Equine
Books and taxes for equine veterinarians.
Farm calls, dispensed medications, reproductive work, and the 2 a.m. colic call that changes the whole week. Gus sorts every payment as it lands, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number each month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
April came in at $18,000. Breeding season reproductive work made up almost half of it, and I kept the ultrasound unit you bought this month in equipment instead of letting it swallow a week of income.
- Farm call and exam feesFarm calls
- Reproductive services billingReproductive services
- Patterson Veterinary SupplyMedications and supplies
- Idexx LaboratoriesLab fees
- Vet tech wagesWages
Why your books are different
An equine vet's books go wrong where a farm call, a drug sale, and a season collide.
A generalist sees a deposit and calls it a visit. Your practice runs on exam fees, dispensed medications, a breeding season that looks nothing like the rest of the year, and equipment that costs as much as a truck. When the books do not know the difference, real numbers on what actually earns money disappear.
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1
Medication markup hides inside the farm call
A farm call bill often includes the exam fee plus whatever medication was dispensed on site, and if both land in one lump, the real markup on drugs versus what the visit itself earned disappears.
What we doSplits service fees from dispensed medication sales, so you can see what each part of a visit actually earns. -
2
Emergency calls get buried in routine farm calls
A 2 a.m. colic call carries a real premium over a scheduled wellness visit, but if both land in the same category you cannot see how much of your income depends on being on call.
What we doKeeps emergency and after-hours calls in their own category, so on-call income is visible against routine visits. -
3
Breeding season books look nothing like the rest of the year
Reproductive work, artificial insemination, and shipped semen costs cluster hard in spring, and a single spring month can carry costs and income no other month sees.
What we doKeeps reproductive service income and its related costs, like shipped semen fees, in their own lines so a heavy spring month reads as a season, not a fluke. -
4
Diagnostic equipment looks like a big supply purchase
A portable ultrasound or digital x-ray unit can cost tens of thousands of dollars, and filed as a supply it wrecks a month's number and hides what the practice's real equipment investment is.
What we doFlags large equipment purchases the day they show up, logs them separately from routine supplies, and gets the accountant's call on writing them off. -
5
A vet tech who works your hours looks like an employee, not help
A vet tech who rides in your truck, keeps your hours, and handles your patients under your license is almost always an employee, even if paid a flat day rate.
What we doKeeps tech pay visible and flags the arrangement so worker classification gets a real look.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for an equine veterinary practice.
Set up once for how you bill a visit and where a drug sale ends and a service begins. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Farm call and exam feesRoutine visits, wellness checks, and lameness exams.
- Emergency and after-hours callsColic calls and other urgent visits outside regular hours.
- Reproductive servicesBreeding soundness exams, artificial insemination, and pregnancy checks.
- Dispensed medicationsDrugs and supplements sold and given on the farm call.
- Diagnostic imagingPortable ultrasound and digital x-ray fees.
Money out
- Medications and pharmaceuticalsInventory bought from a supplier like Patterson Veterinary Supply.
- Diagnostic equipmentUltrasound and x-ray units, logged separately from routine supplies.
- Vet tech wagesPay for help riding along on calls.
- Mobile unit and truckFuel, maintenance, and outfitting for the practice vehicle.
- Lab feesSend-out bloodwork and testing through labs like Idexx.
- Malpractice and liability insuranceCoverage for the practice and its work on client property.
- Continuing educationLarge animal continuing education required to keep licensure.
What we watch for you
- Medication markup
What dispensed drugs bring in above their cost, separate from your service fee.
- Emergency call share
How much of your income comes from after-hours work, so you can see if being on call is worth it.
- Reproductive season revenue
What spring breeding work brings in, so you can plan around a season that does not look like the rest of the year.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so tax season is a number you already know.
Ask Gus
Things equine veterinarians ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
I split it. The exam fee and the medication sale are different kinds of income, and keeping them apart shows you what each part of the visit actually earns.
No. I logged it as equipment, not a supply, so this month reads true and the accountant can look at how much of it to write off now.
Worth a real look. Someone who keeps your hours and works under your license usually counts as an employee, so I flagged it for the accountant before it becomes a bigger habit.
The tax side
The tax side of an equine veterinary practice.
Most of what goes wrong here is what counts as a service versus a drug sale, and equipment that is really a business asset, not a monthly supply.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Medication sales versus service incomeDrugs and supplies dispensed on a farm call are a sale with its own cost, not part of the exam fee. Keeping the two separate matters for both pricing and your tax return.
- Depreciation on diagnostic equipmentA portable ultrasound, digital x-ray unit, or an outfitted mobile truck is usually a business asset. Section 179 can often write off qualifying equipment up to $2,560,000, and bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Self-employment tax on practice profitA vet working as a sole proprietor or through a pass-through pays 15.3 percent self-employment tax on top of income tax, up to the Social Security wage base of $184,500.
- Employee or contractor for a vet techA tech who works your schedule and handles patients under your license is usually an employee, even if paid a day rate. Getting that wrong gets expensive, so Gus flags it before it becomes a habit.
Deductions equine veterinarians miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Medications and pharmaceutical stock
- Diagnostic equipment and repairs
- Lab and testing fees
- Vet tech wages
- Mobile unit fuel and maintenance
- Malpractice insurance
- Continuing education and licensure
- Medical waste disposal
- Truck outfitting and shelving
- Phone and scheduling software
- Association and licensing dues
- Uniforms and coveralls
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
An equine vet's year, kept every month.
Breeding season brings a rush no other month sees, and emergency calls come whenever they come. Gus keeps the books ahead of both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, the 1099 or employee question for tech help gets settled, and a monthly set-aside is planned before breeding season starts.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed, with the set-aside already covering it.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand at midyear, and whether spring's breeding season changed what you will owe.
- October
Before equipment season
A look at diagnostic equipment worth buying and moves worth making before December.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for equine veterinarians. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions equine veterinarians ask first.
My farm call bill includes both the exam and medications I dispense. Do those need separate categories?
Yes. Gus splits the service fee from the medication sale, so you can see what each part of a visit actually earns, not just the total that landed.
I do most of my breeding season work in a six-week window. Won't that make my books look strange?
No. Gus keeps reproductive income and its costs in their own lines, so a heavy spring month reads as a real season, not an unexplained spike.
I just bought a digital x-ray unit for the truck. How does that affect my taxes?
It is usually treated as equipment, not a supply. Gus logs it and flags it, and the accountant decides how much comes off this year with your whole year in view.
My vet tech rides along on every call. Does that change how I pay her?
It might. Someone who works your hours and handles patients under your license usually counts as an employee, and Gus flags that so the accountant can weigh in before it becomes a habit.
Do you handle my controlled substance logs or DEA paperwork?
No. That stays with your practice and your compliance requirements. Gus keeps your medication purchases and sales visible in the books, nothing more.
My books are behind by most of a year. Can Gus catch up?
Yes. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most vets know where they stand within a week.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
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What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever