Animal Physical Therapy - CCRP/CCRA

[Joan Stewart]

Hello,

This post is intended for physical therapists who work on rehabilitating animals and are CCRP/CCRA certified.

I am very interested in working with animals, but don't know if I would qualify for vet school. The thought of performing surgery and putting animals to sleep is also very unappealing to me. I am considering taking the DPT route, so I can get CCRP certified (Canine Rehabilitation Certificate Program). I know physical therapy school is a HUGE commitment both time wise and financially. I would like to know, is it possible to make a living as a PT working only on animals? Is the pay the same as working on humans? Any other information or insight from someone in the field would be greatly appreciated!

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[jadedphysiotherapist]

Hello,

This post is intended for physical therapists who work on rehabilitating animals and are CCRP/CCRA certified.

I am very interested in working with animals, but don't know if I would qualify for vet school. The thought of performing surgery and putting animals to sleep is also very unappealing to me. I am considering taking the DPT route, so I can get CCRP certified (Canine Rehabilitation Certificate Program). I know physical therapy school is a HUGE commitment both time wise and financially. I would like to know, is it possible to make a living as a PT working only on animals? Is the pay the same as working on humans? Any other information or insight from someone in the field would be greatly appreciated!

Definitely not enough for fulltime.

With student loans, you have to work with patients and the reimbursement it gives. You can definitely do something with animals on Saturdays once or twice a month though as a side gig.

 

[CPHorseGirl]

So, I just graduated from Cal Poly SLO with a degree in Animal Science. In a few weeks, I will be starting my DPT program. I decided during my undergrad to keep animals as a passion but not base my career off them. Unfortunately, in a lot of states nowadays, you have to have a DVM to work in rehab on animals (AVMA is trying to protect the profession or something along those lines). However, there ARE loop holes where you can work on animals in some states or under a veterinarian as a PT. I think it would be so cool for you to do something that combines PT and animal rehab, but unfortunately there really isn't that large of a market currently (especially with the tough economy). Sorry if this bursts your bubble! It took me 2 and a half year of undergrad to discover I personally could not see myself as a vet (not interested in handling animals who don't want to see me) so I chose PT (I know, I know, I will have a fair amount of patients who don't want to see me but.....). Wishing you the best of luck in your future endeavors!