Roo vs. Holiday Vet vs. Hound: Comparing Veterinary Hiring Platforms, and Why the Best Veterinary AI Scribe Partners with Hound
Summary: Roo, Holiday Vet, and Hound all help veterinary practices find relief coverage and permanent hires, but they work very differently. Roo is a self-serve relief marketplace where independent contractors request your posted shifts. Holiday Vet is a recruiter-led relief agency with a personal scheduling coordinator. Hound is a career platform that combines a jobs marketplace for every clinical and front-office role, a free-to-post relief marketplace, and Groove, a flat-rate system for managing the relief doctors you already work with. All three are solid options. HappyDoc recommends Hound as its preferred partner because of its published pricing, all-role coverage in all 50 states, tools for retaining relief relationships without markups, and because relief vets registered on Hound can use HappyDoc's AI scribe for free. Full disclosure: Hound is a HappyDoc partner.
Why Your Hiring Platform Choice Matters More Than It Used To
Relief medicine is now a core part of how veterinary practices staff. In an April 2026 dvm360 article, Dr. Andrew Ciccolini cited AVMA data showing relief and contract roles grew 60% between 2023 and 2026, with nearly 1 in 10 veterinarians now working in those roles.
At the same time, the AVMA's workforce analysis argues there is no dire shortage of veterinarians ahead, and points practices toward efficiency and staff retention. In other words, the challenge is less about whether doctors exist and more about how you find them, keep them, and make their shifts productive.
That makes the platform you choose a strategic decision, not just a way to fill next Saturday. Below, we compare three of the most common options on how they work, what they cost, who they cover, and how they fit with the rest of your practice technology.
Roo: The Self-Serve Relief Marketplace
Roo launched in Houston in March 2019 as a freelance marketplace for veterinary professionals. It raised an $11 million Series A in December 2022 and today serves the US and Canada, reporting more than 30,000 veterinary professionals in its network.
How it works for hospitals. Per Roo's hospital FAQ, you post a vet or tech shift, relief professionals request it, and you confirm the person you want after reviewing their work history and reviews. Roo is free to join with no monthly fees. Your card or bank account is charged 72 hours before a confirmed shift, and the price you see already includes Roo's service fee. Roo then pays the professional on your behalf.
Who you get. Relief vets on Roo are independent contractors licensed in the states where they work. Technicians and assistants need at least five years of experience and are assigned a Tech Tier from 1 to 4 (tech FAQ). Roo reports relief vets averaged about $140 per hour on completed 2025 shifts (vet FAQ).
Permanent hiring. Roo's Relief-to-Hire program lets you flag a relief professional for a permanent role after a shift. A one-time, industry-standard placement fee applies, with no retainer.
Best for: Practices that want an app-based, on-demand way to find new relief vets and techs, including practices in Canada.
Holiday Vet: The Recruiter-Led Relief Agency
Holiday Vet has provided relief veterinarian staffing since 2011. It was founded by Caren Carney, DVM, who practiced in Nevada for a decade, and describes itself as "relief veterinarian recruitment with a personal touch."
How it works for hospitals. Holiday Vet is people-first rather than app-first. According to its Get Relief page, a clinic completes a business profile, and a personal scheduling coordinator reaches out. The team interviews you about your priorities, work environment, software, and procedures, then matches doctors based on location, skills, and personality. Holiday Vet says it checks licensing, confirms degrees, and calls references before introducing a doctor.
Who you get. Holiday Vet focuses on veterinarians and recommends at least three years of experience before relief work. It offers both W-2 and 1099 options for its relief vets, and notes it is not an emergency staffing service. Its locations page lists 25 states plus Washington, DC.
Permanent hiring. Holiday Vet offers a "try before you buy" relief-to-placement option plus direct permanent recruitment.
Pricing. Holiday Vet does not publish rates or fees online. Contact the team for a quote.
Best for: Practices that want a human coordinator to handle matching and scheduling, especially for longer coverage like maternity leave.
Hound: The Full-Workforce Career Platform
Hound launched in 2021 and describes itself as "America's largest veterinary career platform." It was founded by CEO Andrew Luna, and its about page notes the team has more than 50 years of combined experience working in veterinary hospitals. Hound is distributed by MWI Animal Health, and MWI customers are eligible for special pricing.
How it works for hospitals. Hound is built around several products listed on its employer page:
- Scout (jobs and relief marketplace). Post permanent jobs and relief shifts to Hound's network. Relief posts are free, and you only pay for bookings. You approve applicants, view ratings, and can pay by shift, hour, production, or a custom arrangement. Relief-to-permanent hires are supported through "Try Before You Buy."
- Groove (relief management). An invite-only system for coordinating the relief workers you already know, whether they are W-2 associates, W-2 floaters, 1099 relief, or agency partners. Hound lists unlimited shifts, unlimited payouts, no shift booking fees, and no placement fees for one flat rate.
- Candidate network access. Search and message Hound's registered professionals directly.
- Rally and Homelove. An employee engagement app for retention, and at-home technician appointments for your clients.
Who you get. Hound reports more than 30,000 workers, including 8,000+ DVMs, 15,000+ technicians, 14,000+ relief workers, and 3,000+ CSRs, across all 50 states. It covers every role in the building, including assistants, receptionists, and practice managers, across GP, shelter, urgent care, emergency, and specialty.
Pricing. Hound publishes its pricing:
- Relief posts: free, pay only for bookings
- Job posts: $199 per month
- Job boosts: $499 per month
- Practice network access: $499 per practice per month
- Groove and enterprise group plans: custom
Hound lists discounts for MWI Animal Health, TVC, VMG, and IAHA practices. Pricing changes, so confirm current numbers with Hound.
Best for: Practices and groups that want one platform for relief, permanent hiring across every role, and managing an existing relief roster.
Roo vs. Holiday Vet vs. Hound: Side-by-Side Comparison
Which Platform Fits Your Practice?
The Part Every Hiring Platform Leaves Out: Documentation
None of these platforms write your medical records. Once the relief doctor walks in, the charting is still on them, and that is often the hardest part of the shift.
The same dvm360 article reported results from a 2025 survey of 151 relief veterinarians:
- 66.2% spend 2 to 4 hours per shift on medical records.
- 19.2% say it takes too long to get familiar with new patients and records when entering a clinic, and those respondents reported higher burnout.
- Nearly one-third said they would be more likely to accept shifts at clinics that offer AI scribe support.
Unfinished vet notes from a relief shift become your full-time team's problem the next morning. That workload feeds veterinary staff turnover and veterinary technician burnout, which is exactly what a hiring platform is supposed to relieve.
This is where an AI scribe completes the picture. If you need a refresher on what does SOAP stand for, it is Subjective, Objective, Assessment, and Plan. The soap notes meaning is a structured record of what the client reported, what the doctor found, what it means, and what comes next. HappyDoc listens to the appointment and drafts veterinary SOAP notes in your practice's own veterinary SOAP template, so a relief doctor's chart reads like the rest of your records. Our guide to what makes a good veterinary SOAP note includes a full soap note example, and how HappyDoc supports consistency across veterinary providers explains why that matters with rotating doctors.
Our Recommendation: Hound Is HappyDoc's Preferred Hiring Partner
Disclosure: Hound is a HappyDoc partner, and relief vets registered on Hound receive HappyDoc for free. We want to be upfront about that, and we also want to be clear about why we chose Hound in the first place.
1. It solves the whole staffing problem, not just Saturday. Most practices need more than relief. They need a tech, a CSR, a practice manager, and eventually an associate. Hound covers every role in one place, so you are not juggling a relief app, a job board, and a recruiter.
2. Transparent, published pricing. Hound lists its prices on its website, and relief posts are free until you book. Practice managers can budget without a sales call.
3. It helps you keep the relief doctors you already have. Groove is built for the relief relationships you have spent years building. Hound lists no shift booking fees and no placement fees, so hiring a relief doctor you love does not trigger a surprise bill.
4. It reaches all 50 states. Hound reports workers in every state, which matters for groups with locations in more than one region.
5. Relief vets on Hound can bring an AI scribe with them. Through our partnership, relief vets registered on Hound get HappyDoc free. For practices, that means relief doctors who are already comfortable letting an AI scribe handle the first draft, which supports the shorter, cleaner charting the survey above says relief vets want.
6. Built by people from veterinary hospitals. Hound's team includes people who have worked GP and overnight emergency and have run practices. That shows in features like PayScore pay transparency and support for every clinical setting.
Roo and Holiday Vet are both good choices for specific needs. Roo is a strong self-serve option, and Holiday Vet offers a personal, high-touch service. But for practices that want one platform for relief, permanent hiring, and retention, with pricing they can see up front, we recommend Hound. For more on how Hound and an AI scribe fit together, read our complete guide to Hound.
How Hound and HappyDoc Work Together
Hound and HappyDoc are separate products. Hound does not write medical records, and HappyDoc does not post jobs or book shifts. Here is how they fit together on a relief shift:
- Hound fills the shift. You post relief on Hound or book a doctor from your Groove roster.
- The relief doctor arrives ready to document. A relief vet using HappyDoc through Hound already knows how to record an exam with an AI scribe.
- HappyDoc drafts the record. In this virtual scribe workflow, the doctor talks through the exam, and HappyDoc drafts the SOAP note, discharge instructions, and client recap for review.
- Notes are finished before the doctor leaves. No backlog for Monday. See How to Reduce After-Hours Charting with AI.
- You evaluate with clean records. If you are considering a Try Before You Buy hire, consistent soap charting makes it easier to judge the doctor's work.
HappyDoc is trained on more than 2 million real veterinary appointments, is SOC 2 Type II certified, and integrates with AVImark, Cornerstone, ImproMed, ezyVet, Vetspire, Shepherd, DaySmart, and Covetrus Pulse, with a browser extension for other veterinary PIMS and veterinary EMR software.
Choosing the Best Veterinary AI Scribe for a Practice That Relies on Relief
Whichever hiring platform you choose, ask these questions when comparing the best veterinary AI scribe software:
- Does it write back into your PIMS? See the two integration questions practice managers forget to ask.
- Does it enforce your template for every doctor? Relief doctors should not have to learn your format from scratch.
- Does it charge per seat? Per-seat pricing turns every relief doctor into a new line item.
- How accurate is it? Read Why AI Scribe Accuracy Is the Only Metric That Actually Matters.
- Is it independent? An independent scribe stays with you if you change PIMS. See Who Owns Your Veterinary AI Scribe?
For a full comparison of AI tools for vets, see our 5 Best Veterinary AI Scribes 2026 Expert Guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Roo, Holiday Vet, and Hound? Roo is a self-serve relief marketplace where independent contractors request shifts you post. Holiday Vet is a recruiter-led relief agency that assigns a personal scheduling coordinator. Hound is a career platform with a jobs marketplace for every veterinary role, a free-to-post relief marketplace, and Groove for managing your existing relief workers.
Which veterinary hiring platform is cheapest? It depends on how you hire. Roo and Hound are both free to join for relief, and you pay when a shift is booked. Hound publishes its job and network pricing, starting at $199 per month for job posts. Holiday Vet does not publish pricing. Confirm current rates with each company.
Does Holiday Vet use W-2 or 1099 relief vets? Holiday Vet says it offers both W-2 and 1099 options for its relief veterinarians.
Can I hire technicians and receptionists on these platforms? Roo covers veterinarians, technicians, and assistants. Holiday Vet focuses on veterinarians. Hound covers veterinarians, technicians, assistants, CSRs, and practice managers.
Why does HappyDoc recommend Hound? Hound covers every role in all 50 states, publishes its pricing, offers Groove for managing existing relief relationships without booking or placement fees, and gives relief vets registered on Hound free access to HappyDoc. Hound is a HappyDoc partner.
Do relief vets on Hound really get HappyDoc for free? Yes. Through the HappyDoc and Hound partnership, relief vets registered on Hound can access HappyDoc's AI scribe and assistant for free.
Does HappyDoc integrate with Roo, Holiday Vet, or Hound? HappyDoc does not have a software integration with any of these platforms. Hound is a HappyDoc partner, but the products work side by side: the hiring platform fills the shift, and HappyDoc drafts the medical record in your PIMS.
Hire Through Hound. Document with HappyDoc.
The right hiring platform gets a great doctor in your building. The best veterinary AI scribe makes sure their notes are accurate, consistent, and finished before they leave. If you use relief, pair both and give your full-time team their evenings back.
Book a demo with HappyDoc to see how HappyDoc fits a practice that runs on relief. Relief vet? Get HappyDoc free through Hound.
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