You didn’t choose veterinary medicine for paperwork. You chose it to heal animals, solve complex cases, and support pet owners.
Yet here we are in 2025, and the reality looks very different. Many veterinarians today feel overwhelmed by administrative tasks—such as manual SOAP notes, endless follow-ups, and repetitive data entry. The result? Stress, exhaustion, and a profession struggling to keep balance.
Veterinary burnout is no longer a side issue. It’s one of the most pressing challenges in practice management. According to the latest Veterinary Wellbeing Study (Merck & AVMA, 2024), over 60% of veterinarians report high levels of exhaustion. And the top drivers are clear: staffing shortages, administrative overload, and financial pressure.
But what if the solution isn’t working harder or hiring more staff (good luck with that in today’s market)? What if it’s working smarter with technology that actually delivers on its promise to make your life easier?
AI-powered veterinary practice management is no longer science fiction. It’s happening right now in clinics across North America, and the results are transforming how veterinarians practice medicine and how they feel at the end of the day.
The stress comes from multiple, compounding sources:
Dr. Michelle Woodruff, founder of Woodruff Vet Services in Alberta, sees the pattern clearly after over two decades in practice:
“Our profession comes with an emotional toll, and we should take every opportunity to reduce the stress in our day.”
Burnout is personal, but it’s also operational. Clinics under pressure often see:
This is where automation in PIMS has begun to show real promise. At Digitail, this comes to life through Tails AI, a suite of smart tools built directly into the veterinary practice management system.
Unlike standalone dictation apps or chatbots, Tails AI is embedded within the workflows teams already use every day. It appears exactly where it’s needed, helping teams handle repetitive work in the background, such as documenting notes, summarizing histories, drafting client communications, and managing intake.
Tails AI was designed in collaboration with practicing veterinarians, with one guiding principle: free the team from repetitive tasks so they can spend more time on patient care and less on paperwork.
Let’s walk through a typical day in a veterinary clinic and see how AI transforms each step of the workflow.
Traditional workflow:
The client arrives for the appointment. The receptionist hands them a clipboard with forms. They fill out paperwork in the waiting room (or forget to complete it). The receptionist manually enters data into PIMS. Total time: 10-15 minutes.
With Tails AI Intake:
Three days before the appointment, the client receives a push notification in the Digitail app. They chat with Tails from their couch, answering questions about their pet’s symptoms, current medications, and the reason for the visit. Tails adapts questions based on the patient’s responses and medical history. Summary auto-populates in appointment notes and the SOAP record. Total time for clinic: 0 minutes.
Traditional workflow:
The veterinarian examines the patient while maintaining eye contact with the client, then types detailed SOAP notes, either while the owners wait or after they leave. Average time per note: 10-15 minutes.
With Tails AI Dictation:
Veterinarian presses the record button and examines the patient naturally, explaining findings aloud to the client. Tails listens, transcribes everything, filters out irrelevant conversation, and structures information into proper SOAP format. Vet reviews and syncs to record. Total time: 2-5 minutes.
Traditional workflow:
Before each appointment, the veterinarian navigates multiple screens in the patient history, reviewing previous visit notes to understand ongoing conditions, current medications, and relevant test results. Time per review: 5-8 minutes.
With Tails AI Patient Summary:
Before the appointment, ask Tails: “Summarize this patient’s history.” Instantly receive a concise overview of key diagnoses, medications, allergies, and recent treatments. Total time: 30 seconds.
Traditional workflow:
Veterinarians or technicians manually compose discharge instructions, follow-up care details, and medication information. Personalization for each patient takes 10-20 minutes.
With Tails AI Assistant:
Tell Tails what you need: “Create discharge instructions for post-spay care for a 6-month-old Labrador.” Tails generates personalized, comprehensive instructions instantly. Review and send through the app or email. Total time: 2-3 minutes.
Traditional workflow:
Take a phone call from a concerned pet owner discussing symptoms, previous treatments, and any questions they may have. After the call, spend 5-10 minutes typing detailed notes about the conversation to include in the medical record.
With Tails AI Phone Call Summarization:
Record the phone conversation. After the call, Tails generates a concise summary capturing key points, action items, and relevant medical details. Choose summary tone and length. Add to the patient record with one click.
Of course, AI is not a magic wand. While it’s a powerful tool for tackling administrative burden, successful implementation requires a thoughtful approach.
There is an upfront cost in both software and the time it takes to train your team. However, clinics often find the ROI—in time saved and efficiency gained—is rapid and substantial.
Not everyone on your team will be a tech enthusiast from day one. It’s critical to manage the transition, provide ongoing support, and clearly communicate the “why” behind the change: to make their lives easier, not to replace them.
Automation is a critical piece of the burnout puzzle, but it doesn’t solve everything. Fair compensation, positive clinic culture, and robust mental health support (like the employee assistance programs now offered by 38% of clinics) remain essential.
If you’d like to see how AI adoption looks in real life, read these stories from your peers:
Veterinary medicine will always be demanding, and that’s part of what makes it a meaningful profession. But it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. By removing hours of paperwork and streamlining communication, AI gives veterinary teams the chance to leave the clinic on time, feel less stressed, and reconnect with the joy of practicing medicine.
Your ultimate AI-Powered Veterinary Assistant built right into your practice management software!
