine.
Rabies certificates are veterinary medical records issued under the authority of a licensed veterinarian. In states such as Wisconsin (under statute 95.21(8)), a CVT may administer a rabies vaccine under a DVM's direct supervision — but the certificate must be issued under the supervising veterinarian's medical license.
Shepherd does not currently support storing or applying signatures for CVT users. The supervising DVM should always be selected as the signer on the rabies certificate in Shepherd, regardless of which team member administered the vaccine. This ensures the certificate is issued under the correct authority and remains compliant with applicable state law.
What This Means in Practice
The supervising DVM is the appropriate and fully compliant signer on the certificate.
A CVT may administer the vaccine and complete documentation per clinic policy, but responsibility for the certificate record remains with the veterinarian.
This applies both to automatically generated and manually created certificates.
Adding Vaccine Information for Migrated or Pre-Shepherd Patients
For patients whose rabies vaccination history predates your clinic's use of Shepherd — including patients migrated from another platform — vaccine information can be entered manually. You may also upload the original vaccine paperwork to the patient's files for reference.
Rabies certificates do not typically transfer during data migration. For any patient whose certificate was not carried over, use this workflow to re-enter the information.
Open the patient profile and go to the Vaccinations tab.
Scroll to the Certifications section and select + Add Rabies Certificate.
Select the appropriate rabies vaccine from the dropdown.
Enter the vaccine details manually, including lot number and expiration date, as there is no prior SOAP to pull from.
Click Save.
If you have the original vaccine paperwork, upload it to the patient's Files tab for reference.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why didn't a rabies certificate generate after I administered the vaccine?
If a certificate was not generated, the most likely cause is that the vaccine product has not been marked as a Rabies Vaccine in Shepherd. The product must be configured correctly for both automatic certificate generation and the tag number field to be available at time of administration.
To check and fix this:
Go to Admin > Products and locate the vaccine product used.
Confirm the Rabies Vaccine checkbox is checked.
If it was not checked, enable it and click Save. Future administrations will generate certificates automatically.
For vaccines already administered without a certificate, you can add the certificate manually from the patient's Vaccinations tab.
How do I correct an error on a rabies certificate?
The correction method depends on what is wrong. For a tag number error, create a new certificate using + Add Rabies Certificate on the patient's Vaccinations tab — the new certificate will automatically replace the previous one.
For a lot or serial number error, creating a new certificate alone is not sufficient. The underlying vaccine record must also be corrected by adding the correct lot to inventory, then unadministering and re-administering the vaccine in the original SOAP with the correct lot selected. See Correcting a Lot or Serial Number for the full workflow.
Will updating the rabies tag number automatically update the certificate?
No. Updating the rabies tag number on the patient profile does not automatically update an existing certificate. To issue a corrected certificate with the updated tag number, create a new certificate using + Add Rabies Certificate on the patient's Vaccinations tab. The new certificate will replace the previous one automatically.
Can a CVT be listed as the signer on a rabies certificate?
No. Shepherd does not currently support storing or applying signatures for CVT users. The supervising DVM should be selected as the signer on all rabies certificates. See Doctor's Signature and Compliance above for a full explanation.