Will veterinary assistants be replaced by AI?
Updated
Veterinary assistants score 27 of 100 for AI exposure. 63% of their task time still needs a person. AI can do 18% today and speed up another 19%.
- 18% AI can do it
- 19% AI helps
- 63% Needs a person
Low exposure
Lower than 67% of the 923 occupations we scored.
Task by task
We graded 28 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can do 5 of them today, speeds up 5 and leaves 18 to people.
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Perform accounting duties, such as bookkeeping, billing customers for services, or maintaining inventories. Billing, bookkeeping, and inventory tracking are routine software tasks. | 82% AI can do it |
| Write reports, maintain research information, or perform clerical duties. Report writing and clerical records are highly suited to AI drafting. | 80% AI can do it |
| Place orders to restock inventory of hospital or laboratory supplies. Automated reorder systems handle most restocking with light oversight. | 75% AI can do it |
| Record information relating to animal genealogy, feeding schedules, appearance, behavior, or breeding. Record keeping is digital and easily drafted or dictated by AI. | 72% AI can do it |
| Perform office reception duties, such as scheduling appointments or helping customers. Scheduling and client questions are largely handled by software now. | 70% AI can do it |
| Educate or advise clients on animal health care, nutrition, or behavior problems. AI can draft handouts, but live client advice needs staff judgement. | 50% AI helps |
| Fill medication prescriptions. Software can check and label, but dispensing pills is physical. | 45% AI helps |
| Sell pet food or supplies to customers. Online sales are automatable, but in store customer selling stays human. | 40% AI helps |
| Perform routine laboratory tests or diagnostic tests, such as taking or developing x-rays. Analyzers automate tests, but radiograph positioning and sampling are physical. | 30% AI helps |
| Assist veterinarians in examining animals to determine the nature of illnesses or injuries. AI can suggest differentials, but physical exams stay with staff. | 22% AI helps |
Show the other 18 tasks
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Prepare feed for animals according to specific instructions, such as diet lists or schedules. Diet calculations are software friendly, but scooping and mixing is manual. | 18% Needs a person |
| Clean, maintain, and sterilize instruments or equipment. Sterilizers run automatically, but loading and handling stay manual. | 15% Needs a person |
| Examine animals to detect behavioral changes or clinical symptoms that could indicate illness or injury. Clinical observation relies on in person sensing of live animals. | 14% Needs a person |
| Monitor animals recovering from surgery and notify veterinarians of any unusual changes or symptoms. Watching recovering patients in person needs human presence. | 12% Needs a person |
| Prepare examination or treatment rooms by stocking them with appropriate supplies. Stocking rooms is physical work, with some list help from software. | 12% Needs a person |
| Clean and maintain kennels, animal holding areas, examination or operating rooms, or animal loading or unloading facilities to control the spread of disease. Physical cleaning of kennels and rooms needs human labor. | 8% Needs a person |
| Collect laboratory specimens, such as blood, urine, or feces, for testing. Drawing blood and collecting samples needs direct animal handling. | 8% Needs a person |
| Prepare surgical equipment and pass instruments or materials to veterinarians during surgical procedures. Passing instruments during surgery requires sterile, in person teamwork. | 8% Needs a person |
| Administer medication, immunizations, or blood plasma to animals as prescribed by veterinarians. Injections and oral dosing need direct administration by staff. | 6% Needs a person |
| Administer anesthetics during surgery and monitor the effects on animals. Anesthesia monitoring uses devices, but administration needs skilled staff. | 6% Needs a person |
| Hold or restrain animals during veterinary procedures. Restraining animals physically requires direct handling and presence. | 5% Needs a person |
| Provide emergency first aid to sick or injured animals. Emergency first aid is urgent, direct, and time critical. | 5% Needs a person |
| Perform hygiene-related duties, such as clipping animals' claws or cleaning and polishing teeth. Claw trimming and teeth cleaning need direct animal handling. | 5% Needs a person |
| Provide assistance with euthanasia of animals or disposal of corpses. Euthanasia and carcass handling are physical, emotional, and legally sensitive. | 4% Needs a person |
| Perform enemas, catheterizations, ear flushes, intravenous feedings, or gavages. Invasive procedures require skilled hands on live animals. | 4% Needs a person |
| Dust, spray, or bathe animals to control insect pests. Bathing and dusting animals requires direct physical handling. | 4% Needs a person |
| Exercise animals or provide them with companionship. Exercise and companionship require physical, in person presence. | 3% Needs a person |
| Groom, trim, or clip animals' coats. Grooming and clipping require physical handling and tool skill. | 3% Needs a person |
How veterinary assistants compare
All occupations (923)
Healthcare support (19)
Pay and outlook in the US
- Median pay
- $38,150 a year, May 2025
- People employed
- 126,580 in the US, May 2025
- Projected change in jobs
- +9.1% from 2024 to 2034
Skills to build
- Restrain and handle animals safely during veterinary procedures
- Perform gavage and ear flushes under veterinary supervision
- Groom and clip animal coats with clippers and scissors
- Run IDEXX Cornerstone and AVImark for patient records
- Prepare lab samples for technologist examination
- Sterilize surgical instruments and monitor autoclave cycles
Safer roles nearby
5 related occupations with lower scores.
Questions about veterinary assistants and AI
Will AI replace veterinary assistants?
Partly. About 3 in 10 working hours go to tasks AI can already do, mostly billing, bookkeeping, inventory tracking, and clerical report writing. Hands-on care stays with people, since restraining, grooming, and assisting with procedures on live animals needs a person in the room.
Which tasks of veterinary assistants does AI take over?
Billing and bookkeeping lead, with an exposure score of 82. Automated billing, inventory tracking, and reorder systems handle routine records and restocking with light oversight. Reception scheduling, with an exposure score of 70, is largely handled by software now, and feeding and breeding records, with a score of 72, are digital and easily drafted by AI.
Which tasks of veterinary assistants stay human?
Restraining animals, with an exposure score of 5, needs direct handling and presence. Invasive work such as gavage, catheterization, and ear flushes, scoring 4, needs skilled hands on live animals. Grooming and exercising animals, scoring 3, need physical presence and tool skill. Euthanasia assistance and carcass handling, scoring 4, stay with people because they are physical, emotional, and legally sensitive.
How can veterinary assistants stay valuable?
Learn IDEXX Cornerstone and AVImark well enough to run patient records, since software now handles much of the billing and scheduling. Get skilled at restraint and handling, and build competence in oral and topical medication under a veterinarian's supervision. Use Microsoft Excel to track supply levels so you can check automated reorders before stock runs short. Take on lab sample preparation for technologists.
Related jobs
Next steps for veterinary assistants
Check which roles in your team AI can take on
We map your team's tasks, show what AI can do today and build the automations that pay back first.
Related topics
- Jobs AI can't replaceCement masons score lowest, at 8.
- Jobs most at risk from AIProofreaders score highest, at 76.
- High-paying jobs with low AI exposureRadiologists earn a median $420,860 and score 46.
- Entry-level jobs with low AI exposureCement masons need little prior training and score 8.
- Jobs AI speeds up the mostFor natural sciences managers, AI speeds up 96% of task time.
- AI and jobs in Malta15 iGaming roles graded task by task.
- Skills that keep work humanThe skills to build in the jobs AI changes least.
- Jobs A to ZEvery job we publish, by first letter.
- AI exposure by industryAverage scores for 22 occupation groups.
- Write a CV screening software can readHow applicant tracking systems read a CV, and what to change.
- AI for businessesThe tasks to automate first in each team and industry.
- How we score AI exposureThe grading, the weights and every source.