A visit summary link gives pet owners one web page for their pet’s visit summary, medications, to-do items, reminders, handouts, and follow-up messages from your clinic. You create it from a CoVet case, review and edit it, then share it by text message or email.
Use a visit summary link when you want clear next steps on a client’s phone, especially when there are medications, home-care instructions, handouts, or follow-up tasks to remember.
Watch how it works
Link or Document: which should you choose?
When you open Visit Summary, Generate as lets you choose how to deliver the summary.
Option | What you get | Best for |
Link | A web page your client opens on their phone. You review and edit it first, then share it by text message or email. Your client can text back questions about the visit. | Giving clients next steps, medications, reminders, and handouts in one place |
Document | A summary you can edit, copy, export to your PMS, or download as PDF or Word. | Records, printing, and PMS export |
Tip: You don’t have to choose every time. Set Link or Document as the default on each summary template, and Visit Summary will preselect it for you. See Set Link or Document as the default in a template below.
You can still switch between Link and Document each time you generate.
How to generate a visit summary link
Open the case you want to share.
Click Visit Summary. The first time, a pop-up titled Visit summaries can now be sent as a link explains the three steps: Generate, Review, and Share. Click Try now to continue with a link, or Continue with document. You can reopen it any time with How it works.
Check that Generate as is set to Link. It is preselected from your template or profile default, so you may not need to change it.
Under Include, choose any Photos, PDFs, and Client Handouts to add. Each card shows how many items are selected and has an Unselect all option.
Check the language under Generate in. It defaults to your generation language.
Tick I agree with the T&C. You only need to do this when you generate.
Click Generate link.
The Visit Summary - Link page opens and shows Generating your visit summary link… while CoVet builds it from the case recording, notes, and attachments. If you leave the page, generation continues. The item appears in the case’s Content list with its status, For review or Shared, and a Preview action that reopens the page.
Note: Link needs a recording or notes on the case. If neither exists, Generate link is unavailable and the panel says Record the consult or add notes to the case to send a link. Document is still available.
On a case with more than one pet, one link covers all the pets on the case. Separate documents for each pet are only available when you generate as Document.
Set Link or Document as the default in a template
Each summary template can have its own default delivery type, so the right option is already selected whenever you generate a visit summary from it. For example, you can send routine visits as a link and keep a template for records as a document.
Open Templates from Tools in your profile menu.
Open the summary template you want to change.
Next to Detail level, click Generate as and choose Link or Document.
What to know | Details |
Which templates | Only summary templates show Generate as. You need permission to edit the template to change it. |
Template or profile | The template’s choice takes priority over your profile default. If a template shows Default, CoVet uses the Generate as default from your Visit Summaries settings. |
Default summary template | The template you’ve set as your default summary template decides what Visit Summary preselects when you open it. |
Changing it for one summary | You can always switch Generate as in the Visit Summary panel before you generate. That doesn’t change the template. |
Review and edit what your client will see
The review page shows a Live preview of the client’s page next to the Review content list. Click a section in the preview to open the matching card, and every edit appears in the preview right away. On a phone or a narrow window, you see the list only, and Preview opens the client’s page full screen. The status reads Not shared until you share it.
Section | What it contains |
Summary | The visit summary. Click into the text to edit it, then use Save or Clear. |
To-do | Home-care tasks and follow-ups, with optional reminder timing |
Medications | Medications with instructions, reminder timing, and drug information |
Client Handouts | Handouts to share. Search, use Suggested, or choose View all. Premium handouts are locked until you subscribe. |
Photos | Case photos you choose to include |
PDFs | Case PDFs you choose to include |
Chat | Controls for client questions, notifications, and tone |
Edit or delete an item
Click an item to open Edit item(s). Use the pager to move through every item, or the item switcher to jump to one. Items your client has already opened are labeled Seen. Click Done to save. To remove an item, click delete and confirm. A message confirms Item deleted.
Add items
Click Add and choose To-do, Medications, Client Handouts, Photos, or PDFs.
For a medication, enter the Name (required). Add the dosage frequency, such as every 8 hours, and open Reminders or Drug Information if you want to fill them in. Drug Information is prefilled when available (powered by Lifelearn).
Click Add, or Save & add another to keep adding items.
Photos and PDFs you upload here are added to the case and to the visit summary link.
Important: Medication details are extracted automatically and can be wrong or incomplete. Always check names, doses, and instructions before sharing, because your client will act on them.
Chat, notifications, and tone
Setting | What it does | Default |
Chat | Your client can text follow-up questions and CoVet replies based on your consult. Click Learn more for details. | On |
Notify client of updates | Sends your client a message when you change the shared content. | On |
Tone of voice | Friendly, Professional, or Concise. Sets the tone of messages and CoVet replies. | Friendly |
If you saved your own defaults in Visit Summary settings, new links start with those instead.
Share the visit summary link
Click Share to open Share visit summary.
Choose Text Message (SMS) or Email, enter a phone number or email address, and click Add. Add as many recipients as you need. You can edit or delete each one. Adding the same recipient twice is not allowed, and the existing entry is highlighted.
If I authorize CoVet to message clients in my behalf appears, keep it ticked. Share stays disabled until it is.
Click Share.
Each recipient gets their own link, and the status changes to Shared. An Invite sent pop-up shows who it went to, when, and a preview of the message. There you can also add your Clinic email and Booking link (optional) so CoVet can forward sensitive questions and appointment requests. Tick Don’t show again to skip the pop-up on later shares.
Note: Before CoVet can text a client, the client needs to opt in. When you share by text message, the client receives a text asking them to opt in, and the link is delivered once they do. Until then the recipient shows Awaiting client opt-in. Sharing by email sends the link right away.
Note: Texts are currently sent from a North American (+1) number, which some UK mobile carriers may block. If a client doesn’t receive the text, share again by email. Local phone numbers are planned for a future update.
After sharing
Edit shared content
Reopen the visit summary link from the case’s Content list at any time. Every edit you save reaches your client’s link automatically. If Notify client of updates is on, your client also gets a message, and you’ll see Changes saved! Your client will be notified shortly. If it is off, you’ll see Changes saved! and no message is sent.
Activity
The Activity tab lists what happened, newest first and grouped by day. It includes when the link was generated, sent by text message or email, opened, and updated, plus messages from your client and from CoVet, removed recipients, and failed sends.
You should still review activity and follow up directly when a question needs clinical judgment, clarification, or urgent care.
Manage recipients
Existing recipients are listed with the option to resend or remove them. Removing a recipient ends their access to the link. You can also add new recipients and share again.
Reset the summary
Click Reset to rebuild the visit summary link with the latest case information. Choose the language, then confirm Reset summary?. Any edits you made are lost and this can’t be undone. If you already shared the link, recipients keep the same link and see the regenerated content.
How reminders work
Reminders are created from the medications and to-do items in the link. When you add or edit an item, you can set optional Reminder timing.
For a medication, this is the first-dose timing.
For a to-do, it is when the task should happen.
You can also make an item repeat, for example every day, every 8 hours, or weekly, and choose when it ends: Never, On a date, or After a number of times.
Timing is optional on your side, but anything you enter pre-fills your client’s reminder setup. Your client can then turn each medication or task into a reminder with the schedule already filled in, and complete any missing details.
Visit Summary settings
Open Visit Summaries from Tools in your profile menu to set your defaults for every summary. The page has:
Generate as: your profile default, Link or Document. New users start with Link and existing users start with Document. A template’s own Generate as choice takes priority, and you can still pick either each time.
Link settings: your hospital details (website, phone number, email, and booking link), plus Enable chat, Notify client of updates, and Tone of voice.
Document settings: Layout and branding, set in your PDF presets and shared with your team.
If you work in a team, use Add team settings to create settings shared by everyone on the team. Each team has one shared setup, and every team member can view and edit it.
Frequently asked questions
Clients may contact your clinic with questions after receiving a visit summary link. Here are a few common ones and how you can respond.
“What is this link?”
The link opens their pet’s post-visit page. It includes the information your clinic shared after the appointment, such as the visit summary, next steps, medications, reminders, and helpful resources.
“Do I need to download anything?”
No. The link opens in a web browser. The client does not need to download an app.
“Why did I get a text from CoVet?”
CoVet helps your veterinary clinic share visit information and follow-up instructions. If the client received a message from your clinic, the text is related to their pet’s visit.
“Can I reply to the text?”
Yes, clients can reply with follow-up questions about the information shared. CoVet can help answer based on the case details and the visit summary content.
“What if I have an emergency?”
The visit summary link is not for emergencies. If the pet has urgent symptoms or the client is worried something is wrong, they should contact the clinic directly or seek emergency veterinary care.
“Why can’t I see a document or handout?”
Open the visit summary link from the case and confirm the handout, photo, or PDF is included. Premium handouts need a subscription before they can be selected. If needed, send the resource another way.
“Can another family member access the link?”
Yes. Click Share and add another phone number or email address. Each recipient gets their own link.
“How do I make Link my default?”
Open a summary template from Templates, click Generate as next to Detail level, and choose Link. To set it for all your summaries, use Generate as in Visit Summaries under Tools.
Troubleshooting
The Link option is unavailable
Link needs a recording or notes on the case. Record the consult or add notes, then try again. Document is still available.
Visit Summary opens as a document instead of a link
Your template or profile default is set to Document. Switch Generate as to Link in the panel, or change the default on the template.
Generation failed
Click Retry. The message reads We couldn’t generate your visit summary link. Please try again. If it keeps failing, email [email protected].
The client did not receive the link
Check that the phone number or email address is correct. If the recipient shows Awaiting client opt-in, the client still needs to opt in by text. You can also share by email.
A send failed
The recipient shows Failed with a Resend option, and the Activity tab logs the failed send. Try again or share by email.
The client cannot see an attachment or handout
Open the visit summary link and make sure the item is included. Your changes reach the client’s link automatically.
The client has an urgent concern
The visit summary link is helpful for follow-up questions and reminders, but urgent medical concerns should be handled directly by the clinic.
Need help?
Email us at [email protected].