Highest paying Animal Careers

Image by M.H. Kramer

There are several careers in the animal health field that offer compensation in the range of $50, 000 or more per year. While veterinary medicine is commonly recognized as a high paying career path by members of the general public, there are a number of other animal health career options that can offer high salaries. Here are a few animal health options (including veterinary medicine) that offer strong salaries:

Board certified veterinarians earn salaries at the top end of the veterinary salary spectrum, usually averaging more than six figures. To achieve board certification, vets must study for several years after graduating from veterinary school, completing residencies and internships under the supervision of top specialists. After achieving diplomate status in their particular specialty area they are well compensated for having acquired this additional expertise. Top paying specialties include veterinary ophthalmology ($215, 120 median salary in 2009), veterinary nutrition ($202, 368 average salary in 2008), and veterinary surgery ($183, 902 average salary in 2008).

When considering all veterinary salaries (not just those of vets who are board certified), the median annual wage in May of 2010 was $82, 900. The lowest ten percent of all veterinarians earned a salary of less than $50, 480 each year while the highest ten percent of all veterinarians earned a salary of more than $141, 680 each year.

Farrier

Veterinary pharmaceutical sales representatives sell a variety of animal health products through direct marketing to veterinarians (either through field sales or inside sales methods). Sales reps can earn widely varying salaries due to the nature of their compensation (which is usually comprised of a combination of base salary, commission, and bonuses), but most can expect to earn a salary of $59, 122 to $119, 826 per year according to PayScale.com. The veterinary pharmaceutical sales career path is commonly recognized as one of the top earning options in the animal industry.