"To be honest, I never thought I would pursue practice in integrative medicine. In vet school, I was skeptical of acupuncture. It wasn’t until I started practicing small animal medicine where my interest was piqued. I have been lucky enough to work beside Dr Jean Pitcairn and saw the benefits of acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine first hand. With her support, I sought out an acupuncture certification program and CIVT was a great fit. The graduate diploma course provided me with all of the information I needed to be successful in my practice in a way that was easy to digest. Despite being entirely online, the plethora of videos and live sessions with my tutor made learning the material seamless. Dr Jodi Van Tine was amazing as a tutor and was always available to help, so I never felt lost or confused throughout the course. I am so grateful for CIVT and the now expanded care options I am able to offer my clients and patients. Practicing acupuncture with Western veterinary medicine has opened up a world of possibilities for my patients. Thank you, CIVT!"

Dr Amanda Gonneville

United States of America

"The Medical Cannabis course undertaken by CIVT provided an excellent insight into our management and understanding of the use of Cannabis in veterinary medicine. The module summaries were clear and concise providing the vital information needed to support our journey moving forward in this evolving area of medicine. There was an extensive amount of evidence based research (expanding the brain to new dimensions of learning!) that clarified and explained such an incredible topic.

I would recommend this course to every veterinarian, it is so important that we educate ourselves in this field. Veterinarians need to be involved, we need to be able to understand many facets around the use of medical cannabis in animals such as the benefits, animal welfare issues, legal regulations, quality control and being able to answer/educate our clients. This course provides this information allowing us as veterinarians to be able to support our patients and clients from an informed platform."

Dr Jacqui Snell

New Zealand

The Medical Cannabis and Veterinary Medicine course through CIVT has been incredibly eye opening and informative! Prior to this course I knew very little about the vast medical uses found within the lesser discussed parts of the cannabis plant such as terpenes and non-psychotropic THC agonists. As research continues to uncover these benefits for our animal patients, I'm optimistic that we will find their use in treatment plans to become much more commonplace. This course was extremely helpful in broadening my understanding of CBD benefits and its place in veterinary medicine as a valid therapeutic agent. 

Stacey Thomas

United States of America

“I am a private thoroughbred veterinarian working in Colts Neck, New Jersey and I just completed my Equine Veterinary Acupuncture course through the College of Integrative Veterinary Therapies (CIVT).  I’ve been interested in adjunctive therapies for horses since owning and showing horses as a kid.  Horses are athletes and with every athlete, sports-related injuries can occur. Common western medicine approaches solve many of these problems.  To me, acupuncture is a great alternative to these types of recurrent or non-resolving injuries and also has the benefit of being minimally invasive.  CIVT was a great experience for me because I could learn online on my own time when I wasn’t busy working on the horses.”

Dr Brittland Hughes

United States of America

“I genuinely can’t rave enough about CIVT’s Equine Acupuncture course. If you’re like me, you may be interested in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) but not sure where to start, this is the perfect place. I cannot recommend it enough. It was a really smooth transition into the world of TCM. The course was outlined very well, was easy to follow, and broke everything down simply.  Not only was the whole system super easy to use, and the information laid out in a palatable way, but all my tutors were easily accessible whenever I needed help or needed advice about anything TCM. I for one am definitely hooked on acupuncture and TCM and can’t wait to do more.”

Alexandra Wagner

Saint Lucia

I completed my DVM at Colorado State University in 1997.  A good friend of mine had graduated a few years before and went to work for a holistic vet who did homeopathy.  That was a little more than my linear scientific mind could handle, but I found that acupuncture made a lot of sense to me, and I completed the CSU Acupuncture course in 1998.  It opened up amazing possibilities.  There were few to no medications for arthritis in animals, so I treated a lot of OA patients with great response, including many who would have been euthanized without it.  I have felt through my career that conventional medicine is limited by trying to treat every patient as the same, rather than the individuals that they are.  And we have pet owners to consider, who come to us with a wide variety of philosophies and capabilities, meaning the gold standard may be inappropriate or out of reach.  I never quite fit in the "one size fits all" paradigm.  Over the years, I've added to my knowledge by completing the Veterinary Orthopedic Manipulation (VOM) as well as courses in homotoxicology.  In 2013 I received my Certified Veterinary Pain Practitioner (CVPP) through the IVAPM.  The Graduate Diploma of Veterinary Western Herbal Medicine was the next logical step, as I had clients constantly bringing me herbs and supplements to evaluate and I didn't know what to tell them.  The program was super challenging because it required another paradigm shift and that period of discomfort where you know enough to say try this but not enough to see all the possible problems with that option.  And of course, I didn't plan on a pandemic or building a new clinic when I set out on this path.  But it all worked out and I'm so happy I did the course.  I'm able to evaluate products and I know where to go look if I don't know a particular herb.  And I've had some awesome successes with my cases, including a neurologic completely incontinent dog in diapers who is now doing so well the diapers are completely off.  So, it was absolutely worth the effort, and I would recommend the course to anyone who has a strong interest in herbs.  I have gained confidence in both my integrative skills as well as my conventional ones - I just did my first PRP injection last week.

Dr Shelley Brown

United States of America

"I decided to enroll in CIVT’s Essentials of Veterinary Acupuncture course because the current course I am enrolled in, Advanced Certification in Veterinary Chinese Herbal Medicine, uses veterinary acupuncture points all of the time to help aid in diagnosis and treatment. I did not have any acupuncture experience and was hoping that this introductory course would help me with not only my studies, but also in diagnosing and treating my patients. The course was great and I feel much more knowledgeable and confident when dealing with the more common points/diseases. I recommend this to anyone who is looking to get a little taste of veterinary acupuncture." 

Dr Michelle Silver

United States of America

"My interest in herbalism began with my own health.  Seeing that I could manage my own medical conditions with plants led me to naturally apply a more holistic approach to my own pets.  After 13 years in the veterinary field I could clearly see the space where herbalism would fit.  As a veterinary technician, I was beyond ecstatic to be able to expand my knowledge base and advance my career as an herbalist.  It truly doesn't feel like work when you are following your passion."

Elyse Hoffman

United States of America

"When I embarked on my chosen career as a Veterinary Nurse back in 1991, I had never imagined I could have achieved this accreditation. Veterinary Nurses now are given so many great opportunities to choose a pathway that excites them to come to work each day. I was fortunate to work with Dr Miriam Rustemeyer who introduced me to Traditional Chinese Medicine and Veterinary Acupuncture at a clinic I previously worked for. My employers Dr Lynn Mathison and Dr Nicole McMillan were keen to continue the service at the clinic and could see the benefits of integrated veterinary therapies with Traditional Chinese Medicine and Veterinary Acupuncture.

Unfortunately, my mentor and friend, Dr Miriam moved to the Apple Isle (in a time where cross-border travel was easy). It was at this point that I decided to grasp my newfound passion for Traditional Chinese Medicine and Veterinary Acupuncture. Through the support of my veterinary colleagues, I undertook my first step with CIVT studying the Certification in Veterinary Acupuncture. On completion, my desire for more knowledge was ignited, hence my continued studies with CIVT resulting in my Graduate Diploma of Veterinary Acupuncture.

What I love about Traditional Chinese Medicine and Veterinary Acupuncture is the ability to learn from your clients. Watching how animals respond to treatment is so uplifting for the spirit. Having the ability to work with the veterinarians and demonstrate how Traditional Chinese Medicine and Veterinary Acupuncture can be used as an integrative therapy opens up so many benefits as an option to routine drug treatments or in conjunction.

A heart felt thank you to my tutor Dr Jodi Van Tine; without her continued support and encouragement I would have never achieved my goal. Also, a massive thanks to the team at CIVT who were always there to help. I could not fault this course in anyway. Thank you for showing me the 'Holistic' approach to Integrative Veterinary Therapies."  

Bronwyn Lamb

Australia