Pet health
Books and taxes for exotic animal vets.
Visits for birds, reptiles, and small mammals, compounded prescriptions sized for tiny patients, referrals from across the region, and specialty gear. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
April came in at $11,100. The new avian radiograph unit came through, so I logged it as equipment, not supplies.
- AVImark daily depositExam and procedure visits
- Referral case paymentReferral cases
- Compounding pharmacy invoiceCompounded medications
- Specialty supplier, exotic formularySpecialty pharmacy stock
- ABVP certification renewalCertifications and training
Why your books are different
An exotic practice's books go wrong in places a dog and cat clinic never sees.
A generalist sees deposits and bills. Your patients are birds, reptiles, and small mammals whose medications have to be compounded to the milligram, and your clients often drive well past a dozen closer clinics to reach you. When the books do not know that, the real cost of this specialty disappears.
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1
Compounded medications cost more than standard prescriptions
A standard veterinary formulary is built for dogs and cats, so most of what you prescribe has to be specially compounded to the right dose for a bird, a rabbit, or a bearded dragon, and that runs well above the cost of an off-the-shelf prescription.
What we doKeeps compounded medications in their own line, apart from standard pharmacy stock, so you can see what this part of your practice really costs. -
2
A wide referral radius hides how the practice actually grows
Clients and referring clinics often drive past several general practices to reach an exotic specialist, and if referral-sourced visits are not tracked apart from local walk-ins, you cannot see how far your reputation is actually reaching.
What we doTracks referral-sourced visits as their own line, so you can see how much of your caseload travels in from beyond your immediate area. -
3
Specialty equipment is not a supply run
An avian-specific radiograph unit or specialized surgical equipment sized for very small patients can cost as much as equipment built for a full-size dog, and filed as supplies, it wrecks the month you bought it.
What we doCatches major equipment purchases as they clear the account, books them as equipment instead of a supply cost, and leaves the write-off amount to the accountant. -
4
Certification costs get missed
Board certification in exotic companion mammal or avian practice takes ongoing continuing education that a general small animal clinic never budgets for, and those costs get lost inside general expenses if nobody separates them.
What we doTracks board certification renewal and continuing education as their own line, so the real cost of holding an exotic specialty credential stays visible. -
5
A stocked exotic formulary swings the month
Specialty items for exotic patients cannot always be ordered one at a time, so a single larger order to keep the formulary stocked can make one month look thin and the next one look flush.
What we doKeeps specialty pharmacy stock in one steady line and tells you when a stock-up, not slower business, is why a month looks off.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for an exotic animal practice.
Compounded prescriptions and specialty stock never share a line with a general practice's usual pharmacy costs.
Money in
- Exam and procedure visitsExams, sick visits, and procedures paid at checkout.
- Referral casesCases sent by general practices that do not treat exotic patients.
- Boarding and husbandry consultsHousing and diet guidance billed separately from medical visits.
- Financed proceduresThe full procedure amount, with the financing company's cut booked as a fee.
Money out
- Doctor and staff payWages for veterinarians and technicians trained in exotic species.
- Compounded medicationsPrescriptions custom-dosed for birds, reptiles, and small mammals.
- Specialty pharmacy stockFormulary items and supplies specific to exotic patients.
- Outside lab feesBloodwork and pathology sent to a lab equipped for exotic species.
- EquipmentAvian radiograph units and small-patient surgical gear, logged so they get written off right.
- Certifications and trainingBoard certification and continuing education specific to exotic practice.
- Facility and utilitiesRent or mortgage, power, and water, including habitat climate control.
What we watch for you
- Compounding cost share
Compounded medication cost against revenue. It runs higher here than a standard clinic.
- Referral case share
How much of your caseload travels in from beyond your immediate area.
- Specialty stock cost
Formulary and supply cost against revenue. Watch it after a stock-up.
- The set-aside
The tax reserve, adjusted each month as compounding costs and referral volume shift.
Ask Gus
Things exotic animal vets 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.
Compounded medications run higher than standard prescriptions, and I keep that line separate so you can see it is the compounding cost, not a pricing problem.
I track referral cases apart from local visits, so I can show you the share each month. It has been growing the past few months.
Most likely, at least a good chunk of it. I booked it as equipment rather than supplies and flagged it, so the accountant sets the exact write-off against your whole year.
The tax side
The tax side of an exotic animal practice.
Most of what goes wrong here is labels and cost tracking. Compounded medications lumped in with standard pharmacy, equipment filed as supplies, and a set-aside nobody started until April.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Equipment write-offsAn avian radiograph unit or small-patient surgical equipment can usually be written off the year you buy it. Bonus depreciation is 100 percent for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Contractor 1099sA locum veterinarian or an IT contractor paid $2,000 or more in 2026 who is not on payroll gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list all year.
- Self-employment taxAn owner-veterinarian not paid through payroll owes 15.3 percent of profit toward Social Security and Medicare, up to the $184,500 Social Security wage base.
- The pass-through deductionCompounding costs eat into profit, so keeping that line accurate matters for this deduction too: most owners can deduct up to 20 percent of business profit before it is taxed.
Deductions exotic animal vets miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Compounded medications
- Specialty formulary stock
- Reference lab fees
- Certification and continuing education
- Malpractice insurance
- Equipment lease payments
- Practice software subscriptions
- Habitat climate control costs
- Marketing and website costs
- Card and financing fees
- Scrubs and clinical supplies
- State license renewal
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 exotic practice's year, kept every month.
Referral cases and compounding orders move on their own schedule. Your taxes come on a schedule too. Your team keeps you 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, any locum veterinarian's 1099 is listed, and a monthly set-aside begins that accounts for compounding costs.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return goes in filed and signed, with the set-aside already covering it since January, no scramble over a big formulary order.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether compounding costs are running higher than planned.
- October
Before the slow season
Before referral volume eases up for the winter, Gus looks at specialty equipment worth buying and any certification renewal worth timing 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 exotic animal vets. 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 exotic animal vets ask first.
Can Gus separate compounded medication costs from standard pharmacy stock?
Yes. Compounded prescriptions for exotic patients stay in their own category, apart from standard pharmacy items, so you can see what this real cost of the specialty actually runs.
Most of our clients drive a long way to reach us. Does that matter for the books?
Gus tracks referral and out-of-area cases as their own line, so you can see how much of your caseload comes from beyond your immediate area.
Do we write off specialty equipment all at once?
A lot of the time, yes. Avian radiograph units and small-patient surgical gear can usually be deducted the year you buy them, though the accountant may spread the deduction out depending on the rest of your year.
Does board certification count as a business expense?
Board certification and the continuing education it requires are usually deductible business costs. Gus keeps those renewal fees in their own line so the accountant can confirm they apply.
We treat everything from parrots to bearded dragons. Does Gus need species-level detail?
No. He works from your bank statement and practice categories, not species records. You keep the medical detail, and Gus keeps the money sorted.
We have never separated compounded medication costs from regular pharmacy stock. Can Gus fix that going forward?
Yes. Send the bank statements you have, and Gus sets up compounded medications as their own category from here on, so the real cost of the specialty is finally visible.
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