Animal care technician vs pet care associate

The differences between animal care technicians and pet care associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-3 months to become both an animal care technician and a pet care associate. Additionally, a pet care associate has an average salary of $35,635, which is higher than the $29,617 average annual salary of an animal care technician.

The top three skills for an animal care technician include patients, animal husbandry and pigs. The most important skills for a pet care associate are PET, customer service, and sales floor.

Animal care technician vs pet care associate overview

	Animal Care Technician	Pet Care Associate
Yearly salary	$29,617	$35,635
Hourly rate	$14.24	$17.13
Growth rate	28%	28%
Number of jobs	96,973	84,256
Job satisfaction	4	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 38%
Average age	32	32
Years of experience	3	3

What does an animal care technician do?

An animal care technician is an animal medical professional who is responsible for providing care to animals in the clinical or research setting. Animal care technicians take blood or stool samples from animals and run laboratory tests to determine the cause of an ailment. They often take charge of bathing and grooming animals as well as administer anesthesia before procedures. Animal care technicians are also required to speak to the pet's owners to help them understand the diagnosis and administer medication.

What does a pet care associate do?

Pet care associates, though holding a small position, will find its scope much larger than one would initially expect. This position requires an individual with gentleness, patience, confidence, carefulness, diligence, and a hard-working attitude. Paying out at around $33K per year, those who choose this career will be required to help customers with questions and issues related to small mammals, reptiles, fish, and birds.

Animal care technician vs pet care associate salary

Animal care technicians and pet care associates have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Animal Care Technician	Pet Care Associate
Average salary	$29,617	$35,635
Salary range	Between $21,000 And $40,000	Between $26,000 And $48,000
Highest paying City	South San Francisco, CA	Minneapolis, MN
Highest paying state	Oregon	Oregon
Best paying company	Emory University	Purr'n Pooch
Best paying industry	Health Care	Retail

Differences between animal care technician and pet care associate education

There are a few differences between an animal care technician and a pet care associate in terms of educational background:

	Animal Care Technician	Pet Care Associate
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 38%
Most common major	Biology	Biology
Most common college	New York University	Northwestern University

Animal care technician vs pet care associate demographics

Here are the differences between animal care technicians' and pet care associates' demographics:

	Animal Care Technician	Pet Care Associate
Average age	32	32
Gender ratio	Male, 31.1% Female, 68.9%	Male, 24.8% Female, 75.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.5% Asian, 2.7% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 6.5% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 2.6% White, 67.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	11%	11%

Differences between animal care technician and pet care associate duties and responsibilities

Animal care technician example responsibilities.

Assist in managing shelter for animals and arranging for adoption or euthanasia of confiscate animals.
Train in safety procedures for blood borne pathogens, GLP and GMP certification, and ISO standards.
Familiarize with the strains of various animal species to include rats, mice, gerbils, guinea pigs.
Interview prospective adopting families while counseling on animal welfare and responsibilities of pet owners.
Maintain knowledge of CPR procedures and evacuation procedures.
Assist with minor emergency procedures, perform CPR.

Pet care associate example responsibilities.

Achieve detailed grooming including skin, ear, nail care, coat clips and dental care.
Prepare foods for various animals to include reptiles, snakes, hamsters, and birds etc.
Communicate with customers about events/concerns in which include their pet.
Assist patients in meeting their personal care needs and provide individualized interventions while encouraging patient involvement and promoting independence.
Used touch point and SMS and can quickly adapt to other computer software's.

Animal care technician vs pet care associate skills

Common animal care technician skills

Patients, 10%
Animal Husbandry, 9%
Pigs, 5%
Patient Care, 5%
Animal Handling, 5%
GLP, 4%

Common pet care associate skills

PET, 55%
Customer Service, 21%
Sales Floor, 4%
Quality Care, 3%
Administer Medications, 2%
Fish Tanks, 2%

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Animal Care Technician
Animal Care Technician vs Pet Care Associate

Updated January 8, 2025

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