29 September 2026 · 5 min read
Switching practice management software without losing your history
What moves, what to check and how long it takes when a veterinary practice changes systems.
Most practices stay on software they have outgrown for one reason: fear of losing years of client and patient history. That fear is reasonable, but a well-run migration takes it off the table. This is what a good switch looks like.
Know what should come across
At a minimum, you should keep your clients and their accounts, your patients and their medical histories, past transactions, and your stock and service lists. Agree this list in writing before anything moves.
Insist on a test conversion
Before go-live, your new provider should load a copy of your data into the new system so you can check it. Pick ten patients you know well, including a complicated one. Check their histories, balances and vaccination dates against the old system.
Plan the cut-over around your quietest day
The final move is a short freeze: the old system stops, the last data comes across, and the new one opens. Choose a quiet day, tell your clients, and keep paper forms at reception for the gap.
Train everyone, not just the champion
Receptionists, nurses and vets use the system differently. Train each role on what it does every day, and keep a few people as go-to helpers for the first weeks.
Ask about aftercare
The first month turns up questions nobody thought of. Make sure support is available when you’re open, and that your provider checks in after go-live.
How we do it
Our team has moved practices to pod.vet from Microvet and from other systems, including Digitail and RxWorks. You check a test conversion before go-live, and most practices are fully operational within a few weeks. See how switching works.