Animal

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 £48,000

Working hours

38 to 40 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.
In your local area

What's it all about?

Day-to-day tasks

On a day-to-day basis you could:

  • attend clinics to see animals in need of physiotherapy after operations or an accident
  • visit animals in zoos, farms and homes
  • talk to owners and keepers to take the animal's case history
  • plan exercise programmes
  • use manual and electro-therapy methods to reduce pain and help with movement
  • apply massage and hydrotherapy techniques
  • give advice on changes to animals' environments
  • write reports on the animal's progress

Working environment

You may need to wear a uniform.

You could work at a veterinary practice or at a university.

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 need one of the following qualifications:

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
Apprenticeship

You could start by doing a physiotherapist degree apprenticeship. You could go on to complete a postgraduate award in veterinary physiotherapy.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, preferably including biology, for a degree apprenticeship
For more information
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 Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Animal Therapy; National Association of Veterinary Physiotherapists; The Institute of Registered Veterinary and Animal Physiotherapists

With experience, you could become a senior physiotherapist, or a specialist physiotherapist for 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.

Skills required and how your skills match up

What skills are required?

  • 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
  • counselling skills including active listening and a non-judgemental approach
  • to be flexible and open to change
  • knowledge of psychology
  • knowledge of teaching and the ability to design courses
  • to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently
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