Veterinary clinical decision support apps: how to compare them

Is the algorithm published, or just claimed?

Ask for a citation. Workup’s VHS/VLAS algorithm was validated against a trained human observer across 1,058 dogs and published in PLOS ONE (2026, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0337679). Most tools in this category have no published validation at all — which is worth knowing before a number goes in a record.

Does it measure, or does it generate?

A conversational AI produces a different answer each time you ask. A measurement tool returns the same VHS off the same radiograph and shows the landmarks it measured from. For anything going into a chart, reproducible beats fluent.

Does it show its work?

Look for a quality tier on every result, a breed-specific normal range rather than one number for all dogs, and per-input explainability on any predictive model — so you can tell when the model and the patient in front of you disagree.

Does it work with no signal?

Radiology rooms and large-animal calls are where connectivity dies. Workup bundles the full 326-drug catalog and all nine calculators on-device; VHS/VLAS and USG inference need a connection.

How many apps does it actually replace?

Count the tools it removes from your day: calipers, a dosing app, browser calculators, a reference book. Consolidation is the whole point — one app, at the point of care.

What does it cost per DVM?

Category pricing runs from roughly $10 to $24 per user per month, and the headline number is usually the annual rate — check what the month-to-month plan actually costs. Workup is $9.99/month or $99.99/year, after a 30-day free trial.

Head-to-head comparisons

• Workup vs Vetool — Both apps set out to end the tab-switching between patients. The difference is what happens when the job is a measurement, not a lookup: Workup measures VHS and VLAS off a radiograph with a published algorithm, and every calculator keeps working with no signal.
• Workup vs VetWay — Both say they give a GP time back, and they do it in opposite ways. VetWay answers questions and writes up the consult. Workup does not answer questions or write anything down — it measures, doses and calculates, and every number it prints can be checked.
• Workup vs SignalPET — These are not the same purchase. SignalPET is a radiology service you send a study to and pay for per study. Workup is an app in your pocket that measures a heart off the monitor in front of you, for a flat monthly price — and it does the dosing and the calculators too.