AI in Veterinary Medicine: How It's Used in Practice and What to Keep in Mind

AI in a veterinary practice is not a single technology but rather a number of specific tasks in which software takes over part of the work. Some tasks are handled by general AI chatbots, while others are handled by tools designed specifically for veterinarians. This distinction determines both how the results can be used and how patient data is handled.

Where AI Is Used in Practice Today

In veterinary practices, AI is primarily used for tasks related to medical records and communication:

  • Medical record documentation, in which AI generates a draft medical record based on the conversation with the pet owner.
  • Dictation, in which the veterinarian speaks into the medical record instead of writing it.
  • Consult veterinary sources for information when a case is difficult.
  • Discharge instructions for the pet owner, based on the medical record.
  • Suggested diagnosis codes and billing based on the contents of the medical record.

The common thread is that AI prepares a draft or supporting documentation, and the veterinarian makes the decisions. How record-keeping with AI works is described in the guide on AI record-keeping for veterinarians.

What a General AI Chat Can Help With

A general AI chatbot like ChatGPT can be useful for texts that do not pertain to a specific patient. This could include a draft of an informational letter to pet owners, rewriting text for the website, or summarizing a long text that the veterinarian has pasted in themselves.

For clinical work, a general chat bot has clear limitations. It does not know the patient, it does not know what was said in the examination room, and it does not cite veterinary sources unless prompted to do so. Therefore, all of its answers to clinical questions must be verified against sources that the veterinarian trusts.

Patient Information and Data Protection

Never enter information about pet owners or patients into a public AI service with which the practice does not have a contract. Before the practice uses any AI tool that involves medical records or personal information, it should receive written answers to a few questions:

  • Where is the data stored and processed?
  • Which subcontractors are involved?
  • Is the data used to train or improve models, and can the organization opt out of this practice?
  • How long are audio files, transcripts, and drafts saved?
  • How is the data deleted, and can the practice delete it on its own?

For more questions about AI and personal data, see the article on AI and the GDPR for veterinarians.

Tools Designed for the Veterinarian's Medical Records

A veterinary record-keeping tool focuses on the visit itself rather than on individual questions. Vetz listens to the conversation with the pet owner and writes a structured draft record based on the practice’s own record templates. The veterinarian reviews and approves the draft, which is then transferred to the record-keeping system with the push of a button. Vetz handles dialects and conversations with multiple speakers and supports more than ten languages.

What an AI scribe is is described in the article on what an AI scribe is, and the guide to choosing an AI scribe explains how to compare different tools. For findings noted silently during the examination, the veterinarian can also use AI dictation, as described in the article on AI dictation.

AI as a Clinical Aid

AI can also help veterinarians find information. Vetz’s knowledge search tool searches evidence-based sources, medical records, and research articles that have been selected in collaboration with veterinarians, and can provide support in more challenging cases and with complex diagnoses. How the search works is described in the article on AI-powered knowledge search for veterinarians.

This guidance does not replace the veterinarian's assessment. The diagnosis and decision regarding treatment are always the veterinarian's responsibility.

The veterinarian remains responsible

Any draft generated by AI is considered a working document until the veterinarian has approved it. Verify that the medical record accurately reflects what was actually said and observed, that the information is listed under the correct heading, and that the assessment is the veterinarian’s own. Vetz recommends informing the pet owner that AI is being used to assist with record-keeping and can provide a suggested wording.

Here's How to Get Started

Start with a single task instead of implementing AI everywhere at once. Medical record-keeping is often a natural first step, since it’s time-consuming and measurable. Test a tool on the practice’s own patient visits for a limited period and compare it to how the work is done today. Vetz can be tested for free for 14 days without providing credit card information.

Learn more about Vetz

Would you like to see how AI can generate medical notes during a patient visit at your clinical site? Schedule a demonstration, and we'll show you how Vetz works with your own visit types.