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Announcing Your Hospital's Pet Portal
Announcing Your Hospital's Pet Portal

Tips and tricks for pet portal success

Updated over 11 months ago

Shepherd’s pet portal feature is here!

Our integrated solution allows your clients to request appointments and prescription refills, access vaccine history and reminders, review previous invoices, and more.

Using the pet portal increases staff efficiency and client compliance, letting your staff get back to what they do best - treating animals!

To set up your practice’s link visit our help article: Pet Portal Set Up.

We've put together some tips and valuable resources you can use to introduce this exciting tool to your clients, so read on!


This is the easiest way for your clients to access their pet’s portal. Our pet portal is mobile-friendly, so clients can access their pet’s record from anywhere.

Including a brief description of the benefits that the pet portal brings to clients will encourage usage.

Sample content:

Introducing <hospital name>’s Pet Portal!

Manage your pet’s healthcare, request appointments and refills, and print vaccine certificates. That’s just the beginning! Check back often for new features, updates, and announcements from our practice.

New client? You can request appointments through our pet portal, too!


Social media platforms are casual – have fun with your announcement! Meeting your clients where they are will engage them organically.

Use the tone consistent with your hospital and brand while providing detailed information — such as how to access and log into the pet portal. Include website links and eye-catching photos.

Sample content:

We’re so excited to announce our NEW pet portal—accessible right from our website!

Designed to help you manage your pet’s healthcare, you can:

  • Request appointments and prescription refills

  • Review and print vaccine certificates for boarding, grooming, or daycare

  • See your pet’s upcoming reminders

  • View invoice and service history

  • And more!

Log in to your pet portal on our website here:

Enter the name, email address, and phone number that we have on file. You’ll receive a verification code to enter on the login page.


Mass email and SMS messages are a great way to ensure your announcement is getting to your entire client list.

Emails are effective in communicating full details, outlining the benefits of using the pet portal and including instructions on getting started.

Email sample content:

Hello <practice name> Family!

We are so excited to announce our NEW pet portal! The pet portal is designed to help you manage your pet’s healthcare – from home!

With our pet portal, you can:

  • Review and print vaccine certificates for boarding, grooming, or daycare

  • Review your pet’s healthcare reminders

  • Request appointments

  • Request prescription refills

  • View previous services

  • and more!

To use the pet portal:

  1. In your internet browser, navigate to <practice website> and <insert additional instructions here>.

  2. Once you’re on the pet portal main page, click “LOGIN TO PETPORTAL.”

  3. Enter your email address previously provided to <practice name>, your phone number, and name.

  4. You will receive a verification email with a code. Enter this code on the pet portal website. If you do not receive a verification email, <practice name> likely has a different email address on file for you.

It’s that simple – no username or password to remember.

As always, don’t hesitate to email, text, or call us if you have any questions or concerns!

Text messages are a more direct way to reach your clients and are proven to be ignored less than emails. Keep your message short and sweet, and don’t forget to include a link so clients can log right in.

As a bonus, you’ll receive instant feedback with Shepherd’s two-way SMS. As with any mass communication, make sure you have staff available to provide real-time support to your clients.

SMS sample content:

Introducing our NEW pet portal! Go to <practice website> to login to your pet portal and access vaccine certificates, request appointments and refills, and more!


Your clients are already used to hearing from you via SMS and appointment reminders. Leverage these tools to remind them about their self-service tools in the pet portal.

Solve after-hours inquiries by directing your clients to the pet portal to request an appointment, refill a prescription, or access their vaccine records. Adding this information to your auto-reply provides excellent customer service—even when the hospital is closed!

Including your pet portal announcement on all client communications reminds clients that you’re dedicated to providing a quality customer experience.


Educate every client that comes through your door. Including a brief description of the pet portal on every invoice reinforces the benefits for the client. Add or update your Invoice note from the Advanced Settings tab in Edit Clinic Settings.


While we live in a digital age, we can’t forget the importance of in-hospital marketing materials.

  • Hospital posters in each exam room help explain the pet portal and direct clients to your website while they wait. If they have questions, your staff can help while they are still in the hospital.

  • Hospital brochures can provide instructions on how to use the pet portal and may be used at different community events as an example of why your hospital stands apart from others.

  • Postcard reminders should include information about the pet portal for those clients not currently receiving email notifications.

  • Include your pet portal URL alongside your website on your business cards

Download our custom fillable template below!

For clinics using Shepherd Pay, download the first version below

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