Vet Tech Appreciation Week, officially National Veterinary Technician Week, is the week each October when clinics, hospitals and pet owners thank the veterinary technicians who keep the clinic running. It falls in the third week of October and runs Sunday to Saturday. Start with the dates, then pick the ideas that fit you, whether you run the clinic or just bring your dog to it.
When is Vet Tech Appreciation Week?
NAVTA, the association behind the week, has set aside the third week of October for it since 1993. Each year it publishes the exact Sunday-to-Saturday dates. These are the dates NAVTA has posted so far:
Year | National Veterinary Technician Week |
|---|---|
2026 | Sunday, October 18 to Saturday, October 24 |
2027 | Sunday, October 17 to Saturday, October 23 |
2028 | Sunday, October 15 to Saturday, October 21 |
One catch if you plan ahead with a calendar: "third week" doesn't always mean the week that starts on the third Sunday. In 2024 the week ran October 13 to 19, which started on the second Sunday of the month. So check NAVTA's page before you book the caterer.
NAVTA also picks a theme every year and a hashtag for clinics to use in their posts (for 2026, #NVTW2026). The 2026 theme was "Credentialed Veterinary Technicians: Endless Compassion, Expert Care; Celebrating the Soul of Veterinary Medicine."
Vet Tech Week history
The week is organized by the National Association of Veterinary Technicians in America (NAVTA). It exists to recognize credentialed veterinary technicians and to help the public understand what they do.
NAVTA supports the week with a downloadable media kit and a yearly poster on its National Veterinary Technician Week page, plus contests, member stories and social features during the week. Hill's Pet Nutrition is listed as the week's exclusive sponsor. Clinics hosting their own celebration can also ask NAVTA to feature it.
Why vet techs get a whole week
Human medicine splits patient care across a crowd of specialists. In a veterinary clinic, a lot of that lands on one person. AAHA lists the roles veterinary technicians fill: nursing, radiology, anesthesia, surgical assisting, lab work, pharmacy and patient advocacy. Their two- or four-year degree is a lot like a human nurse's, except they learn to care for several species instead of one.
Some go further and earn a specialist credential: NAVTA's affiliated academies award the Veterinary Technician Specialist (VTS) title in areas such as emergency and critical care or anesthesia and analgesia. The week is also a good moment to thank the rest of the support team, including the assistants and the vet nurses in countries that use that title.
Share this video on your social media and wish a Happy Vet Tech Appreciation Week to all the vet techs you know!
How clinics can celebrate their vet techs
A pizza lunch is nice. It is also what a lot of clinics do, and techs notice when the thank-you is the same box every year. A few ideas that land better:
- Spotlight one tech a day. Post a short profile on the clinic's social pages with a photo, their favorite patient type and one thing clients don't know they do. It also does NAVTA's other job for you: showing the public what techs actually do.
- Pay for learning. Sponsor a seminar, a workshop or CE (continuing education) hours. The tech grows, and the practice gets the skills back.
- Make the meal a real break. If you do a team lunch, schedule it so techs can sit down and eat while someone else covers the floor.
- Give gear with their name on it. A personalized item shows you know who they are. Our bulk order page covers discounts for whole-team orders.
- Start peer shout-outs. A board or a channel where staff thank each other for specific saves and good catches.
- Ask what they want. Some techs would rather have a flexible shift or a paid CE day than another mug.
Spread the ideas across the seven days so the thank-you doesn't all land on Friday.
Then keep some of it going after October: regular check-ins, a standing CE budget, and flexible scheduling when someone is running on empty. If your team is stretched thin, our guide to burnout and compassion fatigue is a good place to start.
How pet owners can thank a vet tech
You don't need a budget to make a tech's week. AAHA's suggestions for clients are simple:
- Write a short note or card about one specific moment: the tech who held your cat for her blood draw, or who called to check on your dog after surgery.
- Leave a review that names them. Public praise lifts the whole clinic, and using their title shows you know what they do.
- Bring something small for the team, like snacks or coffee. Not sure what they'd like? Ask the practice manager.
- Make their day easier. Arrive a few minutes early, follow the pre-visit instructions, and be kind to everyone at the desk.
- Like and share your clinic's Vet Tech Week posts so your friends see who looks after their pets.
Vet Tech Week gift ideas they will actually use
These picks come from I Love Veterinary's best-selling vet tech designs, ranked by our own order data for the last 18 months. They're everyday things a tech can wear on shift or use at work. For a longer list, see our unique gifts for vet techs.
Something to wear
Personalized Vet Tech Pawprint zip hoodie. Our best-selling product over the last 18 months, and it fits the week's message. The back is a paw print built from the jobs a tech does in a day: lab tech, X-ray tech, pharmacist, anesthesiologist, phlebotomist, hug giver and "eye boogie picker." The front carries the tech's own name. It's a cotton-poly fleece with a metal zipper and front pockets, warm enough for a cold treatment room. You do need the right name and size, so it's easier for a manager to order than for a client to surprise someone with.
Vintage Vet Tech crewneck sweatshirt. A dictionary-style design: a vet tech "knows more than he/she says and notices more than you realize." Any tech who has spotted a dropping heart rate before anyone else will get it. There's no name on it, so it's easy to order for a whole team, but it's less personal than the hoodie.
For the desk, the car and the break room
Vet Tech's Last Nerve candle. A soy candle with the label "Vet Tech's Last Nerve. Look... it is on fire!" Insider humor that gets a laugh at the gift table, then gets lit at home after a double. Best for a tech with a dark sense of humor about the job; for a client's thank-you or a new hire, the cards below are the safer pick.
Never Forget Why You Started travel mug. A large stainless steel travel mug with a handle and a spill-proof lid that fits most car cup holders. Good for the early shift, with a quiet reminder on the side for the long ones. It's hand-wash only, so it won't survive the clinic dishwasher.
Vet Tech Paw Print hardcover notebook. The same paw-print design as the hoodie on a hardcover notebook, in several colors. Useful for vet tech students, CE notes or anyone studying for a specialty. It suits the tech who still writes things down; a phone-notes person may not use it.
Bags for everything they carry
Fur, Slobber & Scratches drawstring bag. "Covered in fur, slobber & scratches, just another day at the office." A cotton drawstring bag for spare scrubs, shoes and lunch. Light and easy to grab, but heavy textbooks belong somewhere sturdier.
Successful Vet, Exhausted Vet Tech tote. "Behind every successful veterinarian is an exhausted vet tech." A cotton tote that says what a lot of techs are thinking. Funniest when the veterinarian is the one giving it; from a client it can read as a dig at the vet.
Cards and small extras
Happy Vet Tech Week thank-you cards. A set of 10 flat 5x7 cards that read "Happy Vet Tech Week, thank you for all you do!", with a blank back for your own note and white envelopes included. One set covers a whole team, and it's the easiest way for a client to do what AAHA suggests: write down a specific moment.
I'm a Vet Tech Because Veterinarians Need Superheroes Too stickers. Bubble-free stickers for a water bottle, laptop or locker. A small add-on to tuck inside a card rather than a gift on its own.
You'll find more ideas in our Vet Tech Week collection.
Vet Tech Week unofficial anthem
Every week like this needs a song, and ours is by Kelsey Beth Carpenter, an RVT (registered veterinary technician) and songwriter. She posted "Happy National Veterinary Technician Week (a song)" in October 2015. It starts from the line every tech has heard from a client, that the job must be playing with puppies all day, and you can guess where it goes from there. Listen here:
Download our Vet Tech Week cover photo
Want something for the clinic's page? Download the full-size National Veterinary Technician Week cover photo and use it on your social media to show your vet techs some appreciation.
To every vet tech reading this: thank you. Happy Vet Tech Appreciation Week!
Sources
- NAVTA: National Veterinary Technician Week
- NAVTA: Celebrating 30 Years of National Veterinary Technician Week 2023
- AAHA: National Veterinary Technician Week, Showing Appreciation to Veterinary Teams
- Penn Foster: Celebrating Vet Techs, Ideas for National Vet Tech Week and Beyond
- The Animal Medical Center: National Veterinary Technician Week 2026, Every Tech Is an Expert
- I Love Veterinary store order data, last 18 months (gift picks)
- Kelsey Beth Carpenter: Happy National Veterinary Technician Week (a song), YouTube
