The Veterinary Professional's Guide to LLM Prompting

Getting Better Results While Staying Safe

Apologies for the amount of time since my last article. Our son got married the weekend before last, so the last couple of weeks have been quite busy. Besides this article posted today, there will be a deep dive later this week diving into LLM hallucinations and how to detect and prevent them for paid subscribers.

I have to thank Jon Ayers for the great idea for this article. Keep your eyes out for more from Jon very soon.

Large language models like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini have become ubiquitous in professional workflows across industries. Despite valid concerns about privacy, accuracy, and appropriateness for medical contexts, the reality is that these tools are already being used in veterinary practices—often without clear guidelines on how to use them effectively and safely.

Rather than ignore this reality, I want to provide veterinary professionals with a practical framework for getting the most value from LLMs while minimizing risks. This isn't about replacing clinical judgment or encouraging inappropriate use—it's about helping you use these tools responsibly for the tasks where they can genuinely add value.

After watching colleagues struggle with inconsistent results, privacy concerns, and occasional dangerous outputs, I've developed this guide to help veterinary professionals navigate the LLM landscape more effectively. Whether you're using these tools for client communication, practice management, or continuing education, the principles I'll share can dramatically improve your results while keeping you on the right side of safety and ethics.

This article provides prompting guidance for using general purpose LLM’s like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, etc. through their publicly available web interfaces. Prompting techniques will differ if you are using another interface to the LLM. For a good introduction to the differences see my previous article The Model vs The Interface: What Veterinary Professionals Need to Know About Large Language Models.

Critical Privacy and Security Warning: What Never Goes In

Before we discuss how to use these tools effectively, let's be absolutely clear about what should never be entered into public LLMs like ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini:

Absolutely Prohibited Information

• Client names, addresses, or contact information

• Pet names combined with owner information

• Specific case details that could identify patients

• Financial information or billing details

• Staff personal information

• Practice-specific protocols or proprietary information

The De-identification Rule

If you must reference clinical scenarios, use completely generic descriptions: "a 7-year-old Golden Retriever with vomiting" rather than "Mrs. Smith's dog Buddy who has been vomiting." Even better, create hypothetical scenarios that capture the clinical essence without any real case details.

Platform Data Policies Vary

Different LLM platforms have different data retention and training policies:

• ChatGPT: Conversations may be used for training unless you opt out

• Claude: Anthropic states they don't train on your conversations, but data may be stored temporarily

• Gemini: Google may use conversations to improve their services

• Grok: X's policies are evolving

• Perplexity: Focuses on search but may retain query data

The safest approach: Assume anything you type could potentially be seen by others or used for training, regardless of stated policies.

A Veterinary-Specific Solution: LifeLearn's Sofie AI

Before diving into general LLM usage, I strongly recommend veterinary professionals consider a tool like LifeLearn's Sofie AI for medical and clinical questions. Here's why:

Why Sofie AI is Different

• Veterinary-specific training: Built specifically for veterinary medicine with species-specific knowledge

• Licensed content foundation: Grounded in tens of thousands of pages of veterinary medical content

• Reduced hallucination risk: The retrieval-augmented generation approach and carefully designed prompts and guardrails significantly reduce false information

• Privacy protection: Designed with veterinary practice privacy requirements in mind

• Current medical knowledge: Regularly updated with current veterinary medical information

When to Use Sofie AI vs. General LLMs

• Use Sofie AI for: Diagnostic information, treatment protocols, drug interactions, species-specific medical questions, clinical decision support

• Use general LLMs for: Client communication drafts, practice management workflows, general business questions, continuing education planning

Full disclosure: I was involved in developing Sofie AI during my time working with LifeLearn, so I know how it was built and what’s powering it. I recommend it because it solves the specific problems that make general LLMs inappropriate for veterinary medical questions.

The Foundation: Six Principles of Effective LLM Prompting

1. Be Specific About Context and Role

Instead of: "Help me with a difficult client" Try: "I'm a veterinary practice manager dealing with a client who is upset about an unexpected bill increase. I need help drafting a professional response that acknowledges their concern, explains the situation clearly, and maintains a positive relationship."

2. Provide Constraints and Guidelines

Instead of: "Write a discharge instruction" Try: "Write discharge instructions for routine spay surgery. Keep it under 200 words, use 8th-grade reading level, include bullet points for easy scanning, and emphasize the most critical first 24-hour care items."

3. Ask for Multiple Options

Instead of: "What should I do about staff scheduling conflicts?" Try: "Give me 5 different approaches for handling scheduling conflicts between veterinary staff, ranging from immediate fixes to longer-term policy changes. For each approach, include pros, cons, and implementation difficulty."

4. Request Reasoning and Sources

Instead of: "Is this a good idea?" Try: "Evaluate this practice management idea and explain your reasoning. What assumptions are you making, what potential problems do you see, and what additional information would help make this decision?"

5. Iterate and Refine

Don't expect perfect results on the first try. Follow up with:

• "Make this more formal/casual"

• "Focus more on the financial aspects"

• "Rewrite this for a client with limited English proficiency"

• "What did I miss in my initial request?"

6. Test Understanding

Ask the LLM to summarize what you've requested before it provides the answer: "Before you respond, please confirm your understanding of what I'm asking for."

Understanding Advanced LLM Features: Getting Better Results from Whatever Tool You're Using

Modern LLMs offer powerful specialized features that can dramatically improve your results when used appropriately. Rather than switching between platforms, learn to recognize and leverage these capabilities within your preferred tool.

Deep Research and Analysis Features

What This Feature Does: Conducts thorough research across multiple sources, synthesizes information, and provides comprehensive analysis with citations and source verification.

Available As:

• Claude: Research Mode

• Perplexity: Academic Focus or All Sources modes

• ChatGPT: Advanced search capabilities (with plugins/browsing enabled)

• Gemini: Research with real-time search integration

When to Use for Veterinary Applications:

• Investigating new diagnostic technologies before making purchase decisions

• Analyzing market trends in veterinary services

• Researching regulatory changes affecting your practice

• Comparing treatment protocols or equipment options

• Understanding industry developments that might impact your practice

Example Veterinary Prompt: "I need comprehensive research on the current state of veterinary telemedicine regulations and adoption rates. Include recent regulatory changes, reimbursement policies, technology platforms, and adoption barriers. Provide sources for verification."

Extended Reasoning and Complex Problem-Solving

What This Feature Does: Works through complex problems step-by-step, showing detailed reasoning chains and considering multiple factors before reaching conclusions.

Available As:

• Claude: Extended Thinking mode

• ChatGPT: Chain-of-thought prompting (request step-by-step reasoning)

• Gemini: Detailed analysis requests with reasoning steps

• Perplexity: Copilot mode for multi-step analysis

When to Use for Veterinary Applications:

• Practice expansion or major business decisions

• Complex staff scheduling or workflow optimization

• Equipment purchase cost-benefit analysis

• Emergency protocol development

• Strategic planning for new service offerings

Example Veterinary Prompt: "I need to decide whether to add emergency services to my small animal practice. Work through this decision step-by-step, considering: current staffing capacity, required equipment investment, facility modifications needed, financial projections, impact on existing services, staff training requirements, and local market demand. Show your reasoning at each step."

Creative and Content Generation Features

What This Feature Does: Focuses on generating engaging, creative content with varied approaches and innovative solutions.

Available As:

• All platforms: Creative writing modes or style selections

• ChatGPT: Creative settings, Canvas mode for iterative content development

• Gemini: Creative mode

• Claude: Creative style selection

When to Use for Veterinary Applications:

• Marketing materials and social media content

• Client education materials that need to be engaging

• Newsletter content and practice communications

• Creative problem-solving for practice challenges

• Staff training materials that need to maintain attention

Example Veterinary Prompt: "Create engaging social media content that educates pet owners about the importance of dental care for senior dogs. Make it informative but approachable, include a clear call-to-action, and suggest accompanying visuals. Provide three different approaches: emotional storytelling, factual education, and interactive engagement."

Collaborative Editing and Iteration Features

What This Feature Does: Allows real-time editing, revision, and collaborative development of documents with version control and change tracking.

Available As:

• ChatGPT: Canvas mode

• Claude: Artifact system for document creation and editing

• Some platforms: Document sharing and collaborative features

When to Use for Veterinary Applications:

• Developing practice policies that need multiple revisions

• Creating comprehensive staff manuals or training materials

• Building client education resources that require ongoing updates

• Collaborative development of clinical protocols

• Creating documents that multiple staff members will contribute to

Example Veterinary Prompt: "Help me create a comprehensive client onboarding packet for new puppy owners. Start with a basic structure, then we'll iteratively add sections for vaccination schedules, training recommendations, nutrition guidelines, and emergency contact information. I want to be able to edit and refine each section as we go."

Precision and Fact-Checking Features

What This Feature Does: Prioritizes accuracy over creativity, provides careful fact-checking, and gives conservative responses with appropriate disclaimers.

Available As:

• Gemini: Precise mode

• Perplexity: Academic focus with source citations

• All platforms: Precision-focused prompting techniques

When to Use for Veterinary Applications:

• Verifying industry statistics or research findings

• Checking technical specifications for equipment

• Confirming regulatory requirements or compliance issues

• Validating information before including in client materials

• Double-checking important practice communications

Example Veterinary Prompt: "I need to verify the accuracy of these statistics about heartworm disease prevalence I want to include in a client newsletter. Please fact-check each claim and provide current sources. If any information is outdated or unclear, flag it for me to research further."

Feature Selection Strategy: Matching Capabilities to Veterinary Tasks

For Strategic Business Decisions

Use: Extended reasoning features Why: Complex decisions require systematic analysis of multiple factors Access: Request step-by-step analysis, explicitly ask for reasoning chains

For Client-Facing Communications

Use: Creative and collaborative features Why: Content needs to be engaging and may require multiple revisions Access: Select creative modes, use iterative editing features

For Research and Information Gathering

Use: Deep research features Why: Decisions should be based on comprehensive, current information Access: Enable research modes, request source citations

For Policy and Procedure Development

Use: Collaborative editing combined with extended reasoning Why: Policies need thorough analysis and iterative refinement Access: Use document editing features with analytical prompting

For Fact-Checking and Verification

Use: Precision-focused features Why: Accuracy is critical for professional communications Access: Request conservative analysis, ask for source verification

Activating These Features: Universal Prompting Techniques

Be sure to check how your favorite platform enables these features. Usually it’s a button or dropdown selection.

Since features are accessed differently across platforms, here are universal prompting techniques that work regardless of which tool you're using:

To Trigger Deep Research Mode

• "Research this topic thoroughly and provide multiple sources"

• "I need comprehensive analysis with citations"

• "Give me a detailed overview with source verification"

To Activate Extended Reasoning

• "Work through this step-by-step and show your reasoning"

• "Analyze this decision systematically, considering all factors"

• "Think through this problem methodically before giving recommendations"

To Access Creative Features

• "Generate multiple creative approaches to this challenge"

• "Help me brainstorm engaging ways to present this information"

• "Create content that's both informative and compelling"

To Enable Collaborative Editing

• "Help me develop this document iteratively, starting with a basic structure"

• "I want to refine this content through multiple rounds of editing"

• "Let's build this piece by piece, with opportunities for revision"

To Use Precision Mode

• "Please be very conservative and accurate in your response"

• "Fact-check this information and flag any uncertainties"

• "Give me precise, well-sourced information rather than speculation"

Advanced Prompting Techniques

The Chain-of-Thought Method

For complex problems, ask the LLM to work through its reasoning step by step:

"I need to decide whether to hire a new veterinarian or increase current staff hours. Walk me through your decision-making process step by step: 1) What information do I need to gather? 2) What factors should I consider? 3) How should I weight different priorities? 4) What decision framework would you recommend?"

The Multiple Perspective Technique

"Analyze this practice management decision from three perspectives: financial impact, staff satisfaction, and client service quality. For each perspective, what are the key considerations and potential outcomes?"

The Devil's Advocate Approach

"I'm considering implementing this new technology in my practice. First, give me the best arguments for why this is a good idea. Then, play devil's advocate and tell me why this might be a poor decision. Finally, suggest questions I should ask the vendor."

The Scenario Planning Method

"Help me plan for three scenarios: best case, worst case, and most likely case for implementing extended hours. For each scenario, what should I prepare for and what decisions might I need to make?"

Red Flags: When LLM Output Requires Extra Scrutiny

Watch Out For:

• Overly confident medical statements (remember, use Sofie AI for medical questions)

• Specific dosage recommendations (always verify with veterinary references)

• Legal advice (consult actual lawyers for legal questions)

• Specific financial projections (use as starting points, not final decisions)

• Outdated information (especially relevant for rapidly changing technology topics)

Always Verify When:

• The response includes specific numbers or statistics

• The advice could have legal implications

• The suggestion involves significant financial investment

• The recommendation affects patient care protocols

• The information seems surprisingly definitive about complex topics

Key Insights for Veterinary Practice

🔒 Privacy First: Never compromise client privacy for convenience. When in doubt, don't include it. Create hypothetical scenarios instead of using real case details.

🏥 Use Veterinary-Specific Tools for Medical Questions: LifeLearn's Sofie AI and similar veterinary-specific tools are safer and more accurate for medical queries than general LLMs.

🎯 Be Specific in Your Requests: Vague prompts yield vague results. Include your role, constraints, desired format, and success criteria in every prompt.

🔄 Iterate for Better Results: Your first prompt rarely yields the perfect result. Plan to refine and adjust based on initial outputs.

📊 Request Multiple Options: Ask for several approaches, alternatives, or versions to choose from rather than accepting the first suggestion.

🧐 Verify Important Information: Always fact-check information that affects patient care, legal compliance, or significant business decisions.

🎭 Use Role-Specific Context: Tell the LLM your role (veterinarian, practice manager, veterinary technician) to get more contextually appropriate responses.

⚠️ Recognize Limitations: LLMs can hallucinate false information, may provide outdated data, and can be overly confident in uncertain areas. Always verify critical information, especially specific dosages, statistics, legal requirements, or financial projections. Use them as thinking partners, not as replacements for your professional judgment.

🎓 Invest in Learning: Effective prompting is a skill that improves with practice. Start with simple tasks and gradually tackle more complex applications.

🔍 Choose the Right Feature: Different LLM features have different strengths. Match your task to the capability that handles it best.

📋 Create Reusable Templates: Once you find prompting patterns that work, save them as templates for similar future tasks.

🤝 Combine with Human Judgment: Use LLMs as thinking partners and draft generators, not as replacement for your professional expertise and judgment.

Conclusion

Large language models are powerful tools that can genuinely improve efficiency in veterinary practices when used appropriately and safely. The key is understanding what these tools do well, where they fall short, and how to structure requests to get reliable, useful results.

Remember that effective prompting is a skill that improves with practice. Start with low-stakes applications like email drafts and simple summaries. As you become more comfortable with the tools and develop better prompting techniques, you can gradually expand to more complex applications.

Most importantly, always prioritize client privacy, patient safety, and professional standards. These tools should enhance your professional capabilities, not replace your expertise or compromise your ethical obligations.

The veterinary professionals who learn to use these tools effectively—while respecting their limitations—will find themselves with more time to focus on what matters most: providing exceptional patient care and client service.

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What LLM applications have you found most helpful in your veterinary work? What challenges have you encountered with prompting or results quality? I'd love to hear about your experiences and any specific use cases where you'd like more detailed guidance.