Claude CoWork for Veterinarians

What is Claude CoWork?

Claude CoWork is the practice of using Claude as a persistent, knowledgeable co-worker embedded in your daily veterinary workflow. This is not about asking a chatbot a one-off question and hoping for the best. It is about configuring Claude with your clinic context, documentation standards, and communication preferences so that every interaction produces output you can actually use.

Claude-native prompts. The prompts in this guide use Claude's native XML tag structure (<context>, <instructions>, <format>, <avoid>) for more precise, consistent output. These tags help Claude parse your intent with less ambiguity. They work in ChatGPT too, but are optimized for Claude.

Think of Claude as the most efficient associate you have ever worked alongside, one who never forgets your documentation format, understands your clinical communication style, and can draft a SOAP note, discharge summary, or referral letter in seconds while you focus on patient care. The difference between veterinarians who dabble with AI and those who gain a real edge comes down to setup and consistency.

This guide walks you through setting up Claude specifically for veterinary work, the five workflows that will save you the most time, and the prompting techniques that separate generic output from production-ready content.

Install the Veterinarian Plugin

This guide works on three Claude surfaces. The plugin is the fastest path on two of them. Pick whichever you use:

If you're on Cowork (desktop or mobile app)

Claude Cowork is Anthropic's agentic workspace — Claude completes work autonomously and returns finished deliverables. The Veterinarian plugin packages the workflows below as native skills and slash commands.

Open the Cowork plugin directory in your desktop app.
Filter by Cowork, search for "Veterinarian", and click Install.
The plugin's slash commands and ambient skills are now available in any Cowork task.

If you don't see the plugin in the directory yet, install via custom marketplace: paste https://github.com/alexclowe/awesome-claude-cowork-plugins in your Cowork plugin settings.

If you're on Claude Code (CLI)

Install from your terminal:

claude plugin add alexclowe/awesome-claude-cowork-plugins/veterinarian

The plugin's slash commands and skills load on next session.

If you're on Claude.ai (web chat only)

Plugins aren't directly installable on the web chat surface. You have two options:

Use the prompts in this guide directly in a Claude Project (covered in the next section). Same outputs, more typing.
Upload the plugin's skills as a zip via Settings → Features → Custom Skills (Pro/Max/Team/Enterprise plans). Higher friction; only worth it if you want the auto-activating skills, not the slash commands.

What the plugin gives you (any surface)

Slash command	What it does
`/soap-note`	Draft complete veterinary SOAP notes from examination findings with assessment and treatment plan
`/discharge-summary`	Generate client-friendly discharge instructions with medication schedules and follow-up care
`/referral-letter`	Create specialist referral letters with clinical history and specific consultation requests
`/client-email`	Draft treatment estimates, follow-up reminders, lab result explanations, and sensitive discussion guides

Auto-activating skills (no command needed — Claude applies them when relevant):

Veterinary Medicine — Clinical documentation, diagnostics, pharmacology, treatment protocols, and species-specific medical knowledge
Pet Owner Communication — Empathetic, plain-language communication for treatment discussions, costs, prognosis, and end-of-life care

The plugin works standalone for one-off tasks. Pair it with the surface-specific setup below for persistent context across every task — that combination is the full Claude CoWork setup.

Setting Up Claude for Veterinary Work

Surface note: The Project setup below is for claude.ai web users. Cowork users have their own task-context mechanism (set context once when starting a Cowork task). Claude Code users get the plugin's ambient skills automatically — no Project setup needed. The workflows themselves are surface-agnostic — paste the prompts wherever you're working. The key to getting consistently useful output from Claude is using Claude Projects. A Project lets you set custom instructions that persist across every conversation, so you are not re-explaining your clinic details every time.

Step 1: Create a Veterinary Project. In Claude, click "Projects" and create one called something like "My Veterinary Practice."

Step 2: Set your custom instructions. In the Project settings, add instructions like:

You are my veterinary practice assistant. Here is my context:

<business-profile>
- Name: [Your Name], DVM
- Practice: [Practice Name]
- Type: [Small animal / Mixed / Equine / Exotic / Emergency / Specialty]
- Common species: [Dogs, cats / Include horses, livestock, etc.]
- PIMS software: [Cornerstone / Avimark / eVetPractice / Shepherd]
- Documentation format: SOAP (Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan)
- Communication tone: [Compassionate and clear / Clinical and direct / Warm and educational]
</business-profile>

<rules>
- When writing clinical documentation, follow SOAP format unless I specify otherwise.
- When writing client communications, use plain language and avoid excessive medical jargon.
- Never include patient or owner identifiers (names, addresses, phone numbers) in any output. Use placeholders like [Patient Name] and [Owner Name].
- Always note that drug dosages and protocols must be verified by the treating veterinarian.
</rules>

Step 3: Upload reference documents. Add your preferred SOAP note templates, discharge instruction formats, referral letter templates, or client education handouts to the Project knowledge base. Claude will reference these when generating content.

Step 4: Start every session inside this Project. This ensures Claude always has your context loaded.

Your Top 5 Workflows with Claude

1. SOAP Notes That Document Thoroughly

<task>Write a SOAP note for a canine wellness exam with abnormal findings.</task>

<context>
- 8yo MN Golden Retriever, 82 lbs (prev 76 lbs), annual wellness
- S: owner notes PU/PD x3 weeks, decreased energy, eating well, no V/D, HW/FT current
- O: BCS 7/9, bilateral nuclear sclerosis, new grade II/VI L systolic murmur, dental calculus gr 2, enlarged thyroid, abdomen NSF, LN normal
- Diagnostics ordered: CBC, chem, T4, UA, thoracic rads
</context>

<instructions>
- Complete SOAP with clear S, O, A, P sections
- Assessment: differentials ranked by likelihood for signalment/findings
- Plan: diagnostics, recommendations, follow-up timeline, 250-350 words
</instructions>

<avoid>Patient/owner identifiers, definitive diagnoses pre-results, or specific drug dosages</avoid>

Before Claude: 10-15 minutes per SOAP note, often hours after the appointment. After Claude: 3 minutes to input findings, 5 minutes to review in your PIMS.

2. Discharge Summaries Clients Actually Understand

<task>Write a discharge summary for a feline dental extraction.</task>

<context>
- 6yo FS DSH, dental prophy with extraction of 307/308 (resorptive lesions)
- Anesthesia uncomplicated. Pain mgmt: meloxicam injection today, buprenorphine pre-op
- Going home: buprenorphine oral q8h x3 days, meloxicam PO SID x4 days starting tomorrow
- Soft food x10 days, recheck 10-14 days
</context>

<instructions>
- Write for pet owner: what we did, medications, feeding, what to watch for, when to call
- Include warning signs (bleeding, not eating after 24h, swelling)
- Compassionate reassuring tone, under 300 words
</instructions>

<avoid>Drug dosages in narrative (labels attached separately), dental numbering, or post-hoc anesthesia risk discussion</avoid>

Before Claude: 10-15 minutes writing discharge instructions between appointments. After Claude: 3 minutes to input case details, 3 minutes to review and print.

3. Client Emails That Build Trust

<task>Draft an email to a client about their dog's blood work results.</task>

<context>
- 8yo MN Golden Retriever from wellness exam above
- Results: CBC normal, mildly elevated ALP and cholesterol, T4 low-normal, mildly dilute urine
- Assessment: consistent with early hypothyroidism vs. early Cushing's
- Next steps: fT4 by ED, LDDS test. Want to discuss at recheck, not by phone
</context>

<instructions>
- Plain language, acknowledge their PU/PD concerns
- Explain what results suggest without alarming, recommend scheduling recheck
- Warm professional tone, under 200 words
</instructions>

<avoid>Lab reference ranges/numbers (save for in-person), diagnosing via email, or minimizing findings</avoid>

Before Claude: 15-20 minutes composing the email at end of day. After Claude: 3 minutes to summarize results, 3 minutes to review.

4. Referral Letters That Facilitate Care

<task>Write a referral letter to a veterinary cardiologist.</task>

<context>
- 5yo MI CKCS, new grade IV/VI L apical systolic murmur, suspected MVD
- History: murmur first noted II/VI one year ago, now IV/VI, occasional nocturnal cough and mild exercise intolerance x1 month
- Rads: mild LA enlargement, VHS 11.2 (breed ref 10.1), mild perihilar venous congestion
- ECG: NSR, no arrhythmias. No cardiac medications, routine preventives current
</context>

<instructions>
- Sections: reason for referral, history, PE findings, diagnostics, questions for specialist
- Ask about staging, medication recs, monitoring schedule
- Clinical collegial tone, 250-300 words
</instructions>

<avoid>Patient/owner identifiers, treatment recommendations, or omitting diagnostic findings</avoid>

Before Claude: 15-20 minutes writing referral letters. After Claude: 5 minutes to input clinical details, 5 minutes to review.

5. Patient Education Materials That Improve Compliance

<task>Write a client education handout about canine diabetes management.</task>

<context>
- Audience: owners of newly diagnosed diabetic dogs
- Protocol: BID insulin, consistent feeding schedule, regular glucose curves at clinic
- Owner concerns: injection fear, cost, diet changes, hypoglycemia signs
</context>

<instructions>
- General audience, no medical background assumed
- Sections: what diabetes means, daily management, giving injections (encouraging), feeding, warning signs, when to call
- Emphasize that most owners learn injections quickly, supportive tone, 300-400 words
</instructions>

<avoid>Specific insulin dosages/brands, overwhelming detail, or worst-case scenarios like DKA</avoid>

Before Claude: 1-2 hours creating educational handouts. After Claude: 5 minutes to outline content needs, 10 minutes to review and brand.

Prompt Engineering Tips for Veterinarians

1. Always specify species, breed, and age. "Write for a 3-year-old Labrador Retriever" produces very different clinical content than "write for a 15-year-old DSH cat." Signalment matters as much in prompts as it does in medicine.

2. Use standard veterinary abbreviations. Claude understands MN, FS, MI, BCS, SOAP, and other common veterinary terms. Using them keeps your prompts efficient and the output clinically appropriate.

3. Separate clinical and client-facing output. Always specify who will read the document. SOAP notes are for the medical record. Discharge summaries are for pet owners. The language and detail level should differ dramatically.

4. Upload your preferred templates. Paste your best SOAP note, discharge summary, or referral letter and say "Match this format." Claude adapts to your documentation style quickly.

5. Ask Claude to adjust reading level. For client communications, add "Write at a 6th-grade reading level" to ensure the information is accessible to all pet owners.

6. Use Claude for continuing education prep. Ask "Summarize the current evidence on [topic] for a general practitioner audience" to prepare for rounds or CE presentations. Always verify against primary sources.

Privacy & Compliance

No patient or owner identifiers. Never paste patient names, owner names, addresses, phone numbers, or other identifying information into Claude. Use placeholders like [Patient Name], [Owner Name], or generic descriptors. This protects client confidentiality and aligns with professional privacy standards.

Verify drug dosages and species-specific protocols. Claude can draft medication instructions, but all drug dosages, routes, frequencies, and species-specific safety information must be verified by the treating veterinarian before use. Drug formularies change, and species sensitivities (such as NSAID use in cats or ivermectin sensitivity in certain dog breeds) require clinical judgment that Claude cannot provide.

Review all clinical content for accuracy. Claude generates clinical documentation based on the information you provide, but it does not have access to your patient records, lab results, or diagnostic images. Every SOAP note, discharge summary, and referral letter must be reviewed for clinical accuracy before entering the medical record or sending to a client.

Professional judgment is non-negotiable. Claude is a documentation and communication tool, not a diagnostic or treatment tool. All clinical decisions, including differential diagnoses, treatment plans, and medication choices, remain the responsibility of the licensed veterinarian.

Going Further

Ready to build on this foundation? Check out these resources:

Browse our full collection of veterinary prompt packs and templates for ready-to-use resources
Run an AI readiness audit for your veterinary practice to identify your biggest opportunities
Explore AI-powered tools built specifically for veterinarians to automate even more of your workflow