PaySec + Shepherd: Modern Vet Software with Zero Processing Fees
How veterinary practices using Shepherd's next-gen practice management are pairing it with PaySec for zero-cost payment processing.
Shepherd represents a new generation of veterinary practice management software. Built from the ground up with modern cloud-native architecture, an intuitive user experience, and integrated communication tools, Shepherd is designed for vet practices that want their technology to feel as current as the medicine they practice. It is the kind of software that makes legacy vet PM systems feel like they belong in a different era.
But even practices running the most modern software in the industry still face a decidedly old problem: credit card processing fees. Every exam, every surgery, every dental cleaning, and every emergency visit that a client pays for by card costs the practice 2.5-3% in processing fees. For a busy veterinary hospital collecting $80,000 per month, that is $24,000 per year — the salary of a part-time veterinary assistant — going to a payment processor instead of into the practice.
PaySec's Network Offset Pricing is the payment processing solution that matches Shepherd's modern approach. It eliminates processing fees entirely, giving practices that have already invested in next-generation practice management a next-generation payment solution to go with it.
What Is the PaySec + Shepherd Integration?
PaySec works alongside Shepherd as the payment processing layer for your veterinary practice. Through Network Offset Pricing (NOP), every client payment displays two prices: a cash/check price and a card price. The card price includes a small network offset that covers the cost of processing. The practice receives the full invoice amount regardless of how the client pays. NOP is legal in all 50 states, compliant with all card network rules, and designed for transparency — clients see both options and choose the one that works for them.
The integration connects PaySec's modern NOP-enabled terminal to Shepherd's checkout workflow, so invoice totals flow directly to the terminal and payments post back to patient accounts automatically.
The Real Cost of Processing Fees for Veterinary Practices
| Practice Profile | Monthly Collections | Annual Processing Fees (2.5%) |
|---|---|---|
| Single-vet startup | $30,000 | $9,000 |
| 2-3 vet general practice | $65,000 | $19,500 |
| Multi-vet hospital | $130,000 | $39,000 |
| Emergency/specialty practice | $200,000 | $60,000 |
Veterinary medicine involves frequent high-value transactions. A routine dental cleaning runs $400-$800. A foreign body surgery can exceed $3,000. Emergency visits regularly top $1,000. Each of these transactions generates a meaningful processing fee that adds up across hundreds of patients each month.
How Network Offset Pricing Works with Shepherd
Standard Visit Checkout
A client brings their cat in for a sick visit. The total is $350 for the exam, bloodwork, and medication.
| Payment Method | Amount |
|---|---|
| Cash/Check | $350.00 |
| Card | $364.00 |
The client taps their card, picks up their cat, and the practice has received the full $350. The $14 difference is the network offset paid by the card-paying client, not the practice.
Surgery Payment
A dog needs a cruciate ligament repair. The estimate is $2,800.
| Payment Method | Amount |
|---|---|
| Cash/Check/ACH | $2,800.00 |
| Credit/Debit Card | $2,912.00 |
Without PaySec, the practice would lose $70 on this single transaction. With PaySec, the practice receives the full $2,800.
Wellness Plan Payments
For practices offering wellness plans through Shepherd, monthly plan payments are processed at zero cost:
| Wellness Plan | Monthly Cash/ACH | Monthly Card |
|---|---|---|
| Puppy plan | $45.00 | $46.80 |
| Adult dog plan | $55.00 | $57.20 |
| Senior pet plan | $65.00 | $67.60 |
Across 150 wellness plan members, the annual savings on recurring charges alone are significant.
Integration Features
- Modern NOP terminal — sleek, contactless payment terminal that matches Shepherd's modern aesthetic
- Invoice sync — totals from Shepherd flow directly to the terminal for automatic dual pricing display
- Payment posting — payments post back to patient accounts in Shepherd for clean records
- Online payment portal — clients pay outstanding balances online with dual pricing
- Text-to-pay — send payment links for deposits, balances, or pre-visit payments via SMS
- PCI Level 1 compliant — highest level of payment security
- No contracts, no minimums — flexible terms that work for startups and established practices alike
- Contactless/tap payment — modern payment experience with NOP built in
Who Benefits Most?
The PaySec + Shepherd integration is a natural fit for forward-thinking veterinary practices that chose Shepherd because they wanted modern, intuitive technology and want their payment processing to reflect the same values. This includes new practice startups building their technology stack from scratch, established practices that recently migrated to Shepherd from legacy systems, multi-vet hospitals with high monthly collection volumes where processing fees represent a five-figure annual expense, and any Shepherd practice with a high percentage of card-paying clients, which is the vast majority of veterinary practices today.
Getting Started
- Contact PaySec for a veterinary merchant account. Approval takes 3-5 business days with no minimum volume requirements.
- Deploy the NOP terminal at your checkout area. The modern hardware complements Shepherd's clean interface and your practice's professional environment.
- Connect the payment flow so Shepherd invoice totals display automatically on the terminal with dual pricing, and payments post back to patient records.
- Go live and start collecting every client payment at zero effective processing cost from day one.
PaySec + Shepherd: next-generation veterinary software deserves next-generation payment processing. Modern practices should not be losing thousands of dollars a year to an outdated processing model when a better option exists.