Product options and requirements vary based on the selected product type. Understanding these differences helps you create, configure, and manage products efficiently in Shepherd.
Important: Once a product is created, you cannot edit the product type.
You would create a new product with the correct product type and deactivate the mislabeled one.
Product Definitions
Product types are the foundation of your product database. They help ensure consistency across your catalog while still allowing flexibility to customize items to fit your practice’s workflow.
Product types differ from categories. Product types define functionality and setup options, while categories are used for organization and reporting.
Shepherd supports the following product types:
Injections – All non-vaccine injectable products. Charged per mL.
Medications – Similar to injections but with different administration routes. Charged per tablet, capsule, mL, etc.
Products – Covers physical goods such as food, treats, or merchandise. Also used for medications sold by full unit, bottle, or tube.
Services – Procedures such as exams, surgeries, nail trims, or laser therapy. Services can also automatically update a patient’s status (e.g., spay or euthanasia).
Vaccinations – Injectable vaccines with unique fields and reporting requirements.
Fields for Creating a Product
When adding a product in Shepherd, you’ll complete several sections. Each section is dynamic based on the product type selected.
General
The General section defines key details that apply to all product types:
Active toggle – Activates or deactivates a product.
Product Type – Selects the type (Injection, Medication, Product, Service, or Vaccine).
Product Category – Assigns the product to a reporting group.
Invoice Line Name – The name displayed on invoices.
Show if Declined – Determines whether declined items appear on the invoice.
Controlled – if the product type is 'Product' the option to mark it Controlled will appear under General. For 'Medication' and 'Injection' product types, the option to mark as Controlled will appear within the Medication/Injection Details box instead.
Details by Product Type
Injection Details
Injections are used for all non-vaccine injectable products and are charged per ML. Fields include:
Injection Name – Appears in medical records.
Controlled – Check if applicable.
Concentration – Based on unit and volume. Shepherd uses this for automatic dose calculations.
Medication Unit – g, IU, mcg, mg.
Volume – mL.
Administration Routes – CRI, IM, IV, Other, OTM, PO, PR, SC.
Injection Concentration Calculation in SOAP
If you enter the dose in mg/kg, Shepherd will automatically calculate the dose in ml in a gray field below. If you enter the dose in ml in the SOAP during administration, Shepherd automatically confirms the dose calculation in mg/kg in the same field.
Medication Details
Medications are similar to injections but support different administration routes and volume unites. Fields include:
Medication Name – Appears in medical records.
Controlled – Check if applicable.
Concentration – Used for weight-based dosing.
Medication Unit – g, IU, mcg, mg.
Volume – caplet, capsule, mL, per, tablet.
Administration Routes – CRI, IM, IV, Other, OTM, PO, PR, SC.
Vaccine Details
Vaccinations are injectable vaccines with unique fields and reporting requirements. Fields include:
Combo Vaccination – Combine multiple vaccinations (e.g., DHPPL) with unique due dates. Combo vaccines also support a Multiple Vial Administration setting (coming 3/14/26), allowing clinics to match inventory behavior to how vaccines are packaged and administered. When enabled, each vaccine type can use its own lot number and deduct inventory separately. When disabled, the selected lot applies to all vaccine rows and only one quantity is deducted, supporting single-vial combination vaccines.
Rabies Vaccine Toggle – Mark combo vaccines that include Rabies for accurate reporting.
Label Name – Appears on vaccination reports.
Vaccination Name – Displays on vaccination history and certificates.
Due In / Time Unit – Sets when the next booster is due.
Linked Inventory Item
If the product is tracked in inventory, link it to an existing inventory item. Learn more in Creating and Linking Inventory Items.
Track Product Lots
Product lot tracking is available for Vaccine and Controlled items only.
Track and manage product lots to ensure traceability.
Fields include:
Manufacturer
Serial Number
Lot Number
Expiration Date
Bottle Number
Visit this section at any time to add new lots or archive old lots.
You cannot archive an old lot until you enter the new lot information.
Product Price
The Product Price section defines how pricing is calculated when a product is added to an invoice. Fields include:
Selling Price – The standard charge.
Min. Price – The lowest allowable price per unit.
Dispensing Fee / Amount – Adds an automatic fee if applicable.
Calculate By – Determines price based on markup % or unit cost (for linked inventory items).
Markup % – Adjusts selling price relative to cost.
Product Price Settings
The Product Price Settings section lets you customize how a product behaves during invoicing:
Included on Invoice – Automatically adds when administered.
Taxable – Applies tax rate during invoicing.
Hide from Treatment Search – Prevents manual addition to treatments.
Client Discount Eligible – Applies client-level discounts.
Pet Assure Discount Eligible – Automatically applies the 25% Pet Assure discount.
Default Product Discount – Adds a preset discount automatically.
Rx Label Settings
Rx Label Settings are available for Product and Medication product types only.
To configure Rx Label Settings,Add standard directions for printed prescription labels. You can edit directions within the SOAP if needed.
Additional Options for All Product Types
Discharge Instructions
Add default discharge instructions that populate automatically when the product is administered. Learn more about discharge instructions.
Automatic Task
Create follow-up tasks that generate automatically after administration. Learn more about automatic tasks.
Included in Medical Record
Set default medical notes that appear each time the product or service is administered.