A board-certified veterinarian who diagnoses and treats skin, ear, coat and allergic disease in pets, horses and other animals, usually on referral from a general practice vet. BLS does not publish separate figures for veterinarians; it counts them within veterinarian (SOC 29-1131), whose median pay is $130,100 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Typical entry-level education: Doctoral or professional degree.
- SOC 29-1131
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Veterinary Dermatologist in four numbers
- Median pay
- $130,100a year, or $62.55/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $74KTop 10% $216K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +9.4%Much faster than averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+9.4%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +9.4% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 3,10091,100 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 202591.1K
- Projected 203599.6K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 91.1K Projected 2035 99.6K - Typical education
- Doctorateneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
- Professional degree9.1%
- Doctorate79.2%
- Post-doctoral training11.7%
Highest education held by veterinarians Segment Value Professional degree 9.1% Doctorate 79.2% Post-doctoral training 11.7%
Also advertised as: Board-Certified Veterinary Dermatologist, Diplomate ACVD, Veterinary Allergist, Small Animal Dermatologist.
Pay
How much do Veterinarians make?
Every veterinary dermatologist in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$130,100
Middle half earn $101,460 to $166,120
- 10th
- $73,920
- 25th
- $101,460
- 75th
- $166,120
- 90th
- $215,700
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $73,920 |
| 25th | $101,460 |
| Median | $130,100 |
| 75th | $166,120 |
| 90th | $215,700 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $130,100
- Median hourly wage
- $62.55/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $142,680
- People employed
- 83,900
Versus all US occupations
At $130,100, Veterinarians earn 155% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $79,120 a year.
Versus healthcare practitioners and technical occupations
Inside the Healthcare Practitioners and Technical group, where the middle occupation pays $102,760, this is 27% above the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $215,700 or more while the bottom 10% earn $73,920, a gap of 2.9×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 87% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Cost of living
California posts the highest raw median ($163,920), but once local prices are taken into account Maryland leads at $155,461 in national-average dollars.
Pay by state
Which states pay Veterinarians the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1California | $163,920 | $148,049 | 9,170 |
| 2Maryland | $163,170 | $155,461 | 1,430 |
| 3Washington | $160,510 | $149,991 | 2,390 |
| 4New Jersey | $160,140 | $147,181 | 1,910 |
| 5Arizona | $152,020 | $150,998 | 2,080 |
| 6Massachusetts | $140,260 | $132,625 | 1,920 |
| 7District of Columbia | $134,530 | $122,410 | 190 |
| 8Illinois | $133,580 | $133,636 | 2,330 |
| 9Pennsylvania | $133,520 | $136,843 | 3,490 |
| 10Minnesota | $133,110 | $134,971 | 2,140 |
Job outlook
Is Veterinary Dermatologist a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
Much faster than average. +9.4% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Veterinarians | +9.4% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
Much faster than average
BLS projects employment of Veterinarians to change 9.4% over 2025–2035, roughly 2.7× the 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 8,600 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 3,100 openings are projected each year, 3.4% of the 91,100 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become a Veterinary Dermatologist
The path starts with a four-year Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM or VMD) degree from an AVMA-accredited college and a state veterinary license. Most candidates then complete a one-year rotating internship, followed by a residency in veterinary dermatology approved by the American College of Veterinary Dermatology (ACVD), which typically runs two to three years under the supervision of board-certified dermatologists.
During residency, candidates manage a referral caseload, complete required publications and credentials, and then sit the ACVD certifying examination. Passing it earns the title of Diplomate of the ACVD. Residencies are competitive, so applicants usually build a record of strong internship performance, letters from specialists, and some research or case-report writing before applying.
- 1
Typical entry-level education
Doctoral or professional degree
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
None
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Considerable preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as veterinarians.
- Doctoral Degree79.2%
- Post-Doctoral Training11.7%
- First Professional Degree9.1%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Doctoral Degree | 79.2% |
| Post-Doctoral Training | 11.7% |
| First Professional Degree | 9.1% |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
The work
What does a Veterinary Dermatologist do?
Veterinary dermatologists see the cases general practitioners cannot resolve: the dog that has scratched for years, the cat with chronic ear infections, the horse with hives every summer. They take detailed histories, run skin scrapings, cytology, fungal cultures and biopsies, and perform intradermal allergy testing to pin down environmental triggers.
Much of the work is managing allergic skin disease over the long term. Dermatologists formulate allergen-specific immunotherapy, design food elimination trials, treat resistant bacterial infections, and perform video otoscopy to clean and treat deep ear canals under anesthesia. They also diagnose autoimmune and hormonal diseases that show up first in the skin, and they spend a lot of time explaining multi-step treatment plans to owners whose patience is wearing thin.
Day-to-day tasks
- Perform intradermal allergy testing and interpret serum allergy panels
- Formulate allergen-specific immunotherapy for dogs, cats and horses
- Collect skin scrapings, cytology, cultures and biopsies to diagnose skin disease
- Perform video otoscopy and deep ear flushing under anesthesia
- Design and monitor food elimination trials for suspected food allergy
- Treat antibiotic-resistant skin and ear infections
- Diagnose autoimmune and endocrine diseases that present in the skin
- Write referral reports and advise primary care veterinarians
Typical tasks, researched by NueCareer from the sources below.
Working conditions and hours
Most veterinary dermatologists work in private specialty and emergency referral hospitals, with others at university teaching hospitals or in pharmaceutical and pet food research. The schedule is largely appointment-based on weekdays, with few overnight emergencies compared with other specialties. The work is hands-on but not physically demanding, and it involves a large share of client communication.
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayIndoors, in a climate-controlled space, every day.
Outdoors in all weather
NeverEvery day
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeStanding
NeverAlmost all the timeBending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the time
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantConstant contact with other people.
Face-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayFace-to-face discussions every day.
Dealing with the public
Not importantExtremely importantDealing with customers or the public is very important.
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayMeeting strict deadlines at least weekly.
Conflict situations
NeverEvery dayHandling conflict situations at least monthly.
Cost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely seriousMistakes carry very serious consequences.
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lotA lot of freedom to make decisions without checking first.
Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Reading Comprehension4.1
- Active Listening4.1
- Active Learning4.0
- Speaking3.9
- Science3.9
- Critical Thinking3.9
- Writing3.5
- Monitoring3.3
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | 4.1 |
| Active Listening | 4.1 |
| Active Learning | 4.0 |
| Speaking | 3.9 |
| Science | 3.9 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.9 |
| Writing | 3.5 |
| Monitoring | 3.3 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Complex Problem Solving3.9
- Judgment and Decision Making3.9
- Service Orientation3.4
- Social Perceptiveness3.3
- Time Management3.3
- Coordination3.1
- Instructing3.0
- Systems Evaluation3.0
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.9 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.9 |
| Service Orientation | 3.4 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.3 |
| Time Management | 3.3 |
| Coordination | 3.1 |
| Instructing | 3.0 |
| Systems Evaluation | 3.0 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Data base user interface and query software · in demand
- Document management software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Internet browser software
- Medical software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits a Veterinary Dermatologist?
NueCareer estimate (Holland code IRS) built on O*NET's Veterinarian profile, scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Veterinary Dermatologist |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 6 |
| Investigative | 6 |
| Artistic | 1 |
| Social | 4 |
| Enterprising | 2 |
| Conventional | 3 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data, combined with hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors.
- Investigative6.0
- Realistic6.0
- Social3.9
- Conventional3.5
- Enterprising1.7
- Artistic1.0
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
Careers related to Veterinary Dermatologist
O*NET related occupations
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Healthcare Support
Veterinary Assistant and Laboratory Animal Caretaker
$38,150median a year
Most earn $30K to $49K
+9.1%High school - Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
More healthcare practitioners and technical careers
Median annual pay, with veterinarians highlighted
- Anesthesiologist$391,490
- Physician Assistant$135,880
- Nurse Practitioner$132,300
- Veterinary Dermatologist$130,100
- Physical Therapist$102,760
- Dental Hygienist$98,100
- Diagnostic Medical Sonographer$96,590
- Radiologic Technologist and Technician$80,110
- Surgical Technologist$64,650
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Anesthesiologist | $391,490 |
| Physician Assistant | $135,880 |
| Nurse Practitioner | $132,300 |
| Veterinary Dermatologist | $130,100 |
| Physical Therapist | $102,760 |
| Dental Hygienist | $98,100 |
| Diagnostic Medical Sonographer | $96,590 |
| Radiologic Technologist and Technician | $80,110 |
| Surgical Technologist | $64,650 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Veterinary Dermatologist appears on
Questions
Veterinary Dermatologist: frequently asked questions
How much do Veterinarians make?
BLS does not publish a separate wage for veterinarians. It counts them within veterinarian, whose median pay is $130,100 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of that occupation earn between $101,460 and $166,120, and the top 10% earn $215,700 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Veterinary Dermatologist?
Yes, and beyond a bachelor's: BLS lists a doctoral or professional degree as the typical entry requirement for Veterinarians. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 79.2% hold doctoral degree.
Is Veterinary Dermatologist a growing career?
Yes, strongly. Employment is projected to grow 9.4% over 2025–2035, more than double the 3.5% projected for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 3,100 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Veterinary Dermatologist do?
Veterinary dermatologists see the cases general practitioners cannot resolve: the dog that has scratched for years, the cat with chronic ear infections, the horse with hives every summer. A typical task: perform intradermal allergy testing and interpret serum allergy panels. Employers most often ask for Data base user interface and query software, Document management software, Electronic mail software.
Which states pay Veterinarians the most?
The highest state medians for Veterinarians are California ($163,920), Maryland ($163,170), Washington ($160,510) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, Maryland moves to the top at $155,461.
What personality type suits a Veterinary Dermatologist?
O*NET scores Veterinarians highest on the Investigative, Realistic and Social interest areas, so the work mixes investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data with hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ISTJ, ISTP. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.