Also called: APHIS Animal Care Inspector, Veterinary Medical Officer (Animal Care)
Inspects zoos, dog breeders, circuses, and research labs to make sure animals are treated as federal law requires.
Animal care inspectors arrive unannounced at a puppy breeding kennel or roadside zoo, check cages, food, and vet records, and write up violations. Some are veterinarians; others are animal health technicians.
Federal pay; veterinarians earn the most. Estimate.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's in animal science or biology; veterinary medical officers need a DVM.
Ways in: 4-year college, Professional school. Training cost: Over $150k.
Majors to look at: Animal Science, Biology, Veterinary Technology.
Growing about average. Small federal workforce.
Low risk for 10 years. AI helps with records; unannounced visits to kennels, zoos and labs stay hands-on.
Classes: AP Biology, Animal science, Chemistry.
Official data: O*NET occupation 45-2011.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.