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Veterinary physiotherapist

Veterinary physiotherapists work with injured animals, or animals with movement problems, to help reduce pain and improve their health.

Annual Salary

£24,000 to £38,000

Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)

Working hours

38 to 42 a week

You could work: on call; as customers demand

3.8%
Future employment

There will be 3.8% more Veterinary physiotherapist jobs in 2027.

Day to day tasks

As an animal physiotherapist, you could:

  • learn about an animal's medical history from its owner, keeper or vet
  • work with animals in recovery after operations or accidents
  • plan exercise programmes
  • use manual and electrotherapy methods to reduce pain and help movement
  • write reports on an animal's rehabilitation progress
  • use massage and hydrotherapy techniques

Working environment

You may need to wear a uniform.

You could work at a veterinary practice, in a therapy clinic, on a farm, at a wildlife park or at a zoo.

Your working environment may be physically demanding.

You can get into this job through:

  • a university course
  • an apprenticeship
  • specialist courses run by private training organisations
University

You'll usually need to study one of the following qualifications:

If you have completed a degree in human physiotherapy, or animal science, you could apply for a place on a postgraduate master's course in animal physiotherapy.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English, maths and science
  • 2 or 3 A levels, or equivalent, including biology for a degree
  • a degree in a relevant subject for postgraduate study
For more information
  • equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
  • student finance for fees and living costs|https://www.gov.uk/student-finance
  • finance for postgraduate courses|https://www.gov.uk/funding-for-postgraduate-study
  • university courses and entry requirements|https://www.ucas.com/
Apprenticeship

You could start your career by doing a Physiotherapist Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship. You could then go on to complete a postgraduate award in veterinary physiotherapy.

This apprenticeship can take around 4 years to complete.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, preferably including biology, for a degree apprenticeship
For more information
  • equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
  • guide to apprenticeships|https://www.gov.uk/apprenticeships-guide
Other routes

You could train in animal massage or animal hydrotherapy, if you do not have a degree but want to work in a related area.

You can get more details about training from the:

More information

Professional and industry bodies

You can join the Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Animal Therapy for professional development and training opportunities.

Further information

You can find out more about becoming a veterinary physiotherapist from the:National Association of Veterinary Physiotherapists; Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Animal Therapy; Institute of Registered Veterinary and Animal Physiotherapists

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With experience, you could become a senior physiotherapist, or a specialist physiotherapist for animal breathing conditions or problems affecting the nervous system.

You could also set up your own animal physiotherapy practice or move into research.

The Institute of Registered Veterinary and Animal Physiotherapists (IRVAP) and the National Association of Veterinary Physiotherapists (NAVP) have information on careers and training in animal physiotherapy.

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Skills required and how your skills match up

What skills are required?

You'll need:

  • sensitivity and understanding
  • to enjoy working with other people
  • customer service skills
  • patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
  • analytical thinking skills
  • to be flexible and open to change
  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • knowledge of medicine and dentistry
  • to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently
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