IDEXX Laboratories has acquired CoVetAI, the maker of a popular artificial intelligence scribe used by veterinary teams to record appointments and write medical records, the companies announced on September 16. The purchase gives IDEXX, best known for its in-house analyzers and reference laboratories, a tool that sits inside the exam room itself.
Financial terms were not disclosed. The law firm Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati advised CoVet on the transaction.
CoVet’s software listens to veterinary appointments and converts the conversation into SOAP notes, records and client follow-up messages. The company says its product is used by tens of thousands of veterinary professionals across North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, and supports more than 100 languages. Its customers include both large multi-practice groups and independent clinics.
Founded by chief executive Yannick Bloem, chief veterinary officer Dr. Mike Mossop and chief operating officer Mike Parent, CoVet has positioned itself as a tool built around the documentation burden that follows many veterinarians home at the end of the day.
In a statement, IDEXX president and chief executive Mike Erickson said CoVet “brings leading workflow intelligence capabilities that complement our diagnostic and software ecosystem.”
IDEXX, based in Westbrook, Maine, employs about 11,000 people and says more than 10,000 clinics worldwide use its cloud-based practice management software. The company said CoVet will be integrated into that software, including its VetConnect PLUS platform and its Vello client communication tools, and will help IDEXX reach practices in countries its practice management systems do not currently serve.
What changes for users
CoVet told customers that nothing changes for now. Logins, existing notes, record history and support will remain the same, and users do not need to take any action, according to the company.
Both companies also said CoVet will continue to work with practice management systems made by IDEXX’s competitors, and that IDEXX’s software will keep supporting rival AI scribes and third-party integrations.
Bloem described documentation as a starting point rather than the company’s end goal, saying in the announcement that “the opportunity is far greater” as AI changes the daily work of veterinary practice.
A bet on diagnostics
IDEXX’s own description of the deal points to where it sees that larger opportunity. The company said that over time, CoVet’s technology could surface patient insights at key clinical decision points, support more personalized client communication, create capacity for clinics to see more patients, and help “increase diagnostic utilization.”
Investors reacted calmly. IDEXX shares rose about 0.6 percent after the announcement, closing near $514, according to Zacks Investment Research. The stock remains down roughly 20 percent over the past year.
The acquisition comes as AI scribes spread quickly through veterinary medicine, with several competing products now marketed to general practice, emergency and specialty hospitals. It was one of several notable deals in the pet health industry this month, alongside The Farmer’s Dog’s purchase of pet wellness brand Woof.
Analysis: What the deal could mean for veterinarians
By Dr. Andrew Rocco
Most of the coverage of this deal has focused on CoVet’s reach and IDEXX’s software strategy, but the phrase in IDEXX’s announcement that caught my attention as a practicing veterinarian was the one about diagnostic utilization. IDEXX sells tests. A tool that listens to every appointment, knows what the doctor is thinking about, and connects directly to the software that orders and reports those tests is a very natural fit for a company whose business grows when more tests are run.
That isn’t necessarily bad for patients. Anyone who has worked a long emergency shift knows how easy it is to miss something late in the day, and a well-timed prompt reminding a doctor that an older cat on NSAIDs is due for renal values could genuinely improve care. The concern is that a suggestion based on good medicine and a suggestion based on a sales goal can look exactly the same on the screen. The only way for clinicians to tell the difference is transparency about how those suggestions are generated and what evidence they’re based on.
IDEXX’s promise to keep supporting other scribes and non-IDEXX practice management systems also deserves attention. It’s the right commitment, and it’s worth watching closely, because the company now owns both a major practice management platform and a major AI scribe, and it would be easy for the two to slowly work better together than with anyone else’s products.
If your practice uses CoVet, or is considering any AI scribe, this is a good time to ask your vendor a few questions. Who owns the recordings and transcripts of your appointments, and can they be used for anything beyond writing your records? If the tool begins suggesting diagnostics, will you be able to see why? Will pricing for independent practices stay competitive under new ownership? And how much notice will clinics get if integration or support policies change?
AI scribes may be one of the most useful things to happen to veterinary medicine in years, because the documentation burden is real and it drives good people out of practice. As these tools become part of larger companies, the profession’s job is to make sure they keep working first for veterinarians and their patients. The Differential will be following how IDEXX handles that, and we’d like to hear from practices already using CoVet about whether anything changes in the months ahead.
Sources: IDEXX Laboratories news release via Business Wire (Sept. 16, 2026); CoVet announcement (Sept. 16, 2026); Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati (Sept. 21, 2026); dvm360 (Sept. 21, 2026); Zacks Investment Research (Sept. 17, 2026).
