Patients

A patient is the pet: a dog, cat, rabbit, parrot, or any other animal the clinic treats. Every patient belongs to one or more clients (the pet owners), and patients are the anchor for clinical workflows: appointments, SOAP records, vitals, prescriptions, imaging, and attached files all hang off a patient ID.

For file uploads, the API uses a three-step flow with an S3 presigned URL so binaries never transit the Shepherd application servers; see the file uploads section below.

Schema

Authoritative schemas live in the live Swagger UI. The fields below are a representative subset for orientation.

Field	Type	Description
id	string	Unique identifier for the patient.
name	string	Patient name (e.g. “Biscuit”).
identifier	string	Short human-facing identifier shown in the Shepherd UI.
breedId	string	Reference to a breed from the breeds lookup.
sexId	string	Reference to a patient sex from the sexes lookup.
statusId	string	Reference to a patient status from the statuses lookup.
color	string	Colour or markings, free text (e.g. “Brown”).
dateOfBirth	string	Date of birth. Stored as a date; any time component is ignored.
microchipNumber	string	Microchip number, free text.
rabiesTag	string	Rabies tag number, free text.
alerts	string	Important handling notes surfaced in the chart.
additionalText	string	Free-text additional information.
clients	array	Owning clients. Populated with embed=clients.
breed / patientSex / patientStatus	object	Expanded lookup records. null unless embedded.
dateDeceased	string	Date of death, or null.
dateCreated	string	ISO 8601 UTC timestamp of creation.
dateUpdated	string	ISO 8601 UTC timestamp of last update.
deleted	boolean	Soft-delete flag.

There is no species field on a patient

Species is a property of the breed, not of the patient. Choosing a breedId determines the species, which is why the write models take no speciesId. To offer a species picker in your UI, read the species lookup, then filter breeds by speciesId on the breeds endpoint. See Lookups.

Weight is not a scalar field on the patient either. It is a separate series of weight entries; one can be created alongside the patient (see Create) and further entries are recorded through the patient-weight endpoint.

List / search

POST /pav2/open-api-patients

Returns a paginated collection of patients for the clinic. Use searchQuery for free-text matching against name, microchip number, and rabies tag, embed to pull related data inline (for example embed: "clients,clients.clientPhones"), and the standard page, rpp, sort, and dateCreatedFrom / dateCreatedTo parameters from Conventions. Narrow by owner with clientIds, by status with patientStatusIds, or drop deceased patients with excludeDeceased.

Bound every list: a searchQuery, an id filter such as clientIds, or a dateCreated / dateUpdated window of one calendar month or less. Deleted patients are included unless you send "isDeleted": false. The example below searches by name.

Example

curl

curl -X POST https://open-api.shepherd.vet/pav2/open-api-patients \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "X-Integration-Public-Key: $SHEPHERD_PUBLIC_KEY" \
  -H "X-Integration-Private-Key: $SHEPHERD_PRIVATE_KEY" \
  -H "X-Clinic-Id: $SHEPHERD_CLINIC_ID" \
  -d '{
    "page": 1,
    "rpp": 50,
    "sort": "name|asc",
    "searchQuery": "biscuit",
    "embed": "clients"
  }'

Python

import os
import requests

resp = requests.post(
    "https://open-api.shepherd.vet/pav2/open-api-patients",
    headers={
        "Content-Type": "application/json",
        "X-Integration-Public-Key": os.environ["SHEPHERD_PUBLIC_KEY"],
        "X-Integration-Private-Key": os.environ["SHEPHERD_PRIVATE_KEY"],
        "X-Clinic-Id": os.environ["SHEPHERD_CLINIC_ID"],
    },
    json={"page": 1, "rpp": 50, "sort": "name|asc", "searchQuery": "biscuit", "embed": "clients"},
    timeout=30,
)
resp.raise_for_status()
for patient in resp.json()["item"]:
    print(patient["id"], patient["name"], patient["breedId"])

C#

using System.Net.Http;
using System.Net.Http.Json;

using var http = new HttpClient();
http.DefaultRequestHeaders.Add("X-Integration-Public-Key", Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("SHEPHERD_PUBLIC_KEY"));
http.DefaultRequestHeaders.Add("X-Integration-Private-Key", Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("SHEPHERD_PRIVATE_KEY"));
http.DefaultRequestHeaders.Add("X-Clinic-Id", Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("SHEPHERD_CLINIC_ID"));

var response = await http.PostAsJsonAsync(
    "https://open-api.shepherd.vet/pav2/open-api-patients",
    new { page = 1, rpp = 50, sort = "name|asc", searchQuery = "biscuit", embed = "clients" });
response.EnsureSuccessStatusCode();

PHP

<?php
$ch = curl_init('https://open-api.shepherd.vet/pav2/open-api-patients');
curl_setopt_array($ch, [
    CURLOPT_POST => true,
    CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER => true,
    CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER => [
        'Content-Type: application/json',
        'X-Integration-Public-Key: ' . getenv('SHEPHERD_PUBLIC_KEY'),
        'X-Integration-Private-Key: ' . getenv('SHEPHERD_PRIVATE_KEY'),
        'X-Clinic-Id: ' . getenv('SHEPHERD_CLINIC_ID'),
    ],
    CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS => json_encode([
        'page' => 1, 'rpp' => 50, 'sort' => 'name|asc', 'searchQuery' => 'biscuit', 'embed' => 'clients',
    ]),
]);
$body = curl_exec($ch);
curl_close($ch);
$payload = json_decode($body, true);

JavaScript

const response = await fetch('https://open-api.shepherd.vet/pav2/open-api-patients', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
    'X-Integration-Public-Key': process.env.SHEPHERD_PUBLIC_KEY,
    'X-Integration-Private-Key': process.env.SHEPHERD_PRIVATE_KEY,
    'X-Clinic-Id': process.env.SHEPHERD_CLINIC_ID,
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({ page: 1, rpp: 50, sort: 'name|asc', searchQuery: 'biscuit', embed: 'clients' }),
});
if (!response.ok) {
  throw new Error(`Shepherd API ${response.status}: ${await response.text()}`);
}
const payload = await response.json();

Response

{
  "item": [
    {
      "id": "a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef0123456789",
      "name": "Biscuit",
      "identifier": "K2X9MV1",
      "breedId": "1a2b3c4d-5e6f-789a-bcde-0123456789ab",
      "sexId": "6a5b4c3d-2e1f-0a9b-8765-4321fedcba09",
      "statusId": "9f8e7d6c-5b4a-3210-a9f8-fedcba098765",
      "color": "Brown",
      "dateOfBirth": "2019-04-12T00:00:00Z",
      "microchipNumber": "985141001234567",
      "rabiesTag": "R123456",
      "dateDeceased": null,
      "clients": [],
      "breed": null,
      "patientSex": null,
      "patientStatus": null,
      "dateCreated": "2026-03-14T18:22:11Z",
      "dateUpdated": "2026-05-10T14:00:00Z",
      "deleted": false
    }
  ],
  "totalRecords": 421,
  "page": 1,
  "recordsPerPage": 50,
  "sort": "name|asc",
  "searchQuery": null,
  "embed": "clients",
  "links": []
}

breed, patientSex, and patientStatus are the expanded lookup records. They stay null until you name them in embed; the *Id fields are always present.

Create

POST /pav2/open-api-patients/write

Creates a new patient under an existing client.

Every reference field is a lookup ID, not a name. There is no free-text species, breed, or sex on this endpoint; resolve each one against its lookup first (see Resolving the lookup IDs below).

Required on create:

Field	Notes
name	The patient’s name.
clientId	The owning client. Must already exist.
breedId	From the breeds lookup. Determines the species.
sexId	From the patient-sexes lookup.
statusId	From the patient-statuses lookup.
dateOfBirth	Must not be in the future. Stored as a date; any time component is ignored.

Everything else is optional: color, alerts, additionalText, microchipNumber, rabiesTag, discountId, patientCprstatusId, patientCPRStatusNote, preferredProviderIds, referralSourceIds, and patientWeight.

color is optional on create, required on update

Leave color out of a create call and the patient is stored with a color of N/A. The update endpoint does require it, so a create-then-update round trip needs a real value. The Shepherd UI asks for color at intake, which is why clinic staff will describe it as required.

Unless the Shepherd account is configured as a group account, you do not need to supply a home clinic; the clinic in X-Clinic-Id is used. Default provider (preferredProviderIds) and every other field not listed above are optional.

Resolving the lookup IDs

breedId, sexId, and statusId must come from the lookups on the clinic’s own environment. Lookup IDs differ between sandbox and production, and between clinics for breeds, so IDs harvested from one environment will not validate in another. This is the most common cause of a rejected create.

Field	Source	Scoping
breedId	POST /pav2/open-api-breeds	Clinic-scoped. Pass getBreedsByClinicId: true for the clinic’s own list, and isLegacy: false to skip retired entries. Filter by speciesId to offer a species-then-breed picker.
sexId	POST /pav2/open-api-patient-sexes	Not clinic-scoped, and there is no legacy flag. The list is the same for every clinic in an environment.
statusId	POST /pav2/open-api-patient-statuses	Not clinic-scoped, and there is no legacy flag.

Cache these; they change rarely. See Lookups for the caching guidance.

Recording an initial weight

Weight is not a field on the patient. To capture an intake weight at the same time as the record, include the nested patientWeight object; weight and weightUnitId are both required within it, and date and note are optional.

{
  "patientWeight": {
    "weight": 5.0,
    "weightUnitId": "a28f2c7e-5f45-4a32-ae3f-4e87c49a47a3",
    "date": "2026-08-20T10:12:45Z",
    "note": "Intake weight"
  }
}

A weight of zero or less is rejected, as is a value that fails validation for the unit you named.

Include patientWeight if a create is failing

There is a known defect in how an omitted patientWeight is handled on create. If you are getting a rejection you cannot otherwise explain, sending a valid patientWeight block is a reliable workaround, and it creates the initial weight record at the same time. This note will be removed once the fix ships.

Example

curl

curl -X POST https://open-api.shepherd.vet/pav2/open-api-patients/write \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "X-Integration-Public-Key: $SHEPHERD_PUBLIC_KEY" \
  -H "X-Integration-Private-Key: $SHEPHERD_PRIVATE_KEY" \
  -H "X-Clinic-Id: $SHEPHERD_CLINIC_ID" \
  -d '{
    "name": "Biscuit",
    "clientId": "e45a6e12-3a1c-4e7d-9fd2-3473a4d8a7a6",
    "breedId": "f2c19d83-9f87-4f6f-a290-d08e59d7d29e",
    "sexId": "5a8d0cfc-c7c4-44a0-bdab-44f4e5f6b219",
    "statusId": "8fc9c6d1-a829-4b93-a5ea-1c83db96a1b4",
    "dateOfBirth": "2019-04-12T00:00:00Z",
    "color": "Chocolate",
    "patientWeight": {
      "weight": 5.0,
      "weightUnitId": "a28f2c7e-5f45-4a32-ae3f-4e87c49a47a3"
    }
  }'

Python

import os
import requests

resp = requests.post(
    "https://open-api.shepherd.vet/pav2/open-api-patients/write",
    headers={
        "Content-Type": "application/json",
        "X-Integration-Public-Key": os.environ["SHEPHERD_PUBLIC_KEY"],
        "X-Integration-Private-Key": os.environ["SHEPHERD_PRIVATE_KEY"],
        "X-Clinic-Id": os.environ["SHEPHERD_CLINIC_ID"],
    },
    json={
        "name": "Biscuit",
        "clientId": "e45a6e12-3a1c-4e7d-9fd2-3473a4d8a7a6",
        "breedId": "f2c19d83-9f87-4f6f-a290-d08e59d7d29e",
        "sexId": "5a8d0cfc-c7c4-44a0-bdab-44f4e5f6b219",
        "statusId": "8fc9c6d1-a829-4b93-a5ea-1c83db96a1b4",
        "dateOfBirth": "2019-04-12T00:00:00Z",
        "color": "Chocolate",
        "patientWeight": {
            "weight": 5.0,
            "weightUnitId": "a28f2c7e-5f45-4a32-ae3f-4e87c49a47a3",
        },
    },
    timeout=30,
)
resp.raise_for_status()
patient = resp.json()

C#

using System.Net.Http;
using System.Net.Http.Json;

using var http = new HttpClient();
http.DefaultRequestHeaders.Add("X-Integration-Public-Key", Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("SHEPHERD_PUBLIC_KEY"));
http.DefaultRequestHeaders.Add("X-Integration-Private-Key", Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("SHEPHERD_PRIVATE_KEY"));
http.DefaultRequestHeaders.Add("X-Clinic-Id", Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("SHEPHERD_CLINIC_ID"));

var response = await http.PostAsJsonAsync(
    "https://open-api.shepherd.vet/pav2/open-api-patients/write",
    new
    {
        name = "Biscuit",
        clientId = "e45a6e12-3a1c-4e7d-9fd2-3473a4d8a7a6",
        breedId = "f2c19d83-9f87-4f6f-a290-d08e59d7d29e",
        sexId = "5a8d0cfc-c7c4-44a0-bdab-44f4e5f6b219",
        statusId = "8fc9c6d1-a829-4b93-a5ea-1c83db96a1b4",
        dateOfBirth = "2019-04-12T00:00:00Z",
        color = "Chocolate",
        patientWeight = new
        {
            weight = 5.0,
            weightUnitId = "a28f2c7e-5f45-4a32-ae3f-4e87c49a47a3",
        },
    });
response.EnsureSuccessStatusCode();

PHP

<?php
$ch = curl_init('https://open-api.shepherd.vet/pav2/open-api-patients/write');
curl_setopt_array($ch, [
    CURLOPT_POST => true,
    CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER => true,
    CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER => [
        'Content-Type: application/json',
        'X-Integration-Public-Key: ' . getenv('SHEPHERD_PUBLIC_KEY'),
        'X-Integration-Private-Key: ' . getenv('SHEPHERD_PRIVATE_KEY'),
        'X-Clinic-Id: ' . getenv('SHEPHERD_CLINIC_ID'),
    ],
    CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS => json_encode([
        'name' => 'Biscuit',
        'clientId' => 'e45a6e12-3a1c-4e7d-9fd2-3473a4d8a7a6',
        'breedId' => 'f2c19d83-9f87-4f6f-a290-d08e59d7d29e',
        'sexId' => '5a8d0cfc-c7c4-44a0-bdab-44f4e5f6b219',
        'statusId' => '8fc9c6d1-a829-4b93-a5ea-1c83db96a1b4',
        'dateOfBirth' => '2019-04-12T00:00:00Z',
        'color' => 'Chocolate',
        'patientWeight' => [
            'weight' => 5.0,
            'weightUnitId' => 'a28f2c7e-5f45-4a32-ae3f-4e87c49a47a3',
        ],
    ]),
]);
$body = curl_exec($ch);
curl_close($ch);
$patient = json_decode($body, true);

JavaScript

const response = await fetch('https://open-api.shepherd.vet/pav2/open-api-patients/write', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
    'X-Integration-Public-Key': process.env.SHEPHERD_PUBLIC_KEY,
    'X-Integration-Private-Key': process.env.SHEPHERD_PRIVATE_KEY,
    'X-Clinic-Id': process.env.SHEPHERD_CLINIC_ID,
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    name: 'Biscuit',
    clientId: 'e45a6e12-3a1c-4e7d-9fd2-3473a4d8a7a6',
    breedId: 'f2c19d83-9f87-4f6f-a290-d08e59d7d29e',
    sexId: '5a8d0cfc-c7c4-44a0-bdab-44f4e5f6b219',
    statusId: '8fc9c6d1-a829-4b93-a5ea-1c83db96a1b4',
    dateOfBirth: '2019-04-12T00:00:00Z',
    color: 'Chocolate',
    patientWeight: {
      weight: 5.0,
      weightUnitId: 'a28f2c7e-5f45-4a32-ae3f-4e87c49a47a3',
    },
  }),
});
if (!response.ok) {
  throw new Error(`Shepherd API ${response.status}: ${await response.text()}`);
}
const patient = await response.json();

Update

PUT /pav2/open-api-patients/{id}/update

Updates an existing patient. This is a PUT, so it is a full replacement: send the complete patient representation, not just the fields you changed. Any editable field omitted from the body is cleared. See Updating records for the general rule and the read-merge-write pattern.

Required on update: name, breedId, sexId, statusId, dateOfBirth, and color. Note that color is required here even though it is optional on create. dateOfBirth cannot be in the future.

No field is kept when omitted. Leave out alerts, additionalText, microchipNumber, rabiesTag, patientCprstatusId, or patientCPRStatusNote and it is cleared; leave out preferredProviderIds or referralSourceIds and the patient’s preferred providers or referral sources are removed.

Two of those are named differently on the patient you read, so map them when you merge:

Update field	Take it from the record you read
preferredProviderIds	patientPreferredProviders[].providerId (embed patientPreferredProviders)
referralSourceIds	patientReferralSources[].referralSourceId (embed patientReferralSources)

Two differences from create are worth calling out:

• clientId is not accepted. The patient’s client association cannot be changed through this endpoint, along with the home clinic, system identifiers, and deleted status.
• patientWeight is not accepted. Weight entries are their own series; record new ones through the patient-weight endpoint rather than through the patient update.

Returns 200 OK with the updated patient, not 201. A 404 means the {id} does not resolve within the clinic named by X-Clinic-Id.

Example: read, merge, write

The example changes one field, alerts, and carries every other editable field through from the current record.

curl

# 1. Read the current patient, embedding the links you will resend.
curl -X POST https://open-api.shepherd.vet/pav2/open-api-patients \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "X-Integration-Public-Key: $SHEPHERD_PUBLIC_KEY" \
  -H "X-Integration-Private-Key: $SHEPHERD_PRIVATE_KEY" \
  -H "X-Clinic-Id: $SHEPHERD_CLINIC_ID" \
  -d '{
    "ids": "a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef0123456789",
    "rpp": 1,
    "embed": "patientPreferredProviders,patientReferralSources"
  }' > current-patient.json

# 2. Build merged-patient.json from item[0]: every update field copied from
#    the record (mapping the two id lists), with your change applied.
# 3. PUT the complete object back.
curl -X PUT https://open-api.shepherd.vet/pav2/open-api-patients/a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef0123456789/update \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "X-Integration-Public-Key: $SHEPHERD_PUBLIC_KEY" \
  -H "X-Integration-Private-Key: $SHEPHERD_PRIVATE_KEY" \
  -H "X-Clinic-Id: $SHEPHERD_CLINIC_ID" \
  -d @merged-patient.json

Python

import os
import requests

BASE = "https://open-api.shepherd.vet/pav2"
HEADERS = {
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
    "X-Integration-Public-Key": os.environ["SHEPHERD_PUBLIC_KEY"],
    "X-Integration-Private-Key": os.environ["SHEPHERD_PRIVATE_KEY"],
    "X-Clinic-Id": os.environ["SHEPHERD_CLINIC_ID"],
}
patient_id = "a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef0123456789"

# Update fields with the same name on the record you read.
SAME_NAME = (
    "name", "breedId", "sexId", "statusId", "dateOfBirth", "color",
    "microchipNumber", "rabiesTag", "alerts", "additionalText",
    "patientCprstatusId", "patientCPRStatusNote",
)

# 1. Read, embedding the links you intend to resend.
read = requests.post(
    f"{BASE}/open-api-patients",
    headers=HEADERS,
    json={
        "ids": patient_id,
        "rpp": 1,
        "embed": "patientPreferredProviders,patientReferralSources",
    },
    timeout=30,
)
read.raise_for_status()
current = read.json()["item"][0]

# 2. Merge: copy every update field from the record, then apply the change.
payload = {f: current[f] for f in SAME_NAME if f in current}
payload["preferredProviderIds"] = [
    p["providerId"] for p in current.get("patientPreferredProviders") or []
]
payload["referralSourceIds"] = [
    r["referralSourceId"] for r in current.get("patientReferralSources") or []
]
payload["alerts"] = "Allergic to penicillin"  # the actual change

# 3. Write the complete object back.
write = requests.put(
    f"{BASE}/open-api-patients/{patient_id}/update",
    headers=HEADERS,
    json=payload,
    timeout=30,
)
write.raise_for_status()
updated = write.json()

C#

using System.Net.Http.Json;
using System.Text.Json.Nodes;

const string Base = "https://open-api.shepherd.vet/pav2";
var patientId = "a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef0123456789";

// Update fields with the same name on the record you read.
string[] sameName =
[
    "name", "breedId", "sexId", "statusId", "dateOfBirth", "color",
    "microchipNumber", "rabiesTag", "alerts", "additionalText",
    "patientCprstatusId", "patientCPRStatusNote",
];

using var http = new HttpClient { Timeout = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(30) };
http.DefaultRequestHeaders.Add("X-Integration-Public-Key", Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("SHEPHERD_PUBLIC_KEY"));
http.DefaultRequestHeaders.Add("X-Integration-Private-Key", Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("SHEPHERD_PRIVATE_KEY"));
http.DefaultRequestHeaders.Add("X-Clinic-Id", Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("SHEPHERD_CLINIC_ID"));

// 1. Read, embedding the links you intend to resend.
var read = await http.PostAsJsonAsync($"{Base}/open-api-patients", new
{
    ids = patientId,
    rpp = 1,
    embed = "patientPreferredProviders,patientReferralSources",
});
read.EnsureSuccessStatusCode();
var current = (await read.Content.ReadFromJsonAsync<JsonObject>())!["item"]![0]!.AsObject();

// 2. Merge: copy every update field from the record, then apply the change.
var payload = new JsonObject();
foreach (var field in sameName)
    if (current.TryGetPropertyValue(field, out var value))
        payload[field] = value?.DeepClone();
payload["preferredProviderIds"] = new JsonArray(
    (current["patientPreferredProviders"]?.AsArray() ?? [])
        .Select(p => (JsonNode?)p!["providerId"]!.DeepClone()).ToArray());
payload["referralSourceIds"] = new JsonArray(
    (current["patientReferralSources"]?.AsArray() ?? [])
        .Select(r => (JsonNode?)r!["referralSourceId"]!.DeepClone()).ToArray());
payload["alerts"] = "Allergic to penicillin"; // the actual change

// 3. Write the complete object back.
var write = await http.PutAsJsonAsync($"{Base}/open-api-patients/{patientId}/update", payload);
write.EnsureSuccessStatusCode();

PHP

<?php
$base = 'https://open-api.shepherd.vet/pav2';
$patientId = 'a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef0123456789';
$headers = [
    'Content-Type: application/json',
    'X-Integration-Public-Key: ' . getenv('SHEPHERD_PUBLIC_KEY'),
    'X-Integration-Private-Key: ' . getenv('SHEPHERD_PRIVATE_KEY'),
    'X-Clinic-Id: ' . getenv('SHEPHERD_CLINIC_ID'),
];

// Update fields with the same name on the record you read.
$sameName = [
    'name', 'breedId', 'sexId', 'statusId', 'dateOfBirth', 'color',
    'microchipNumber', 'rabiesTag', 'alerts', 'additionalText',
    'patientCprstatusId', 'patientCPRStatusNote',
];

// 1. Read, embedding the links you intend to resend.
$ch = curl_init("$base/open-api-patients");
curl_setopt_array($ch, [
    CURLOPT_POST => true,
    CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER => true,
    CURLOPT_TIMEOUT => 30,
    CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER => $headers,
    CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS => json_encode([
        'ids' => $patientId,
        'rpp' => 1,
        'embed' => 'patientPreferredProviders,patientReferralSources',
    ]),
]);
$current = json_decode(curl_exec($ch), true)['item'][0];
curl_close($ch);

// 2. Merge: copy every update field from the record, then apply the change.
$payload = [];
foreach ($sameName as $field) {
    if (array_key_exists($field, $current)) {
        $payload[$field] = $current[$field];
    }
}
$payload['preferredProviderIds'] = array_column($current['patientPreferredProviders'] ?? [], 'providerId');
$payload['referralSourceIds'] = array_column($current['patientReferralSources'] ?? [], 'referralSourceId');
$payload['alerts'] = 'Allergic to penicillin'; // the actual change

// 3. Write the complete object back.
$ch = curl_init("$base/open-api-patients/$patientId/update");
curl_setopt_array($ch, [
    CURLOPT_CUSTOMREQUEST => 'PUT',
    CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER => true,
    CURLOPT_TIMEOUT => 30,
    CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER => $headers,
    CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS => json_encode($payload),
]);
$updated = json_decode(curl_exec($ch), true);
curl_close($ch);

JavaScript

const BASE = 'https://open-api.shepherd.vet/pav2';
const patientId = 'a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef0123456789';
const headers = {
  'Content-Type': 'application/json',
  'X-Integration-Public-Key': process.env.SHEPHERD_PUBLIC_KEY,
  'X-Integration-Private-Key': process.env.SHEPHERD_PRIVATE_KEY,
  'X-Clinic-Id': process.env.SHEPHERD_CLINIC_ID,
};

// Update fields with the same name on the record you read.
const SAME_NAME = [
  'name', 'breedId', 'sexId', 'statusId', 'dateOfBirth', 'color',
  'microchipNumber', 'rabiesTag', 'alerts', 'additionalText',
  'patientCprstatusId', 'patientCPRStatusNote',
];

// 1. Read, embedding the links you intend to resend.
const read = await fetch(`${BASE}/open-api-patients`, {
  method: 'POST',
  headers,
  body: JSON.stringify({
    ids: patientId,
    rpp: 1,
    embed: 'patientPreferredProviders,patientReferralSources',
  }),
  signal: AbortSignal.timeout(30_000),
});
if (!read.ok) throw new Error(`Shepherd API ${read.status}: ${await read.text()}`);
const [current] = (await read.json()).item;

// 2. Merge: copy every update field from the record, then apply the change.
const payload = {};
for (const field of SAME_NAME) {
  if (field in current) payload[field] = current[field];
}
payload.preferredProviderIds = (current.patientPreferredProviders ?? []).map((p) => p.providerId);
payload.referralSourceIds = (current.patientReferralSources ?? []).map((r) => r.referralSourceId);
payload.alerts = 'Allergic to penicillin'; // the actual change

// 3. Write the complete object back.
const write = await fetch(`${BASE}/open-api-patients/${patientId}/update`, {
  method: 'PUT',
  headers,
  body: JSON.stringify(payload),
  signal: AbortSignal.timeout(30_000),
});
if (!write.ok) throw new Error(`Shepherd API ${write.status}: ${await write.text()}`);
const updated = await write.json();

Troubleshooting a rejected write

Both write endpoints reject the whole request rather than partially applying it. When a create or update comes back 400, work down this list:

1. Are all the required fields present? Create needs name, clientId, breedId, sexId, statusId, dateOfBirth. Update needs those minus clientId, plus color. A missing required field produces the generic “The request is invalid.” envelope described in Errors, which does not currently name the offending field.
2. Are the lookup IDs from the right environment? Sandbox and production have entirely separate ID sets. An ID copied from production will not validate against sandbox, and vice versa.
3. Is the breed from this clinic’s list and not retired? Query breeds with getBreedsByClinicId: true and isLegacy: false.
4. Is dateOfBirth in the past? A future date of birth is rejected.
5. Is the weight valid? If you sent patientWeight, weight must be greater than zero and must pass validation for the weightUnitId you named.
6. Still stuck on a create? Include a valid patientWeight block; see the note under Create.

Note that unknown fields in the body are ignored rather than rejected, so a stray speciesId or a misspelled key will not itself cause a 400; it simply will not be applied.

File uploads

Patient files (lab PDFs, imaging stills, intake forms) are uploaded in three steps:

1. Request a presigned upload URL. POST /pav2/open-api-patients/file-presigned-upload-url takes patientId and fileName, and returns url (the short-lived S3 URL) and path (the key that identifies the object).
2. PUT the binary directly to S3. Bypasses the Shepherd application servers entirely. Send the raw file bytes with the appropriate Content-Type (e.g. application/pdf, image/jpeg).
3. Register the file entry. POST /pav2/open-api-patients/file-entry-write records patientId, fileName, and the path returned in step 1, so the file shows up in the patient chart.

fileName is not the same in step 1 and step 3

Step 1 wants the file name with its extension (lab-results.pdf); it uses the extension to work out the content type. Step 3 wants the name without the extension (lab-results). Sending the extension in step 3 results in an entry that does not resolve correctly in the chart.

Neither request takes a contentType field; the response from step 1 reports it back to you.

For images, also send width and height on the step 3 request. They default to zero when omitted, which is rarely what you want for a stored image.

Step 1: request a presigned upload URL

curl

curl -X POST https://open-api.shepherd.vet/pav2/open-api-patients/file-presigned-upload-url \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "X-Integration-Public-Key: $SHEPHERD_PUBLIC_KEY" \
  -H "X-Integration-Private-Key: $SHEPHERD_PRIVATE_KEY" \
  -H "X-Clinic-Id: $SHEPHERD_CLINIC_ID" \
  -d '{
    "patientId": "a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef0123456789",
    "fileName": "lab-results.pdf"
  }'

Python

import os
import requests

presign = requests.post(
    "https://open-api.shepherd.vet/pav2/open-api-patients/file-presigned-upload-url",
    headers={
        "Content-Type": "application/json",
        "X-Integration-Public-Key": os.environ["SHEPHERD_PUBLIC_KEY"],
        "X-Integration-Private-Key": os.environ["SHEPHERD_PRIVATE_KEY"],
        "X-Clinic-Id": os.environ["SHEPHERD_CLINIC_ID"],
    },
    json={
        "patientId": "a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef0123456789",
        "fileName": "lab-results.pdf",
    },
    timeout=30,
)
presign.raise_for_status()
upload = presign.json()
# upload["url"] and upload["path"] are used in steps 2 and 3.

C#

using System.Net.Http;
using System.Net.Http.Json;

using var http = new HttpClient();
http.DefaultRequestHeaders.Add("X-Integration-Public-Key", Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("SHEPHERD_PUBLIC_KEY"));
http.DefaultRequestHeaders.Add("X-Integration-Private-Key", Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("SHEPHERD_PRIVATE_KEY"));
http.DefaultRequestHeaders.Add("X-Clinic-Id", Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("SHEPHERD_CLINIC_ID"));

var presign = await http.PostAsJsonAsync(
    "https://open-api.shepherd.vet/pav2/open-api-patients/file-presigned-upload-url",
    new
    {
        patientId = "a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef0123456789",
        fileName = "lab-results.pdf",
    });
presign.EnsureSuccessStatusCode();
var upload = await presign.Content.ReadFromJsonAsync<JsonElement>();
// upload.GetProperty("url") and upload.GetProperty("path")

PHP

<?php
$ch = curl_init('https://open-api.shepherd.vet/pav2/open-api-patients/file-presigned-upload-url');
curl_setopt_array($ch, [
    CURLOPT_POST => true,
    CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER => true,
    CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER => [
        'Content-Type: application/json',
        'X-Integration-Public-Key: ' . getenv('SHEPHERD_PUBLIC_KEY'),
        'X-Integration-Private-Key: ' . getenv('SHEPHERD_PRIVATE_KEY'),
        'X-Clinic-Id: ' . getenv('SHEPHERD_CLINIC_ID'),
    ],
    CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS => json_encode([
        'patientId' => 'a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef0123456789',
        'fileName' => 'lab-results.pdf',
    ]),
]);
$upload = json_decode(curl_exec($ch), true);
curl_close($ch);
// $upload['url'] and $upload['path']

JavaScript

const presign = await fetch(
  'https://open-api.shepherd.vet/pav2/open-api-patients/file-presigned-upload-url',
  {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: {
      'Content-Type': 'application/json',
      'X-Integration-Public-Key': process.env.SHEPHERD_PUBLIC_KEY,
      'X-Integration-Private-Key': process.env.SHEPHERD_PRIVATE_KEY,
      'X-Clinic-Id': process.env.SHEPHERD_CLINIC_ID,
    },
    body: JSON.stringify({
      patientId: 'a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef0123456789',
      fileName: 'lab-results.pdf',
    }),
  },
);
if (!presign.ok) {
  throw new Error(`Shepherd API ${presign.status}: ${await presign.text()}`);
}
const upload = await presign.json();
// upload.url, upload.path

Step 2: PUT the binary to S3

This call goes to S3, not to the Shepherd API; do not send the integration headers. Use the URL returned in step 1 and match the Content-Type you registered.

curl

curl -X PUT "$UPLOAD_URL" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/pdf" \
  --data-binary @lab-results.pdf

Python

with open("lab-results.pdf", "rb") as fh:
    put = requests.put(
        upload["url"],
        data=fh,
        headers={"Content-Type": "application/pdf"},
        timeout=120,
    )
put.raise_for_status()

Step 3: register the file entry

curl

curl -X POST https://open-api.shepherd.vet/pav2/open-api-patients/file-entry-write \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "X-Integration-Public-Key: $SHEPHERD_PUBLIC_KEY" \
  -H "X-Integration-Private-Key: $SHEPHERD_PRIVATE_KEY" \
  -H "X-Clinic-Id: $SHEPHERD_CLINIC_ID" \
  -d '{
    "patientId": "a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef0123456789",
    "path": "<path from step 1>",
    "fileName": "lab-results"
  }'

Python

entry = requests.post(
    "https://open-api.shepherd.vet/pav2/open-api-patients/file-entry-write",
    headers={
        "Content-Type": "application/json",
        "X-Integration-Public-Key": os.environ["SHEPHERD_PUBLIC_KEY"],
        "X-Integration-Private-Key": os.environ["SHEPHERD_PRIVATE_KEY"],
        "X-Clinic-Id": os.environ["SHEPHERD_CLINIC_ID"],
    },
    json={
        "patientId": "a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef0123456789",
        "path": upload["path"],
        "fileName": "lab-results",  # no extension here
    },
    timeout=30,
)
entry.raise_for_status()

C#

var entry = await http.PostAsJsonAsync(
    "https://open-api.shepherd.vet/pav2/open-api-patients/file-entry-write",
    new
    {
        patientId = "a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef0123456789",
        path = upload.GetProperty("path").GetString(),
        fileName = "lab-results", // no extension here
    });
entry.EnsureSuccessStatusCode();

PHP

<?php
$ch = curl_init('https://open-api.shepherd.vet/pav2/open-api-patients/file-entry-write');
curl_setopt_array($ch, [
    CURLOPT_POST => true,
    CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER => true,
    CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER => [
        'Content-Type: application/json',
        'X-Integration-Public-Key: ' . getenv('SHEPHERD_PUBLIC_KEY'),
        'X-Integration-Private-Key: ' . getenv('SHEPHERD_PRIVATE_KEY'),
        'X-Clinic-Id: ' . getenv('SHEPHERD_CLINIC_ID'),
    ],
    CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS => json_encode([
        'patientId' => 'a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef0123456789',
        'path' => $upload['path'],
        'fileName' => 'lab-results', // no extension here
    ]),
]);
curl_exec($ch);
curl_close($ch);

JavaScript

const entry = await fetch(
  'https://open-api.shepherd.vet/pav2/open-api-patients/file-entry-write',
  {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: {
      'Content-Type': 'application/json',
      'X-Integration-Public-Key': process.env.SHEPHERD_PUBLIC_KEY,
      'X-Integration-Private-Key': process.env.SHEPHERD_PRIVATE_KEY,
      'X-Clinic-Id': process.env.SHEPHERD_CLINIC_ID,
    },
    body: JSON.stringify({
      patientId: 'a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef0123456789',
      path: upload.path,
      fileName: 'lab-results', // no extension here
    }),
  },
);
if (!entry.ok) {
  throw new Error(`Shepherd API ${entry.status}: ${await entry.text()}`);
}

Listing attachments

POST /pav2/open-api-patients/attachments returns the registered files for a patient, paginated with the same conventions as every other collection endpoint. Pass a patientId filter to scope to a single chart.

See also

• Conventions: pagination, embed, sort, and date-range rules.
• Clients: the owners patients belong to.
• Appointments: scheduled visits for a patient.
• SOAP records: clinical notes captured during a visit.
• Errors: HTTP status codes and the error body shapes.