Veterinary medicine has a paperwork problem. Between SOAP notes, discharge summaries and owner follow-ups, the writing eats the time you would rather spend with the patient on the table.
AI scribes have changed that, and one name keeps coming up across clinics, mobile rigs and referral hospitals. Heidi has quietly become a leading AI scribe for vets, built to listen, document and hand you back your day.
Here are seven reasons it stands out in 2026 and beyond.
Key Takeaways
The short version for busy vets:
- Notes are done fast. Heidi drafts a structured note before your next patient walks in.
- It handles the room. Multi-speaker capture sorts you, the owner and anyone else into one clean record.
- It speaks species. Documentation and in-session answers are tuned to the animal in front of you.
- It works off-grid. Heidi Remote transcribes offline for ambulatory and rural practice.
- It is genuinely free to start. No NPI or specialty gate, plus independent ISO 42001 certification for trust.
1. The note is ready before the next patient walks in
Heidi listens to the consult and generates a structured note while you are still in the room. SOAP notes, discharge summaries and custom formats come out ready to review, not as a blank page waiting for you at 7pm.
That speed adds up. Heidi reports that vets recover around an hour of capacity per day and cut overtime by three to four hours a week.
Best of all, there is no typing while you are trying to keep a nervous patient still. You stay hands-on, and the record still gets written.
2. Heidi handles three-way conversations (you, the owner, and whoever else is in the room)
A vet consult is rarely a tidy one-on-one. You are talking to the owner, maybe a nurse, maybe a worried teenager holding the cat carrier.
Heidi captures multi-speaker conversations cleanly, even in a noisy clinic and across more than 110 languages. It keeps track of the back and forth so the owner’s history and your clinical findings both land in the right place.
The result is a note that reflects the whole appointment, not just the parts you remembered to dictate afterwards.
3. Species-aware terminology, from feline lower urinary tract disease to equine colic
Generic scribes built for human medicine stumble on veterinary language. Heidi is tuned to any species, so the terminology is right whether you are charting feline lower urinary tract disease or managing a case of equine colic.
It goes beyond the note too. Heidi Evidence surfaces fast, species-relevant answers mid-session, cited and verifiable, so you can check a detail without stepping away from the patient.
That combination keeps both your documentation and your clinical thinking grounded in the right field.
4. Custom templates that match how your clinic actually documents
Every practice documents a little differently, and a rigid template is just friction. Heidi lets you start from a community template or build your own from scratch, tuned to your species mix and workflow.
You can set defaults and favourites so the right format loads automatically for each visit type. Vaccination check, pre-op, recheck, each can have its own structure.
Because you shaped it, the finished note reads like you wrote it, not like a machine filled in boxes.
5. Heidi Remote works offline for ambulatory and rural practice
Farm calls, home visits and rural clinics do not come with reliable wifi. That is exactly where most cloud scribes fall over.
Heidi Remote is a 21-gram wearable microphone that transcribes on the device itself and keeps working with no connection at all. It stores the session locally, then syncs automatically once you are back in range. The mobile app also supports offline sessions.
For ambulatory and mixed practice, that means you can document a paddock-side colic the same way you would a consult in the building.
6. A genuinely free tier with no NPI or specialty gate
Plenty of scribes advertise a free plan, then ask for a medical license number or a specialty before you can do anything useful. Heidi takes a different line.
Its Free Forever plan includes unlimited transcription and notes with standard templates, plus a monthly allowance of advanced Pro Actions like custom templates and Ask Heidi prompts. There is no NPI number or specialty credential to clear, which matters for vets who sit outside human-medicine systems entirely.
You sign up with an account and are live in minutes. Heidi frames this as a health-equity choice, making core documentation free so any clinician can use it.
7. Independently audited under ISO 42001, alongside HIPAA, GDPR and APP compliance
When your notes hold sensitive records, trust is not optional. Heidi is the first ambient medical scribe to earn independent ISO 42001 certification, the international standard for responsible AI management systems.
That sits alongside SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 for security, plus compliance with HIPAA, GDPR and the Australian Privacy Principles. Audio is not stored after transcription, and when you delete a note it is gone for good with no backups.
For a profession handling client data and clinical records every day, that independent oversight is reassuring rather than just a marketing badge.
What vets are saying about switching
The feedback is strikingly consistent. Vets describe getting their evenings back and reconnecting with why they joined the profession.
Greencross teams use Heidi to claw back time for patients. Specialist surgeon Dr. Charles Kuntz likens it to a fast, super-organised scribe that follows you around the clinic and files everything perfectly. Dr Luke Johnston of Greencross says that without Heidi he would spend far more time writing records and far less in front of patients.
Veterinarian director Dr. Cara Roic puts it simply: “Heidi gives us more time together and that’s what this profession is all about.” Heidi also reports an 83% reduction in burnout among users.
The Bottom Line
The thread running through all seven points is the same. Less time spent documenting, more time spent with the animal and the person who loves it.
That is the real promise of AI in healthcare, and for vets, Heidi delivers it without a paywall at the door. Start on the free tier, run it through a real day of consults and keep it if it earns its place.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Is Heidi really free for vets?
Yes. The Free Forever plan covers unlimited transcription and notes with standard templates, plus a set number of advanced Pro Actions each month. Paid plans unlock unlimited custom templates and Pro Actions.
Does Heidi work for any species?
Yes. Heidi is tuned to any species and produces SOAP notes, discharge summaries and custom templates, with in-session answers relevant to veterinary medicine.
Can Heidi work without an internet connection?
Yes. The mobile app supports offline sessions, and Heidi Remote, a wearable mic, transcribes on the device and syncs automatically once you reconnect.
Is Heidi secure and compliant?
Heidi is the first ambient medical scribe with independent ISO 42001 certification, and it also holds SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001. It meets HIPAA, GDPR and Australian Privacy Principles requirements and does not store audio after transcription.
How long does it take to get started?
Most vets are live in minutes. You create a free account with no NPI or specialty gate, pick or build a template and start documenting your next consult.