Navigate to: Clients/Patients
What You Need to Know
New Client Forms do not auto-populate the client profile.
Submitted form answers are saved in the client's Forms tab for staff reference. Contact information must be entered manually into the client profile.
Pet Portal appointment requests do not automatically create a new client account.
A new client profile must be created manually. Accepting an appointment request does not generate a client record.
The Save button can stay grayed out even when the primary client information looks complete.
Missing required fields in a co-owner or authorized agent section will prevent saving the entire profile. If Save remains inactive, check those sections first.
Video Walkthrough
Two Ways to Create a Client
You can create a new client:
Directly from Clients/Patients — enter the full profile at once
From the appointment schedule (Quick Create) — captures basic information quickly when booking; the full profile should be completed afterward
Client Profile
To create a new client from Clients/Patients, click + New Client in the top right corner.
Client Information
First/Middle/Last Name (required)
DOB — client date of birth, if required for regulatory records
Gender — M/F/U, if required for regulatory records
Driver's License State, Number, and Expiration Date — if required for regulatory records
Client Type — Staff, Doctor, Cash Only, Rescue etc (configured in Admin > Clinic Settings)
Communication Preferences
Email Enter one email address per field. The email field does not accept multiple addresses or entries separated by a semicolon. If the email address is formatted incorrectly—or if non-email text (like a note) is entered in the email field—the profile will not save.
Phone
Phone Number Name — an optional label for the number (e.g., "Home," "Work")
Country Code (required) — defaults to United States
Phone (required) — the best number to reach the client
Phone Type (required) — the type of number (defaults to Mobile)
Primary Phone — select to mark this as the primary contact number
Add Another Phone — an alternate number if needed
Address — the client's physical address
Email Notifications
Appointment Notifications — automatic appointment confirmation and reminder emails
Mass Communication — clinic-wide broadcast emails
Post-Visit Survey — automated survey emails sent after a visit
Reminders — automatic patient service reminder emails
SMS Notifications
Appointment Notifications — automatic appointment texts
Mass Communication — clinic-wide broadcast texts
Direct Messaging — two-way texts sent from your clinic's message center
Reminder Notification Preferences
Email Reminders — patient service reminder emails
Postcard Reminders — patient service reminder postcardsClient Settings
Client Settings
Alert — a note that appears on the client's profile at the front end (e.g., "Pronounced 'Keer-stin'")
Referral Source — how the client heard about your practice (configured in Admin > Clinic Settings)
Client Discount — any applicable discounts for this client (configured in Admin > Clinic Settings)
Tax Exempt — when checked, disables automatic tax calculations during invoicing
Additional Information — any other relevant notes about the client
Co-Owner
If a patient is shared between multiple people, you can add a co-owner by selecting + Add Co-Owner.
Required:
Co-Owner First Name and Co-Owner Last Name — both fields are required. A missing last name will prevent saving the entire profile.
Optional:
Email, phone, and SMS notification settings for the co-owner.
Notifications and communication sent from Shepherd will be sent to the primary owner.
Authorized Agent(s)
Authorized agents are individuals who care for a patient without being an owner—such as a boarding facility, pet sitter, or family member who brings the patient in while the owner is away. The client should approve adding an agent to their account.
To add an authorized agent, select + Add Authorized Agent.
Required:
First and Last Name
Phone
Approval Note — documents what the authorized agent is permitted to do, the applicable date range, and who approved them. This field cannot be left blank. A missing Approval Note will prevent saving the entire profile.
Optional:
Role — a brief description of who the agent is (e.g., "Susan's sister")
When all information has been entered, click Save at the bottom of the profile.
Create a Client from the Schedule (Quick Create)
To create a client while booking an appointment, click + New Client from the appointment schedule box.
Quick Create collects basic information—name, email, and address—to get the appointment on the books quickly. The full client profile should be completed afterward.
Co-owners cannot be added during Quick Create. To add a co-owner, open the full client profile after saving and select + Add Co-Owner.
Duplicate Client Warnings
When creating or editing a client record, Shepherd may display a warning if the name, email address, phone number, or address you've entered matches an existing profile.
A duplicate warning does not always mean you're creating a duplicate. It can appear when:
Another active client in your database shares the same contact information
An inactive client record already has the same name or contact details
If you're editing an existing profile and see a duplicate warning: Selecting Yes saves your changes to the current record—it does not create a new client.
If the matching record doesn't look familiar: The match may be an inactive profile. Search for the client by name or email to find and review the existing record before proceeding.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my Save button grayed out?
The Save button stays disabled when required fields are incomplete. The issue is not always in the primary client information—check each section below if Save remains inactive:
Primary client:
First and last name are filled in
Email field contains a single, correctly formatted email address
No non-email text (such as a note) has been entered in the email field
Co-owner (if added):
Both first name and last name are entered
Authorized agent (if added):
First name, last name, phone number, and Approval Note are all filled in
Why didn't the New Client Form fill in the client's information automatically?
New Client Forms collect information for staff reference but do not automatically populate the client profile. To access the submitted form, open the client's profile and go to the Forms tab. Contact information and other details from the form must be entered manually into the client profile.