Animal / Veterinary Physiotherapist
Useful Links
https://www.csp.org.uk/careers-jobs/career-physiotherapy/physiotherapy-degrees
Job profiles
https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/job-profiles/veterinary-physiotherapist
https://www.prospects.ac.uk/job-profiles/animal-physiotherapist
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:
What is an animal/ veterinary physiotherapist?
Animal physiotherapists help animals that have undergone medical and surgical treatment to recover through a process of rehabilitation.
Animal physiotherapists provide specialist treatments for animals that help in reducing pain, increasing the range of movement in limbs and joints and lessening the impact or effects of certain injuries, aiding in their recovery or improving their quality of life.
As an animal physiotherapist you'll cover the treatment of domestic pets, farm animals and exotic pets, though horses, dogs and cats are the most common. Typical procedures include:
assessment
massage
ultrasound
electrotherapy
exercise
owner education and advice.
Taken from prospects / NCS 2024
Types of animal physiotherapy
You may specialise in one area of animal physiotherapy, such as:
hydrotherapy
small animal physiotherapy
large animal physiotherapy
horse and rider.
Most animal physiotherapists are self-employed and decide for themselves whether they want to work across the full spectrum or specialise. Your professional qualification will prepare you equally for work with small or large animals, but you may have to undertake further courses in order to perform specialised procedures.
Taken from Prospects 2024
Qualifications
You can get into this job through:
a university course
an apprenticeship
specialist courses run by private training organisations
University route
You'll usually need to study one of the following qualifications:
a degree in veterinary physiotherapy
a degree in human physiotherapy, approved by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy
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.
The most common routes into the profession are:
completing an undergraduate degree in human physiotherapy, followed by postgraduate training in animal/veterinary physiotherapy
completing an undergraduate degree in veterinary nursing, followed by postgraduate training in animal/veterinary physiotherapy
completing an undergraduate degree in veterinary physiotherapy, currently offered by Harper Adams University and Moreton Morrell College, part of Warwickshire College.
The postgraduate training offered is typically either at MSc or PGDip level.
Apprenticeship route
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.
Taken from prospects / NCS 2024
Work experience
Work experience is essential, not only for securing your first job, but also often for being accepted onto the relevant study programmes. When checking the programme make sure you know if they require you to have prior work experience and how much they're looking for.
For more information on gaining work placement check out our work placement hub :
Employers
Opportunities for in-house animal physiotherapists appear rarely, so many animal physiotherapists choose to be self-employed. If you are thinking about starting your own business, consider taking up a business course to learn about the administrative, legislative and accounting aspects of running a business.
Professional body membership is also essential if you are looking for an in-house opportunity, as these will often be advertised through their websites and newsletters.
Forming and maintaining positive links with your local veterinary surgeries is essential, as animals need be referred by a veterinary surgeon. Veterinary practices are also more likely to pay for your services directly to support their in-patients, if they have a good relationship with you.
Opportunities don't often arise on national job sites, but they usually will on the industry-specific ones: