Abby B. Finding suitable side hustles for vet techs? Unsure what you can do with your veterinary skills? Here are 31 ideas!
If there’s someone I look up to, it would be people who can handle pets and animals well. I was a late bloomer with having good relationships with pets and now have two beautiful cats after learning so much from others – especially from my vet tech friends.
In this article, I’ll be sharing 31 ideas on side hustles for vet techs and recommendations of what you’ll need to start. At the end of the post, you can find more tailored options for making extra income on the side as a vet tech.
*This post may contain affiliate links. This means I may earn a small commission (at no cost to you) if you sign up for a program or make a purchase using my link!
31 Best Side Hustles For Vet Techs
1. Start a mobile pet grooming service
Pet grooming is part of pet care but one that’s paid well – because it’s not really a “need”. If you’re good with pets and don’t mind working with them even as a side job, start a mobile pet grooming service!
By visiting homes of pet owners, you get to know these pets on a more personal level and will make it easier for you to charge higher. People also appreciate your service better since they’re not the one to drive out!
| What do I need to start? | – Tools to provide the service – A vehicle to drive around – Platform to promote your services |
2. Upload pet care content on your own YouTube channel
Are you able to make content for pet care with your current job? If you are able to, consider uploading videos to YouTube.
Although most people think you need to be showing your face on camera as a YouTuber, it’s no longer necessary. You can be equally great by just sharing helpful content for others without recording yourself.
Other than content for pet care, you can also make personal vlogs of your daily life or explore different passions you have e.g. cooking or outdoor activities.
YouTube lets you earn via advertising income, affiliate income, sponsorships and earnings from selling your own products.
Interesting YouTube channels in the veterinary niche:
| What do I need to start? | – A camera to record – Portable microphone for better sound – A video editing software |
Read: What I spent for my vlogging gear in first 6 months
3. Create a podcast for pet lovers
We all know how far people are willing to go for their lovely pets – and how much they’re willing to spend. It’s a common trait we share as pet lovers!
If you want to try something different than making videos for YouTube, start a podcast instead. Although you need to prepare scripts, it’s less of a hassle to record and easier to edit.
You can be creating podcast episodes from as short as 15 minutes to as long as 3 hours – it all depends on what you want to talk about. Just get a good microphone to speak into as well as a headset to listen to your episodes better while editing.
There’s all sorts of ways you can make money with podcasting, including earning from downloads and getting paid by brands for sponsorships.
| What do I need to start? | – Good desk microphone – Set of quality earphones – An audio editing software |
Check out: 40 best podcasts on animals
It can be difficult for most to decide on a niche where they believe they are actually experts of. But as a vet tech, you don’t have to think far!
Just like creating content for a YouTube channel or a podcast, you can be sharing your knowledge of pets by writing for your own blog.
It’s a side hustle I highly recommend for introverts! If you’re unsure how to start blogging the right way, learn how to blog with this course right here.
With time and enough content, your blog should bring you income through advertisements, affiliates, sponsorships and selling your own digital products e.g. courses.
Check out my free article on how to set up a blog from A-Z.
| What do I need to start? | – A WordPress Website – Domain name & hosting – Passion to write for a specific niche |
Read: Why I invested in a blogging coach before doing anything else
5. Earn from promoting affiliate products and services
Affiliate links can be shared in a multitude of ways including on your personal social media accounts. So, if you don’t have the time to start a blog or a YouTube channel yet, share your links on your TikTok, Instagram, Twitter and even Pinterest!
Aside from promoting products and services you personally use, you should make recommendations for pets. People love spending on their pets – especially on Amazon.
You can sign up to affiliate sites like Amazon Associates, CJ affiliate, Clickbank, Share-a-sale and Rakuten Advertising. Create an account, get a link for a suitable product/service based on your audience and share them!
| What do I need to start? | – Affiliate products or services you can promote – Social media account with growing followers |
6. Take professional photos of pets to sell online with stock websites
Photos of pets do really well on stock websites. A lot of people are searching for animal pictures just to use within their content whether its for a blog, for an advertisement or for a website.
Not everyone has the opportunity to meet different kinds of pets in real life or has the time to do so. Since you’re able to, consider learning professional photography and take your own photos to sell!
The animal niche is an evergreen one so you won’t find it difficult to get your photos sold. You’ll just need to spend some time to build your photo collection and get yourself seen.
Stock websites you can join to start:
| What do I need to start? | – A good camera & photography skills – Basic photo editing skills – Consistency to upload photos frequently |
7. Get paid to write for other pet blogs and websites
Instead of writing for your own blog and go through the hassle of building one, you can write content for other blogs/websites and get paid doing so.
It’s always better to have on-hands experience of the topic you’re writing about. In this case, your background as a vet tech makes you credible to write educational content on pets!
Start by taking a course on freelance content writing, creating a profile on Upwork and setting up your first hourly pay rate. You can then start find writing jobs to apply to.
| What do I need to start? | – Writing skills – Good command of English – Promote your freelance writing service |
8. Create and sell online courses for pet care
Pet care is something I’m casually learning as an owner of two cats. Although it’s not something I’m prioritizing for, it’s definitely not easy to learn.
What seems like basic knowledge to you as a vet tech may be new or foreign to others. One side hustle you can explore is to create online courses on pet care for others to purchase.
It’s possible to record your courses from home if you have a pet to show for and sell on online learning platforms I’ve listed below. You get to reach a wider audience and make it more accessible!
The usual price points for a single payment short online course are $30, $47 and $67.
Some sites you can host online courses on:
| What do I need to start? | – A niched course idea – Well thought out module – Tools to record your lessons e.g. screen record, microphone |
Creating courses is too much work for you? Here’s a list of digital products you can make to sell on easy platforms like Etsy. I’ve made a quick guide on how to make these products too!
9. Write an e-book to self-publish with Amazon KDP
Another way you can monetize your knowledge of pets is by selling your own e-book online. You can self-publish your own books with sites like Amazon KDP, Lulu or Book Baby.
Compared to hard-copy books, you can include affiliate links in e-books as an extra source of making side income. When a reader clicks on the link while reading the PDF, they will be directed to the product or service you’re promoting.
Affiliate links is possible even when selling Kindle e-books!
| What do I need to start? | – Book writing skills – Join an online self-publishing platform |
10. Offer freelance online services
If you’re interested in exploring remote opportunities, you can offer freelance services on Upwork or Fiverr. Upwork is geared towards long term projects while Fiverr lets you offer one time services for a fixed fee.
Depending on your IT literacy, you may be able to do simple jobs like creating presentation slides, managing social media or doing virtual assistant work for others. These tasks may seem menial but they’re the kind people don’t want to be focusing on themselves.
You can start small by pricing cheaper and accommodating to clients’ requests so you build your reviews.
Ways to promote your services:
- Fiverr
- Upwork
- PeoplePerHour
- Indeed
- TikTok (because anything can go viral here)
- Build your own website
| What do I need to start? | – Computer literacy skills for a specific task – Your hourly rate charge |
Love using social media and know what works best for your favorite platforms? You can make templates for others to use on these apps!
Canva templates make it easier for content creators, solopreneurs and even digital marketing executives to upload content on regular basis – without spending too much time creating the post.
Aside from social media templates, you can also sell these 18 digital products including presets for websites, photo editing apps or productivity online tools like Notion.
These products are considered digital as there’s no physical item and no shipping is needed for your customers to use it. Etsy allows listing of the digital products where once a customer makes a purchase, they will immediately be prompted to download the digital file.
| What do I need to start? | – A digital product idea – Tools to create the digital product – Platform to sell on |
12. Try coffee making as a part-time café barista
If you’re the kind that loves working in a shop or entertaining customers, you can be a great part-time café barista.
As a head start, take up professional barista classes to see if you like making coffee and latte art. Whether you love making coffee at your workplace at home, coffee making is a super useful skill.
You’ll be able to save a lot of money by making your own coffee everyday, which is equally important as building new income streams!
| What do I need to start? | – Barista training certification – Love for coffee |
Check out: 6 tips and tricks on becoming a barista
13. Become a professional pet-sitter
Pet-sitting is a popular side hustle for those who love pets. But what’s better than getting a real vet tech to pet sit for your animals?
Instead of going for the usual animals, you can specialize in pet-sitting medically fragile pets, exotics and fractious animals. Of course, it narrows your pool of customers but it also allows you to charge higher and put your vet skills to good use.
Depending on the service you’re offering, pet sitters can make $15-20 per visit and bring in at least $200 in a single weekend with just 10 visits.
Services you can include with pet sitting:
- Walking
- Home boarding
- Sleepovers and night care
- Training
- Bring to vet
- Basic grooming & care
- Travel trips
| What do I need to start? | – Good skills with pets e.g. dogs, cats – Tools for the service you want to offer – Socializing to get clients |
14. Get paid as an influencer for brand deals
Another way to make money from social media is to get paid by brands for promoting them. Aside from getting paid for your uploads, you will also get free samples or products for you to use.
I know this because a best friend of mine is an influencer with just over 70,000 followers on Instagram and she already gets more than three big brand deals per month on average.
Even with 10,000 followers or less, you should be able to make money through sponsorships. Start by being genuine about products/services you use, share helpful content about them and get brands to notice you.
| What do I need to start? | – Smart phone to record and share content – Video editing app e.g. CapCut – Photo editing app |
15. Work part-time for a vaccine clinic on weekends
Want to explore something that will look good on your resume? You can work at vaccine clinics on the weekends as a part-timer.
It’s not as tiring your vet job as it usually does not require you to do anything more than giving vaccine jabs. Doing this as a side job should be okay as long as you abide to your non-compete clause at your full-time job (if any).
| What do I need to start? | – Job opening at a vaccine clinic nearby – Sufficient experience to provide jabs |
16. Answer calls remotely for animal poison control hotlines
If you want to get a remote job that also allows you to put your knowledge of animals to great use, consider working for animal poison control hotlines.
People usually call these hotlines when their pet is poisoned e.g. eating chocolates for cats/dogs. Similar emergency also happens from toxin exposure which would leave people confused of what can be done to save their pet.
Aside from being able to work from home, you can choose suitable timing for your shift as the job attends to calls 24/7 day and night.
| What do I need to start? | – Time you’re able to dedicate to shift work – Mobile devices to work with (unless provided) – Customer service skills |
17. Assist on spaying and neutering of pets
Well experienced with spaying and neutering pets? You can get a side job with animal shelters or humane societies that perform high volume spaying/neutering. They need experienced individuals to help with pain relief and to check closely on recovery of pets post-op.
These procedures are usually made free or cheap to incentivize owners to bring their pets. Although that’s the case, you would still be paid for your work!
| What do I need to start? | – Experience with caring for spayed/neutered animals – Job opening near where you live |
18. Become an instructor for future vet techs
Interested in teaching and socializing with others in your industry? Sign up to become a teaching instructor for your juniors and future vet techs.
You’ll need to be able to take time off from your full-time job to attend classes and commit to other responsibilities as an instructor e.g. student assessments.
It’s also best to get into teaching as a side job if you’re well experienced in the field, have great communication skills and able to travel. You may need to visit vets around town!
| What do I need to start? | – Relevant education background – Field work experience – Patience and ability to work with others |
19. Get a part-time sales job for pet product brands
While some people are interested in teaching, others are more passionate about making money and sales. If you’re one of them, try taking up a part-time sales job for a pet product you believe in.
These companies would also be more inclined to hire you as you have relevant background in the field and should be able to explain their products better. Best for extroverts and those with a vehicle to drive around!
| What do I need to start? | – Good understanding of products – Persuasive sales skills – Love for networking |
20. Host fitness classes in your spare time
Are you a fitness lover and prefer spending your free time at the gym? You can become a fitness instructor and make money teaching others your best gym work-out routines.
It doesn’t matter which fitness activity you love, you can earn a good side income by teaching yoga, Pilates and even boxing. Some of these activities can be done outdoors instead of indoor and don’t require use of any equipment to start.
| What do I need to start? | – Fitness module to teach others – Equipment to host classes – Patience to teach |
21. Become a farrier to shoe horses
Being good with animals don’t just mean dogs and cats, it can also include horses. If you love horses and there’s a nearby horse barn where you live, learn how to shoe horses as a farrier.
A side job as a farrier isn’t very demanding and can be done on the weekends. Alternatively, you can sign up to perform essential chores at a horse barn for $10 per hour.
| What do I need to start? | – Skills to shoe horses – Able to work with horses well |
22. Drive others around with Uber or Lyft
Driving can be therapeutic for some after working long hours and attending to all kinds of tasks, you may just want to do something simple. If you’re one of them, driving with Uber or Lyft may be a side hustle you want to explore.
Trading your time for money may not be something you want to do in the long run but it’s a way to make quick side cash. The side income can help you pay for your car!
Aside from driving and dealing with people (again), you can also work with either Amazon Flex or Uber Eats to deliver packages or food.
| What do I need to start? | – A vehicle to drive – Smartphone to receive ride orders |
23. Help people move as a mover
Have a bigger vehicle you can use? You can help others move offices or home as a mover. These kind of jobs are usually paid per trip and you can even charge higher if you’re helping them pack.
There’s a high chance they don’t just need you for a single trip! Also, if you’re helping pet owners, you might just build your connections and get customers to come to the vet you’re working with.
Win-win!
| What do I need to start? | – A commercial vehicle – Part time driver cum mover – Equipment for easy move e.g. trolley, boxes |
24. Specialize as an animal behaviorist
Looking to go further with your veterinary expertise? If you’re willing to study and have the time to get yourself a MSc or doctorate, you can become a clinical animal behaviorist.
These jobs may sound complicated but you’re essentially being paid to consult pet owners on advanced behavior care for their pets and animals. With the right experience, you can make $100 per hour where you’ll only need to spare half a day for consultations (some can be done remotely!).
Of course, these services have higher demand in cities where people are looking for tailored advice.
You can also work yourself up to be a specialist for behavioral vet tech but it requires passing an exam for Behavior VTS and a specialty clinic to work for.
| What do I need to start? | – Relevant certifications to be an animal behaviorist – Good skills with pets and other animals – Job availability and demand in your area |
25. Get your pet to enter competitions
If you own a dog or a cat yourself, you may be able to win prize money from getting them to participate in competitions. This is much more popular for dogs as they’re relatively easier to train compared to cats.
You’ll of course need to train your dogs to perform tricks or activities for them to be able to win. Aside from competitions, you can join exhibitions to showcase your unique pets.
| What do I need to start? | – Own a well-trained pet – Ability to train your pets for competitions – Openings/intakes for you & your pet to join |
26. Work part-time at an animal shelter
Working for an animal shelter may sound like charity work where you’ll not get paid for your contribution. While volunteering is a huge thing for these centers, their full-timers and part-timers are individuals from the field and requires some compensation for their time.
There are various jobs you can sign up with animal shelters (especially if it’s a big one) including licensed veterinary technicians. It will look good on your resume and also helps you advance in the field of veterinary!
| What do I need to start? | – Skills to work with undomesticated animals – Love to work with others in a team – Job opening at an animal shelter nearby |
27. Become a professional dog trainer
If you’re great with dogs and is a dog owner yourself, you can pick up useful skills as a professional dog trainer.
Dog training professionals would need a certification before calling themselves a professional trainer. Look for centers near where you live to get physical classes or choose other methods of delivery including online courses, workshops or apprenticeships.
You can start by training your own dogs then move towards practicing with other dogs before you can teach pet owners on how to train dogs themselves! You may even be able to sell your own online courses on dog training in the future.
| What do I need to start? | – Professional dog training certification – Own a dog you can train yourself – Platform to market your services |
28. Sell pet tools and equipment online
If passive income is something you’re looking for in a side hustle, selling things online is one of it. Of course, you will need to handle the packaging and shipping of products, but your sales will come in at any time of day – even as you’re working your full-time job.
You can decide to sell pet tools and easy equipment for the average pet owners. Some things I personally purchase online for my cats are bedding, shampoo, cat toys, nail clippers, custom collars and cones.
Instead of selling on social media, create a simple Shopify site to get things rolling!
| What do I need to start? | – A website or platform to sell on – Digital marketing skills to get your products seen – Ability to source products for cheap and space to store |
29. Start a massage therapy service for dogs
Love giving massages? You might be a great masseuse for canine dogs or horses. While it’s great to specialize for a single species, some massage therapists work with all kinds of animals.
Although most therapists massage animals as a part-time job, you still need some certification as proof of training (no specific degree required). The role is important for zoos, pet stores, grooming salons and even your neighborhood veterinary clinic.
There are centers that provide training specifically for animal massage therapy.
| What do I need to start? | – Pet massaging skills – Platform to market your services |
Check out: The job role of an animal massage therapist
30. Plan parties for pets
If you’re all about planning parties for family and friends, you’ll love a side hustle that gets you paid for planning parties for pets!
With the rise of childfree marriages, more people are adopting cats and dogs instead. They love their pets equally as much and would spend a good amount of money to celebrate their pets’ birthdays.
This is a perfect side hustle for vet techs especially on weekends where you’re not working your full-time job. Here’s an example of a dog party planner on Instagram!
| What do I need to start? | – Party planning skills and attention to details – Tools and equipment for easy setups – Platform to promote your services |
31. Make designs to sell on print on demand merchandise
If you’re interested in selling the pet supplies but unsure if you can commit, another ecommerce business you can explore even with a super busy schedule is print on demand. Here’s seven reasons why POD may work for you!
The only thing you need to commit to is making designs for your merchandise. You can use simple tools like Canva or Kittl then upload the designs on merchandise you want to sell e.g. leggings, laptop cases and pet products.
Even if you don’t know how to create your own website to sell on, you are able to sell POD merchandise on Etsy using Printify and Printful. Alternatively, you can purchase ready designs on marketplaces like Envato Elements or Creative Fabrica.
| What do I need to start? | – Basic designing skills – A laptop to work with – An initial niche and product |
Can’t decide what product to design and sell? Check out my product guides before deciding!
- Tote bags for print on demand
- Tumblers for print on demand
- Phone cases for print on demand
- Posters for print on demand
- Leggings for print on demand
- Jewelry for print on demand
- Candles for print on demand
- Doormats for print on demand
- Hoodies for print on demand
- Pet products for print on demand
- Socks for print on demand
- Pajamas for print on demand
- Blankets for print on demand
- Baby clothes for print on demand
- Wrapping paper for print on demand
- Puzzles for print on demand
- Stickers for print on demand
- Athletic wear for print on demand
- Hats for print on demand
- Journals for print on demand
- Greeting cards for print on demand
- Mugs for print on demand
11 Passive Income For Veterinarians
Here are 11 ideas on passive income for veterinarians:
- Create videos for YouTube
- Start a Patreon channel for pet guides
- Become a blogger for your own blog
- Create digital products to sell on Etsy
- Try dropshipping with Shopify
- Sell your own merchandise with print on demand
- Share affiliate links on social media
- Earn from property rentals
- Place advertisements on your car
- Sell digital courses on pet care
- Start selling stock photos of pets online
9 Free Side Hustles For Vet Techs
Here are 9 free side hustles for vet techs:
- Freelance content writing
- Blogging for pet niche
- Designing free Canva templates to sell
- Starting a personal YouTube channel
- Teach others via recorded online courses
- Sell designed merchandise with print on demand
- Reselling stuffs you no longer use for extra cash
- Host paid fitness or yoga classes
- Do chores at a horse barn
11 Online Side Hustles For Vet Techs
Here are 11 online side hustles for vet techs:
- Teach others how to pet train online
- Become a YouTuber for a personal channel
- Start a podcast for pet lovers
- Sell designed pet products with print on demand
- Write animal care content as a freelancer
- Build a personal brand for pet care on TikTok
- Sell digital products on Etsy
- Create an educational e-book to sell on Amazon KDP
- Take pictures of pets to sell as stock photos online
- Complete online surveys on the go
- Offer freelance services on Upwork or Fiverr
How To Make More Money As A Vet Tech
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how you can make more money as a vet tech:
- Determine if you’re looking to progress in the field of vet tech or if you’re looking for a different side hustle
- Assess how much time you have to spare for a side hustle
- Decide on the type of side job you want to explore – will it be physically draining and time intensive?
- Choose the easiest side hustle you can get into with what you have today
- Try the role for at least three months before trying something else
- Start by asking for a lower pay than the market rate just so people give you a chance
- Build your portfolio for the role whether it’s on LinkedIn or Instagram
- Promote your service or your brand using the platform
- Jump to another side job if you don’t think what you’re currently doing is for you
- Allow yourself to experiment!
Which Side Hustle Should I Choose?
Unsure which side hustles for vet techs you should go for? Here are the top 6 things to consider when deciding which is best for you.
- How much time can you commit to it?
- Consider how much time you can set aside for your side hustle for weekdays and weekends
- What type of income are you looking for?
- Do you want to make income actively or passively while you sleep?
- What sparks interest & passion in you?
- Choose a side hustle that aligns to your personal goals and interests as it keeps you motivated
- Are you an extrovert or an introvert?
- Different side hustles requires different level of communication with the outside world, are you comfortable meeting new people every day?
- What is your current partner or friend up to that you can leverage on?
- Doing something with a friend or partner makes things easier and more manageable
- How soon do you need to make extra money?
- Not all side hustles make the same amount of money in the same pace, do you need money today or in a year’s time?
Bottom Line
It can be really tiring to juggle between a demanding full-time job and a new side hustle. Although taking things slow is the way to go, you should never let your goals slip away.
Spare at least an hour each day to explore this new side hustle you’re embarking on. Make step-by-step plans and stick to them!
I always encourage my readers to build passive income streams aside from having a stable full-time job.
Here are 31 best side hustles for vet techs:
- Start a mobile pet grooming service
- Upload pet care content on your own YouTube channel
- Create a podcast for pet lovers
- Share your knowledge with a blog for pets
- Earn from promoting affiliate products and services
- Take professional photos of pets to sell online with stock websites
- Get paid to write for other blogs and websites
- Create and sell online courses for pet care
- Write an e-book to self-publish with Amazon KDP
- Offer freelance online services
- Create social media templates to sell on Etsy
- Try coffee making as a part-time café barista
- Become a professional pet-sitter
- Get paid as an influencer for brand deals
- Work part-time for a vaccine clinic on weekends
- Answer calls remotely for animal poison control hotlines
- Assist on spaying and neutering of pets
- Become an instructor for future vet techs
- Get a part-time sales job for pet product brands
- Host fitness classes in your spare time
- Become a farrier to shoe horses
- Drive others around with Uber or Lyft
- Help people move as a mover
- Specialize as an animal behaviorist
- Get your pet to enter competitions
- Work part-time at an animal shelter
- Become a professional dog trainer
- Sell pet tools and equipment online
- Start a massage therapy service for dogs
- Plan parties for pets
- Make designs to sell on print on demand merchandise
I’m not one to brag, but blogging has changed my life. I’ve been able to earn an income passively while on a coffee date and traveling with my family. With everything, it takes time to learn and not an overnight success – to speed things up, get yourself a blogging coach before starting.
These are my blogging resources to help you out:
- Step-by-step guide how to start blogging in your free time
- Why you need a blogging coach right from the start
- Worried of exposing yourself? You can blog anonymously
Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko
