Salary & Benefits for Equine Veterinarians

Equine vets' salaries compare favorably to vets who treat other animals as experience is gained.

As an equine veterinarian diagnosing and treating horses, your entry-level salary will pale in comparison to your counterparts working in other types of practices, including large and companion animals, according to 2008 and 2009 data from both the U.S. Department of Labor and the American Veterinary Medical Association. Never fear, though, the median average salary as an equine vet (regardless of years of experience) is comparable to the median salary for veterinarians in general, irrespective of practice type, according to 2009 AVMA information.

Veterinary Comparison

The nearly 3,800 equine vets in the country (some 2 percent of all doctors of veterinary medicine) earned a median income of $85,000 in 2009, according to the AVMA. This is slightly more than BLS figures reflecting the median salary for all veterinarians for the same time period -- at around $80,000.

Cross-Industry Comparison

If you, as an equine vet, earn this median salary, you'll also make around $50,000 more than the average American worker -- who earned slightly more than $33,000 in 2009, according to the BLS, which based this broad figure off of a median hourly salary of $15.95.

Entry-Level Salary

Though you'll have vet school under your belt, like your counterparts working with other types of animals, you'll get off to somewhat uneven footing; out of all veterinary categories surveyed, entry-level equine vets earned the least -- at around $38,500 annually, according to the AVMA market research data for first-year vets from 2009. This is far lower than companion animal vets (around $71,000) or food/large animal vets (nearly $69,000).

Benefits

Benefits can be a substantial part of your total compensation package as an equine vet, according to University of California Davis School of Veterinary Medicine Graduate salary/compensation study -- which estimates that benefits including pension, health insurance, sick leave and vacation equate to nearly $25,000. This figure is more than what starting equine vets earned at the time this study was conducted (around $23,000 in 2003) -- bringing the total compensation package to nearly $50,000.

References

• Bureau of Labor Statistics: Veterinarians
• BLS: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
• BLS; National Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics; May 2009
• American Veterinary Medical Association; Market Research Statistics; 2010
• AVMA; Market Research Statistics, First Year Employment; 2010
• UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine; Graduate Salary Survey; June 2003