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Kennel technician vs animal care technician

The differences between kennel technicians and animal care technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an animal care technician has an average salary of $29,617, which is higher than the $26,664 average annual salary of a kennel technician.

The top three skills for a kennel technician include PET, facility laundry and administer medications. The most important skills for an animal care technician are patients, animal husbandry, and pigs.

Kennel technician vs animal care technician overview

Kennel TechnicianAnimal Care Technician
Yearly salary$26,664$29,617
Hourly rate$12.82$14.24
Growth rate19%28%
Number of jobs30,12396,973
Job satisfaction-4
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 39%Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Average age2932
Years of experience-3

What does a kennel technician do?

Kennel technicians are employees who work in animal boarding houses, veterinary clinics, and shelters. Primarily, they take care of and maintain animals living in a kennel. They are responsible for the upkeep of animals under their supervision and ensure they are healthy, happy, and clean. Often, they work with cats and dogs, although they may also care for other domestic animals. They should have skills in handling animals, sanitation, cleaning, friendly office help, and primary animal care.

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.

Kennel technician vs animal care technician salary

Kennel technicians and animal care technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Kennel TechnicianAnimal Care Technician
Average salary$26,664$29,617
Salary rangeBetween $20,000 And $35,000Between $21,000 And $40,000
Highest paying CityAnchorage, AKSouth San Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateNorth DakotaOregon
Best paying companyVetCorEmory University
Best paying industryGovernmentHealth Care

Differences between kennel technician and animal care technician education

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

Kennel TechnicianAnimal Care Technician
Most common degreeHigh School Diploma, 39%Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Most common majorMedical Assisting ServicesBiology
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityNew York University

Kennel technician vs animal care technician demographics

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

Kennel TechnicianAnimal Care Technician
Average age2932
Gender ratioMale, 24.0% Female, 76.0%Male, 31.1% Female, 68.9%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 2.7% Unknown, 6.8% Hispanic or Latino, 17.9% Asian, 3.2% White, 69.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%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%
LGBT Percentage10%11%

Differences between kennel technician and animal care technician duties and responsibilities

Kennel technician example responsibilities.

  • Manage, and safely operate the MWD explosive program.
  • Place iv catheters in dogs and cats.
  • Maintain and update website and FaceBook page.
  • Restrain animals for various procedures such as blood draws and catheter placement.
  • Operate autoclaves for the sterilization of clean supplies as well as potentially infectious waste for disposal.
  • Perform animal grooming duties such as washing, and brushing coats, trimming nails, and cleaning ears.
  • Show more

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.
  • Show more

Kennel technician vs animal care technician skills

Common kennel technician skills
  • PET, 27%
  • Facility Laundry, 10%
  • Administer Medications, 10%
  • Scheduling Appointments, 5%
  • Animal Handling, 4%
  • Front Desk, 4%
Common animal care technician skills
  • Patients, 10%
  • Animal Husbandry, 9%
  • Pigs, 5%
  • Patient Care, 5%
  • Animal Handling, 5%
  • GLP, 4%

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